Linda participates in Civil Servants Project: “Nice to work here with my hands!”

Since June 1, 2023, a pilot project has been running within the municipality of Amsterdam, in collaboration with the Volunteer Center Amsterdam (VCA), allowing civil servants to do volunteer work during working hours. Strategist and consultant Linda van de Pol considers it a valuable experience, as she enthusiastically stirs the pots once a month at World Kitchen SET IJburg.Amsterdam has over 250,000 volunteers, but that’s not enough to provide all the help that is needed. To give volunteering an extra boost, the municipality of Amsterdam has started a pilot project called ‘the Civil Servants Project’. Civil servants participating in this project can do up to 32 hours of volunteer work during working hours. Linda van de Pol is one of them. She cooks monthly at the community center SET, where refugees and other local residents can join for a free warm meal. “It’s wonderful to take a break from my thoughts, work with my hands, and meet new neighbors!”

From hobby to volunteering

Linda was actually looking for a cooking course, to break the routine of her busy office job at the municipality. However, it turned out not to be easy to join part-time, and then suddenly the call came for civil servants to participate in the civil servant project. It gave Linda the idea to explore other opportunities where she can do something related to cooking. “I quickly found a nice spot at the World Kitchen of SET IJburg. This location is close to my house, which I really wanted.”

Get your hands dirty right away

“During my interview at SET, we visited the kitchen, where a chef was cooking alone for over thirty people. He was overwhelmed and asked if I could help out right away. It was super fun! My husband is a chef at Cordaan, and I sometimes accompany him when he cooks somewhere, so I know a bit about it. But suddenly doing the shopping and preparing food for such a large group was quite exciting.”

On-call basis

Linda does not have fixed shifts at the World Kitchen, but works on a call basis. “In our volunteer pool, it is announced when people are needed and you can sign up for it. This way, you easily keep control over when you work. It was immediately clear to me that you can’t manage the work in the kitchen alone in one evening, so I asked my husband to come with me the first time. He really enjoyed it. And the guests’ reactions were fantastic!”

Doing something for someone else

For the subsequent shifts, Linda also asked someone to join her. “I know enough people who enjoy cooking and doing something for others. I also notice that it works very well to ask personally, there is always someone who wants to! It is also incredibly rewarding work. We arrange everything for our shift ourselves: from coming up with the recipe to the shopping and execution. I always try to prepare something nice, something original. For example, we once made wraps with grilled sweet potato and chickpea soup with leeks.”

Very cozy

It may not seem like much to fill 32 hours with volunteer work, but you can really accomplish a lot in those hours, Linda experiences. “I have calculated that I can cook for twelve afternoons/evenings in the World Kitchen. Of course, I also put in a bit of my own time, for example, to do the shopping. But I get a lot in return and also have a very enjoyable evening myself. People with very diverse backgrounds show up, both young and old, and everyone chats with each other. I always join in after my cooking shift; very cozy!”

Enrichment of your life

Linda hopes that more colleagues will participate in the civil servant project. “It really enriches your life. Take a moment to think about what you enjoy doing, something you may not have had time for in a while: crafting, cooking, reading, the possibilities are endless! And then find a fun vacancy related to that. VCA will assist you with that and knows exactly which volunteer opportunities are available near you for the hours you have available.”Do you enjoy helping Linda in the kitchen? Let her know via email: l.van.de.pol@amsterdam.nl

Interested in doing volunteer work?

Do you also want to do volunteer work during working hours? Go tohttps://www.vca.nu/volunteer-work-during-working-hoursOr come to the walk-in consultation hour of VCA on Monday, October 16 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm in the canteen at the Stopera. Mediator Rachida el Alami can help you there with finding a suitable volunteer position.