Luckily, half of the participants want to work with their communities to create more things to do
Translated by Thomas Ansell
Young people in Drenthe say that there is little to do in their province during their summer holidays. This has come from the results of a survey of 950 young people between the ages of 12 and 18. As reported by the Dagblad van het Noorden.
The survey was created by CMO STAMM; an agency that acts as the ‘knowledge centre’ for social and societal questions, based in Groningen. It was distributed by social media, and asked young people if they think that (in the coming summer) there is enough to do for their age group in Drenthe, what their ideas are, and how they could participate in a summer programme for young people.
Around half of the respondents think that there is very little to do in the summer. But around 40 percent of the participants said that they wanted to help in creating a programme of activities. Answers to the survey suggest that any programme should include relaxation activities, chances to meet up (with appropriate social distancing), and more opportunities for sport.
“Due to the Coronavirus regulation, young people have had fewer and fewer opportunities for hobbys, sport, and making new friends”, says Saskia Duursma, of CMO STAMM. “With the summer holidays just round the corner, boredom will strike. In their wish-list, young people said that they would like to be able to relax, play sports, and meet new people during their holidays”.
In the Gemeentes of Assen, Coevorden, and Hoogeveen, young people can take part in a range of activities centred around sport, culture, and well-being. Other Drents gemeentes, and their partners, are also taking part in the initiative for a ‘summer programme’, to provide more cool activities across the province.
At the moment, all the various localities are hard at work assembling and organising the activities; in many cases being assisted and led by young people themselves. The goal is to come up with a selection of social activities. Examples could include sessions led by theatres, libraries, and sports associations. More information is available via the Summer in Drenthe website.
Image via the Marketing Drenthe. Photographer: Leonie Wiers
