On a volunteer vacation at NDSM Treehouse

When Niki Jongman (36) heard last year that she could take extra vacation days at a discounted price, she decided not to spend them on a beach. Instead, she wanted to do something ‘fun and useful.’ This led her to NDSM Treehouse, an art incubator in Amsterdam-Noord. For two weeks, she worked on their exhibition Art Park.Welcome to [Site Name]!

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If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to contact our customer service team. Happy shopping!”I feel more at home in the neighborhood now.“My employer offered to buy extra vacation days for half the price because it was quiet in the office during the summer,” says Niki, a full-time strategist at a digital design agency. During a previous trip to Mexico, she experienced the good feeling that volunteering can bring – she helped out at a cat shelter there. That’s why she wanted to get involved at home as well. Shortly after, she saw a call for volunteers from NDSM Treehouse: they were looking for volunteers. Since Niki was available for two weeks, she was able to help out at the creative hub.”

From organizing to photographing

“I was able to help with the entire setup of Art Park,” she says. “I contributed to creating all the posters, the website, and placing all the artworks. On the opening night, I walked around with my camera to capture everything,” she says. “And then I also stood behind the bar. It was a bit of everything, and that’s what made it so much fun.”

Do not mow, but sow

Niki was particularly touched by the interactive artwork during the exhibition.Don’t Mow, But Sowby Peter de Boer. “He had mapped out abandoned fields in the North with his son,” she says. “In places where the municipality doesn’t mow often, wild flowers grow and all kinds of insects live. The artist had marked on a map which creatures live on such a field, with beautiful black pen drawings. Visitors were invited to draw insects themselves that were not yet on the map. That way you get a very good idea of what lives on those fields. And what it does to such a small ecosystem when a lawnmower rolls over it every once in a while.”

Stay involved

After two intensive weeks, Niki remained involved with NDSM Treehouse. Because it is not only a breeding ground for artists, but also a place for residents from the area to come together. And that mission is close to Niki’s heart. “They really try to build a bridge between the different neighborhoods in Noord,” she explains, “With music lessons, performances, clay workshops, and vegan cooking classes from an Italian chef.”

She has been living in Tuindorp Oostzaan for three and a half years now, a neighborhood that she feels is often a bit closed off from the rest of Amsterdam-Noord. “The Treehouse specifically wants to involve people from Tuindorp.” That is easier said than done. “Many people in Tuindorp were not familiar with NDSM Treehouse,” Niki explains. “And if everything is also communicated in English, I think it’s harder for people to discover.” That’s why NDSM Treehouse decided to start doing a part of their communication in Dutch as well, partly thanks to volunteers like Niki. “I still help with translating their newsletter, so that it was better understood by the neighborhood. I don’t have much time, as I work full-time, but it’s nice that this can be done on an irregular basis.” This way, she is still active even after her volunteer vacation.

Home

“It’s really a community here where people know each other and help each other,” she says. Niki feels more connected to the neighborhood through volunteering. “I now have a few places where I can always just go, where I know people and where it’s cozy. I just feel more at home now.”

Are you also interested in volunteering?

Choose something that suits you. Inthe online job boardYou will find 1001 possibilities.Or come by one of our walk-in consultations without any obligation.Text: Ernst-Jan Pfauth
Photos: Jackie Mulder