As the month of August has come to an end, we reflect on our activities of the past month.
Here’s a summary of our initiatives:
- Rolling Aid Event at Arnhem
- Partnerships with MessageBird and Picnic
- Welcoming a new team member
- Laptop Donations
- Looking forward
Rolling Aid event at Arnhem
On August 9th we hosted our Rolling Aid Event at the SML football club in Arnhem for unaccompanied minors from two temporary COA locations for a day of fun and positivity. We were excited to welcome a diverse group of both boys and girls, aged between 15-18. With such a gathering, we could make full use of the accommodating facilities so the children could connect with our volunteers, the local community, and each other for a day filled with excitement and smiles.
We began with bonding sessions, allowing the boys and girls to get to know our volunteers and form connections. With the help of individuals fluent in Arabic, Eritrean languages, and one unaccompanied minor who also spoke Somali, we heard about their experiences and dreams, forming meaningful connections. Whether through conversations or seeing the children play games without language barriers, it was a wonderful experience.
Sharing lunch from Zina’s Kitchen and Abyssinia, the group enjoyed Syrian and Eritrean food together before moving into a program supported by local sports clubs and trainers, providing children with activities like football, volleyball, kickboxing, creative workshops, and a percussion workshop.
A creative workshop led by Liese Wessels from New Hearts provided materials like thread, beads, and a large canvas. It was beautiful to witness the children teach volunteers how to weave bracelets and create embroidery, while sharing their stories. Throughout the afternoon, some connected through language and crafts, others wanted to get active! The girls took to kickboxing with zeal and, guided by volunteers, discovered a talent for it! It was amazing to see young people get involved with activities, to a point we found boys not wanting to stop playing football!
Bringing children and local communities together is one of our main goals when hosting an event. Seeing the joy the boys had for playing football, the SML football club will now welcome them to play weekly. Bringing together the COA, local municipality, and sports clubs means ongoing support can be made available to these boys, as the football club can also facilitate school classes for them from these locations.
By the end of the day, we felt overwhelmed by the support of volunteers, translators, and our local partners in creating a memorable day for the children. We provided each of them with a backpack filled with donated items from our partners, to take forward with them. The joy everyone experienced was clear, with many volunteers saying the smiles made every moment worthwhile. We hope that with our future Rolling Aid Events, we can continue to nurture these connections into lasting bonds.
To read more about our Rolling Aid Event in Arnhem, check out these articles published by de Gelderlander and Trouw!
Our new HQ 🎉
If you have been following our Instagram stories you might have seen that we announced some pretty exciting news…
For nearly a year, we have been lucky enough to have an office from MessageBird, which has acted as both our headquarters and our storage. We cannot thank MessageBird enough for their generosity in letting us occupy this fantastic space as we have seen our donations grow! However, all good things must come to an end, and we can now announce that we will be moving into the Picnic HQ!
With so many donations to organise and transport to our new warehouse, we were so thankful to have had help from our volunteers over the last few weeks. We were lucky enough to be connected to a.s.r through Use Space, which means that we now have the perfect ground floor storage to ensure that our donations are kept safe and sound 🙏 . From packing pallets, organising and sorting through hundreds of pairs of shoes and expertly driving pallet jacks, we were able to move more than 40 pallets to our new warehouse!
We can’t wait to get started with our new office at Picnic, and want to thank them for their generosity in sharing their home with us. It is great that we can partner with a company which believes in our mission to assist asylum seekers in the Netherlands and abroad. With this new space, we can continue to make a positive impact and empower those in need 🌟
We’re truly grateful for the incredible network of individuals and organisations that make our work possible. Together, we can achieve so much more ❤️
Welcoming a new team member!
We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Project & Content Manager, Georgia! 🎉 Being a native English speaker, her experience in storytelling and background in community building make her a great fit for the team, and we’re so excited to welcome her aboard! 🥳
‘I am really excited to join the People for People team! From my first interview to then attending my first two Rolling Aid Events in Oosterhout and Arnhem, the whole process has been so seamless. I could not be happier with my decision to take on the roles of Project & Content Manager and to continue to help people all over the Netherlands.”
In the process of hiring and onboarding new employees, we rely on Recruitee. Recruitee is a software platform that simplifies the hiring process by managing job applications and organising candidate information. It helps us streamline our recruitment efforts and ensures a smooth onboarding experience for our new team members! We have been lucky enough to use this platform free of charge for the last year, and we’re so happy to have this opportunity again for the coming 12 months. We really believe that Recruitee can help us in creating the perfect team to help achieve our goals!🚀
Laptop Donations 💻
A definite highlight of this month was the incredible donation of more than 300 laptops from MessageBird, with their mission being that these laptops can help to support refugee children in the Netherlands! We were absolutely blown away by such a great donation, and we couldn’t wait to get them to good homes 🏠
With so many charities that can carefully and considerately select the right home for these laptops, People for People decided to connect with Allemaal-Digitaal.nl. Allemaal Digitaal can ensure that the laptops will reach the right places in the Netherlands, and help to kickstart the futures of many people! We align with their mission that digital access is a basic necessity and should be available to all. 💻
Together with MessageBird, we believe in the power of collective action. Their offer enabled us to impact as many lives as possible and provide digital access to as many young refugees as possible. We are delighted to be a part of this initiative, helping children succeed in school and on their own journeys.🚀
On this path together, we hope to make a difference in the lives of those who need it the most. Let’s continue to spread positivity and create meaningful change! 🙏
Looking forward and exciting new announcements
Looking back on August, we have had a month of change and excitement. We have packed-up and left our old office at MessageBird, with the incredible help of our volunteers. Welcomed a new team member, Georgia and hosted our Rolling Aid Event in Arnhem where the smiles left on the children’s faces, really reminded us how important these days are.
Whilst it will be hard to top such an exciting summer, we are looking forward to September where we can recap our Rolling Aid Event in Wierden and more exciting projects that we have in the works. Stay tuned on our socials for all of our updates.
