Since 1998 Stichting IMC Weekendschool has offered supplementary educational programmes for young people from the age of 10 who live in the most marginalized  communities in the Netherlands. Stichting IMC Weekendschool  also manages programmes in cooperation with schools that face severe to very severe challenges in helping their pupils attain national standards. Through long-term programmes aimed at general development and personal growth, young people receive weekly instruction – over a period of several years – from professionals (volunteers) who have a real passion for their work. These lessons taught by enthusiastic subject-matter experts help young people develop the motivation to succeed in life.

Stichting IMC Weekendschool offers educational programmes that nourish young people's natural motivation to explore the world. Our education doesn't teach young people ‘for later’, it teaches them what ‘later' will be like – today. Each week, young people meet enthusiastic subject-matter experts from a wide variety of sectors who share a glimpse into their professional fields. Within the broad curriculum, young people can experiment in the real world to their heart's content, while being encouraged to approach that world in an inquisitive and involved way. They receive an introduction to 15 subjects, including law, medicine, journalism, visual arts, technology, language and poetry, entrepreneurship, philosophy and politics. Excursions are an important part of the curriculum as well. Skills training is integrated into each and every subject. Each week, participants practice formulating an opinion and listening to one another, along with having conversations with adults. In this way,  young people are able to prepare in a fun, playful way for the most important step after their school career: making a motivated start in society.

4 programmes, one mission

In 2020, Stichting IMC Weekendschool operated four programmes throughout the Netherlands:

• IMC Weekendschool: three locations in Amsterdam;
• IMC Alumni, the follow-up programme for graduates;
• IMC Basis, weekend classes integrated into primary school education: two primary schools in Amsterdam;
• IMC on Tour, the programme for newcomers’ children: one language school in Amsterdam.

Each week, 3,000 young people take part in our educational programmes. All programmes operate based on the same mission and vision: to enhance young people's self-confidence and expand their possibilities for the future. Would you like to introduce pupils to the UvA?

Contact

• Jinwen Omar (year coordinator for year 2/location manager at Amsterdam Southeast), jinwen.omar@weekendschool.nl
• Daan van Engelen (IMC Alumni coordinator), daan.vanengelen@weekendschool.nl
• Maaike van Gestel (IMC Alumni coordinator), maaike.vangestel@weekendschool.nl

Weekend Academie is a non-profit organisation that strives to reduce inequality in the opportunities afforded to young people. Our passion is motivating young people to make the most of their abilities. We do this by providing substantive support, coaching and training to improve their study skills. Our programmes focus on talent development, parental involvement, success at school and self-confidence. 
If you are curious about what we have to offer, visit the site to learn more about our programmes. If you would like to contribute to one of our programmes or are interested in receiving more information, please email Sharon Baljet at sharon.baljet@weekendacademie.nl

Contact

• Sharon Baljet (Communications), sharon.baljet@weekendacademie.nl
   

Life Skills supports young people between 10 and 18 years of age as they develop life skills, self-love and self-confidence and build their citizenship, so that they have the know-how they will need to establish a place for themselves in society and will be unafraid to take control of their own lives and work toward a sustainable future. To that end, Life Skills offers workshops and training courses, as well as homework and academic support in both highly cohesive groups and in the form of one-on-one coaching for young people and their parents.

Every child has the right to education. Fair education, to be exact. But we know that inequality exists, even within our classrooms. This is especially true in neighbourhoods where levels of social, cultural and economic capital are low, such as Amsterdam Southeast. In order to provide equal opportunities to young people from marginalized  neighbourhoods, stakeholders are investing in supplemental education in the form of tutoring or homework support. And that is a good thing. Very good. But there is more to this particular issue. These children grow up in a non-Western cultural environment. Often, the values and standards in their environment are different than those of Dutch society. With that in mind, the programme offers pupils supplemental education to ensure equal educational opportunities, which helps them to obtain their diploma. After that, it is time for them to establish their place in society. They will have obtained the knowledge and expertise with regard to their particular field, of course. What they sometimes lack, however, are the skills and knowledge relating to the ins and outs of Western culture and Dutch society. They experience a sense of culture shock, with a mutual lack of understanding and uncertainty. As a result, they have difficulty securing their place in society. Some of them become fearful or angry and lose hope. They do not get the chance to put all their knowledge to use and find employment reflecting the level of their abilities. Obviously, this is a real loss!

Since 2006, Dutch law has mandated that curricula in primary and secondary education must promote active citizenship and social integration. Building citizenship means developing civic knowledge, skills and attitudes so that people have the expertise they need to secure a place for themselves in society. Good citizenship is important because it offers a means to actively contribute to society. Some of our civic education takes place at school, and some of it we learn from our networks – in particular our parents, family, friends in clubs and the media. Which skills a person learns from their network depends on their socio-cultural context. That means that, in general, children who grow up in a Western cultural context will learn these values more or less automatically. Children who grow up in a non-Western context will not automatically develop the necessary skills.

A lack of citizenship-building, life skills, self-love and self-confidence means that good citizenship remains a major challenge for people who grow up in socio-economically disenfranchised neighbourhoods . If we want to work towards a diverse and inclusive Netherlands, we must find a way to bring these communities together. We intend to achieve this by giving young people the right skills through the Life Skills programme. After all, these skills are essential to good citizenship. In Life Skills, we therefore focus not only on homework and study support but on citizenship-building as well. Lessons aimed at citizenship-building and life skills are given the same attention as the subjects at school. We call this teaching method innovative education: innovative education for good citizenship. Through this education, we want to close the gap between education and citizenship as a means to promote better connections to society and to achieve diversity and inclusion within that society as well.

Contact

• Moenira Luqman (founder and director), info@lifeskills.fun

Stichting Scientia Potentia Est (SPE) was founded in 2012 and has its office in Amsterdam Southeast. The foundation arose from a volunteer initiative begun by Mr Kwame's father, who began helping children in the neighbourhood with their homework in the 1990s. Today, the initiative has grown into a professional organisation that supports dozens of pupils every day as they work toward a bright future. 
SPE is here to help all young people, regardless of their social background or educational  level. Led by Mr Kwame, the foundation provides homework tutoring  no less than six days a week. This tutoring is customised for each individual child and is specifically tailored to his/her/their needs.

The goal is, by supporting them with their homework, to make sure every child is successful at school and can go on to make a positive contribution to society.

Contact

• Kwame Agyapong-Ntra (director), agyapong-ntra@stichtingspe.nl

Fawaka Ondernemersschool is a social enterprise with a clear mission: to introduce every child and young person in the Netherlands to the principles of sustainable entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is a great way to learn perseverance, decision-making and an active and flexible approach to problem-solving. It is also an excellent way to create a sustainable and inclusive society, because it is not just about talking, but about actually doing.

To that end, the Fawaka Ondernemersschool focuses on children who have difficulty finding access to innovative educational programmes. All children have a right to participate, regardless of the neighbourhood they grow up in, their background or how they learn. Every child has the right to a positive self-image and a chance to develop their talents and potential.

If we are to effectively address the major ecological and social challenges we face as a country and as a global community, we must provide the young generations with sustainable and inclusive education linked to enterprising behaviour. This will supply the basis for every young global citizen.

We provide sustainable and inclusive education by offering a variety of  programmes we have developed ourselves in the form of workshops, programmes for after-school care and regular programmes at primary and secondary schools. Our programmes include Choco Ondernemers , Upcycle Ondernemers , Techniek Ondernemers  and many others. We recently began offering the Fawaka WereldBurgerschap programme as well. Through this programme, we provide schools with lessons and programmes involving sustainability, anti-discrimination training, a roadmap for an inclusive school library, world history, human-rights education and more.
Because we feel it is important that every pupil can identify with the teachers we send into classrooms, we prioritise making sure that the valuable diversity that exists in the Netherlands is reflected in the people we hire. We therefore especially encourage those students with a non-Western background to contact us.

Contact

• Tarim Flach (project staff for Events), tarim@fawakaondernemersschool.nl

Move is dedicated to helping children and young people in the ages 10 to 16 who have access to fewer opportunities than their peers. In our ongoing learning track of community projects, they can discover their talents and the kinds of valuable positions they can claim for themselves in society. Students provide the pupils with support and guidance. Interpersonal encounters are a central focus in all our projects: children, young people and students explore new lived experiences and broaden their perspectives together.

Move operates throughout the Netherlands: over 500 students and young professionals take part in our projects each year!  There are multiple ways for students to participate, including in Amsterdam! What all projects have in common, however, is that you will have a chance to contribute to society, develop your talents, expand your network and work on your CV.

Projects

Primary school project

Duration: four to six months.

In this project, primary school pupils from a marginalized  neighbourhood in Amsterdam come up with ways to improve their own neighbourhood. Students help them realise these plans and, in doing so, join the children in giving the community a boost. The children, for their part, discover their talents and learn to be proud of themselves, the results and their neighbourhood.

As a participating student, this project gives you a chance to gain experience in the areas of teaching, project management, social entrepreneurship and coaching.

Move Your World in prevocational secondary education

Duration: two half-days

Move Your World offers young people in prevocational secondary education a chance to use their own ideas and talents for the benefit of other people. They discover how enjoyable it can be to carry out actions they come up with themselves and draw positive attention to themselves. This boosts their self-confidence and lets them experience how valuable they can be to the world around them. As a participating student, this project gives you a chance to gain experience with coaching and teaching.

Move in 1 day

Duration: one day

With Move in 1 day, primary school pupils learn in a short period of time what they can achieve and what kind of impact they can make on their own living environment. Within just one day, they will discover their talents and learn about civic participation by designing – and immediately carrying out – a project to improve their neighbourhood. As a participating student, this project gives you a chance to gain experience with coaching and teaching.

Contact

• Anna Lakmaker (project coordinator for Move Amsterdam), amsterdam@stichtingmove.nl

Mission

Passie voor je Toekomst promotes young people who are energetic and flexible. We want to provide young people with lasting motivation and help them become willing to work toward a better living environment, a successful school career and greater motivation. The programme strengthens their socio-economic position by promoting personal development and encouraging self-awareness.

Vision

Our motto is 'Dare to Do what you Dream'. We view the Passie voor je Toekomst programmes as a long-term sustainable motivator and the most powerful motor driving individual success. 'Dare' stands for following your intuition or listening to the little voice inside – the one that tells you to take on a challenge or seize an opportunity. 'Do' stands for making and carrying out a plan for who you want to be, now and in the future. And lastly, 'Dream' stands for unlimited confidence that you can become whatever you want to be.
At Passie voor je Toekomst, we believe that everyone has talent.

Our organisation has the following objectives:

• to encourage young people and students from diverse backgrounds to set ambitious goals for themselves and to make the most of their abilities;
• to inspire and activate young people in a lasting way, by identifying their passions as a basis for setting and pursuing goals;
• to motivate young people to continue their academic career and obtain at least a starting qualification, in order to reduce the number of drop-outs;
• to match young people with employers for the purpose of work placements or jobs;
• to promote essential knowledge and skills in the area of education, entrepreneurship and the labour market;
• to encourage civic participation in Dutch society among young people in order to reduce their chances of becoming social drop-outs;
• to strengthen the quality of social networks among young people with diverse backgrounds;
• to make young people aware of how they can serve as role models in connection with the leadership qualities they have developed.

Contact

• Raoul Vertrouwd (chair of Passie voor je Toekomst)
• Shivani Jagroep (project manager at Passie voor je Toekomst)

Both can be reached via: info@passievoorjetoekomst.nl