Learning Helps Foundation!

For what purpose was the foundation established?

With the Leren Helpt! Foundation, I want to contribute to equal opportunities for everyone. Whether it's adults or children, everyone should have comparable opportunities to develop within society. We believe that development increases your chances, and I think it's incredibly important that there are equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of social and economic background, education level, work experience, age, and gender. Someone who taal "Controlled, healthier and happier, more likely to play a larger role in society, find work more quickly, and less likely to experience financial problems. That was the main reason for establishing the foundation."

What kind of projects does the foundation carry out?

'One of the projects we are carrying out is 'Working together on the road with TaalIt is intended for non-Western speakers of other languages, including many refugees, but also for Western speakers of other languages. We use volunteers, among other things, as Taalbuddy. They meet with each other every week for an hour and a half for three months, after a thorough intake where we carefully consider the personal match. What background do the volunteer and the interviewee have? Where do they live, are they a good fit? These questions have led to lasting matches between pairs who have sometimes been meeting for a long time to meet. taal to practice. Next to this we have a TaalCafé where non-Dutch speakers can practice Dutch every week. It's a safe environment where people are allowed to make mistakes. Almost half of the visitors are students of TopTaal; the others just walked in and keep coming if they enjoy it.'

Do you execute the projects alone or in collaboration with other parties?

We work together with organizations such as Taal for Life, View on Work, the Volunteer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Cares and VIIA. The Reading and Writing Foundation also contributes. We provide the volunteer coordinator ourselves. This is responsible for setting up and executing the process of recruitment, selection, matching, training, supervision and support of volunteers on various trajectories.

Are you satisfied with the results of the Foundation so far?

"Not really satisfied yet, because our goal is ambitious. But we're taking small steps. Time is always limited. Moreover, running a non-profit foundation is completely different from running a company. It's more complex. We're currently trying to qualify for funding so we can expand the foundation. And we're exploring the possibility of receiving subsidies from municipalities. That would immediately broaden our reach. What makes us unique is that we know the world of non-Dutch-speaking people intimately. We understand the challenges they face, which makes us a suitable partner. So, although I'm not entirely satisfied with what we've achieved so far, I definitely intend to invest even more energy in the foundation and ensure we can offer opportunities to even more people. We primarily help them learn the language. taal, but we believe that familiarizing them with a country in a broader sense is at least as important.'