WE ARE HERE.

JANTJE BETONMalou Durve

Marlies Bouman

ARTO

• 11 years old

• Born in Iran

LILI

• 7 years old

• Born in the Netherlands

MAMA

• 37 years old

• Fled to the Netherlands 9 years ago with Arto

LET’S MEET…

2 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

ABOUT ARTO

Like many children in

NL, Arto...

… loves sports.

… cycles to school.

… sometimes argues with his

sister and mother.

Unlike many others,

Arto...

… has changed homes 5 times.

… fears that his family is forced

to leave the Netherlands.

… worries a lot about his

future.

3 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

4 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

FACTS

There are 1150 children like Arto in the Netherlands.

8 Family locations• Sober Regime• Not allowed to leave the city• Report several times a week

On average a child stays in a family home for 560 days.

JANTJE BETON

We Are Here | Child in the City | 20165

We cannot do much about Arto’s situation as a refugee. So what can we do?

Born in 1968

Wellbeing of children in the Netherlands

• Physical environment: Playful neighbourhoods

• Social inclusion: Empowerment

PLAY as a tool

THE PROJECT WE ARE HERE

We do this all through play.

6 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

2. Work on recognising emotions and dealing with them.

3. Stimulate a positive experience between the

children and their parents.

4. Create positive change in the physical environment.

1. Improve the children’s confidence.

UPCYCLE WORKHOP

7 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

1. Improve the children’s confidence.

• Creative & fun moment

• Proud of result

BALLOON PROGRAM

8 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

2. Work on recognising emotions and dealing with them.

• Balloon is metaphor

• How do you empty your balloon in a healthy way?

9 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

WHAT WOULD HELP YOU EMPTY

YOUR BALLOON?

EXERCISE 1

CHALLENGE DAY

10 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

3. Stimulate a positive experience between the children and their parents.

• Create a connection between the adults.

• Sharing of feelings and sharing of fun!

We Are Here | Child in the City | 201611

CHALLENGE DAY

12 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

CONNECTION: FIND A COMMON

EMBARRASSMENT WITH YOUR

NEIGHBOUR

EXERCISE 2

EXCHANGE WISHES

13 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

• Adults hide a written message inside a small doll. ‘I hope you stay safe’

• Children record a message for their parents. ‘I wish you love’

MAKE SOMETHING TOGETHER

14 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

4. Create positive change in the physical environment.

• Make something together.

• Reminder of We Are Here program.

ARTO & LILI

• Learned there are different ways to deal with emotions.

• Felt heard and seen during theactivities.

• Made new friends.

MAMA

• Learned about what their child needs to empty their balloon.

• Has a better connection with otherresidents of the asylum home.

• Felt like a ‘normal’ person during the activities.

FIRST RESULTS

15 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

WHAT DID WE LEARN?

16 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

CHALLENGES

• Sustainability

• Organisation

• In kids

• Staff changes

• Language and culture

• Manage expectations

WHAT DID WE LEARN?

17 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

TIPS & TRICS

• Close cooperation with other

organisations at the location.

• Financial stability.

• Repetition of program for kids.

• Independence from staff.

• Connect with key representatives.

• Promise less, give more.

WHAT’S NEXT

18 We Are Here | Child in the City | 2016

• Evaluations with different parties involved.

• Reaching out to other organisations active in this field.

• How does this work with people who just arrived?

• Translate our learnings into a program to serve these children.

THANK YOU !

We Are Here | Child in the City | 201619