Dancing together & supporting mothers

“The first step towards volunteering is challenging, but once you have started, it is amazing to do!” Luna (20) and Xena (21) wholeheartedly agree with each other. Xena: “Because I am so cheerful and enthusiastic, I forget about my daily worries.”

Are you coming to dance with me?

Xena, Social Pedagogical Assistance student, started at the Danspaleis before the summer. The concept is simple: ‘hard music is played’ in a nursing home and the elderly are invited to dance and move. “Music and dance are my passions. It’s so much fun to approach them and ask ‘Do you want to dance?’ If people have difficulty walking, they can still move to the music. Soon I will also start with ‘Chat with a Record’. For this, I will go out with an old-fashioned record player with about 20 records – you can also use your phone, of course. With this, I will visit lonely elderly people at home. Talking about music is easy, and you naturally start talking about other topics as well.”Xena: “I always want to help everyone”[/caption]

Developing own boundaries

Luna loves singing, reading, and horseback riding. In addition to her Social Legal Services studies, she volunteered as a buddy at the Blijf Groep. Here, mothers who have experienced domestic violence are supported. “As a volunteer, you talk about ‘normal’ things and are there for the mother. It is sometimes very difficult to understand what these mothers are going through. I learned to set boundaries here. At first, I always wanted to step into the role I was trained for and help in a professional way, but as a volunteer, I am there to support, to chat. And not to solve big problems. Other people are dealing with that.”

Caring for everyone

Xena: “In my personal life, I feel connected to everyone and always want to help. Everyone’s problem is my problem. To counteract this a bit and have more time for myself, I do volunteer work at Het Danspaleis. Because I am cheerful and enthusiastic there, I forget my daily worries, everything is put aside for a moment. You are doing good and come home happy. That makes everything a bit lighter, and that’s why I can also handle other situations better.”

Luna: “I am glad I started volunteering”

Children’s farm

Luna: “The mother received an important phone call while I was there. After that, I asked her what she needed from me. We went to the petting zoo where she told me all about her life. That was the very first moment we truly connected and built a bond. Later, when she suddenly could move out and my volunteering with her essentially ended, I visited her again after a few weeks to close everything off. That was also good for me. We then went to a petting zoo again to catch up.”Photos: Jackie Mulder
Interview: Helen Kooistra

Would you like to do something for someone else?

That can be done, for example, atHumanitasor theDance Palace.Or look inour job board, there you will find over 1000 great volunteer opportunities in the city. See what suits you!