The Young Democrats ( the youth association of the political party D66) and the student association Groninger Studentenbond, the GSb have made the call
Last week, the Dutch cabinet indicated that young people may be able to physically meet again soon, in a socially distanced environment. Now two youth organisations say that they believe that the Forum could be the right place for such an experiment.
“In a normal situation, the Forum is also a place where many people come together, with plenty of space to organize remote and Corona-proof social meetings,” said Silke Kok, chairman of the Young Democrats Groningen, reports the GIC.
According to the YD, the young people in Groningen are sufferting mentally from the current measures, and reopening the Forum could improve their mental health. “Opening the Forum for young people could be a good experiment, perhaps using rapid tests,” says Kok.
The GSb agrees with the YD Groningen, referring to research that shows that shows that young people are suffering from both loneliness and a lack of social contact. Chairman of the GSb, Marinus Jongman says: “Any meeting place that does not start with www. would be a big improvement, especially because many student rooms are too tight to meet each other safely. ”
According to the youth organisations, the opening of the Forum would also provide the much-needed perspective that young people crave. “The gloom of the young people around us is often due to the lack of prospects for improvement. If we can get that back and break through the loneliness, we will take important steps. ”, Jongman continues.
Image via the Forum Groningen
