Working at the neighborhood farm is like mindfulness

Fana has been working with a lot of joy and gratitude as a volunteer at Ons Genoegen, the neighborhood farm in Westerpark, for 2.5 years. “Everyone can escape from the city and the hustle and bustle here. It’s just countryside in the middle of the city.”

A colorful woman in a bright red overall, flowery boots, and a rasta hat on her dark curls is sanding and painting the furniture in the café today. “I started in the garden but now also work three days behind the bar and in the kitchen, and one day as a handywoman,” Fana explains. She is from Marseille, France. “My father is Moroccan, my mother Algerian, and my grandfather is Jewish, so I am a very beautiful multicultural mix,” she laughs. She taught French with great passion at a high school but at some point experienced a severe burnout. Then she stayed at home, but fortunately, she got in touch with the neighborhood farm through a friend.

Talented tiger

“I was so happy that I could work here. I was back among people, able to take initiative again, and our ideas are really listened to. It’s a school, you just learn a lot of new things like dealing with customers. Developing makes you richer. If you ask me now what type I am, I say: ‘a talented tiger’.”

What you can do, you pass on, and what you cannot do, you can learn here

Everyone helps each other, you do it together. Everyone has something to offer, but together we make something beautiful out of it. Fana mentions that there are about 65 volunteers working at ‘Ons Genoegen’. Everyone is welcome. You also work on yourself here. The intention is that you make progress. “What you can do, you pass on, and what you can’t do, you can learn here.” Everyone can also come up with new ideas, and if possible, something will be done with it.”

Passion

“Here, it is my passion to provide people with a nice place. You can have lunch, dinner, enjoy nature and silence, have a cup of tea, or listen to the birds here. For myself, working here is a kind of mindfulness. By the way, you can also do real mindfulness here on Saturday mornings with Betty. In the garden or in the attic. It is a cozy and peaceful crowd that comes to the neighborhood farm, but of course, there is sometimes a less pleasant customer. If things really go wrong, we can ask the manager for help. Fortunately, that is very rare. Now, with Corona, unfortunately, we have less contact with the customers. We now have to wear a face mask behind the bar, of course.”

Every day is a dream

They also have a nice outing together sometimes. Once they went sailing on a large ship with beautiful cushions and delicious food. When Fana is asked if she still has dreams for ‘later’, she says that now, at her age, it has become more spontaneous. “You dream when you are 15 years old. For me, every day is a dream now.”

Interview: Thecla Groot Koerkamp
Photos: Kim Cerrone

Interested in becoming a volunteer?

Do you think it would be fun to start doing volunteer work as well?

1. Make an appointmentfor a mediation meeting at one of the consultation hours in the city.
2. Find a suitable job yourselfon the volunteer job board (around 1000 opportunities)