Written by Anne-Lin van Gelder
History of Serve the City
Serve the City has its origins in Brussels. The foundation was founded based on the Christian idea of charity. There are 65 cities around the world that continue this idea and where Serve the City’s were founded. This has now found its way to the Netherlands. In the Netherlands there are 8 cities that have a Serve the City. This also applies to Tilburg.
However, things are different in Tilburg. Unlike the other boards (both in the Netherlands and abroad), our board consists of a student board and we have left the Christian idea. We believe that everyone, regardless of religious beliefs, should love others. Everyone can therefore volunteer.
Serve the City Tilburg – the board
As the board of STC you are the head of the foundation. In addition to your position (and the associated tasks), you are responsible for one committee. STC has four committees in total: Serve the Grey, Serve the Kids, Serve the Brave and Serve the Homeless.
Serve the Grey is aimed at the target group of (lonely) elderly people in Tilburg. Think of the elderly in a care home. An example of an activity that is organized for this target group is the weekly walk with the elderly. This has been a great success from the beginning of the board year, with enthusiastic students participating every week.
Serve the Kids is aimed at the target group of children with a ”backpack”. Think of children whose parents are not financial stable, so a party like Sinterklaas can not be discussed extensively. We certainly consider these children at such moments.
Serve the Brave is aimed at the target group of people with a physical or mental disability. Earlier this year we went to help at Villa Pardoes. Seriously ill children and their families can stay here for a real pampering week. This way these children can forget their illness for a while.
Serve the Homeless is aimed at the target group of people without a fixed home. Think of mothers in a stay-off-my-house, refugees and homeless people. This also includes helping the Food Bank.
Each committee consists of approximately 6 committee members (there may be more), excluding the coordinator from the board. These committee members join the committee for a full year.
In addition to these committee members, STC has day volunteers. These students can be deployed in activities where we do not have enough regular committee members. Once in a while they will receive an e-mail with activities in which they can help. Day volunteers are therefore not charged with taking care of the organization behind an activity. They only offer a helping hand during the activity.
So much for all committee members who are affiliated with STC.
We have been assigned a development coordinator from the municipality of Tilburg to help us network. Ingrid Maas fulfills this beautiful task. She has a large network in Tilburg that we can use to put ourselves on the map.
There are several charities in Tilburg and they all organize activities. Sometimes, however, activities are very similar. She ensures that parties can then work together efficiently. This is more convenient for the target group, but also for the parties. In this way, an activity can be tackled bigger!
Ingrid also helps the board on a personal level where necessary. A board year is intensive and not everything can go smoothly. It is very nice to have a contact person.
In addition, STC is assisted by an Advisory Board (RvA). As the name suggests, this council issues advice that we as a board can take action with. The RvA consists of former board members of the foundation. They know everything about the ins and outs of the foundation. This is useful, because they can then provide the board with the correct information. Moreover, this provides a critical look at (past) activities.
Thus, the structure of STC looks briefly described. For more information: info@servethecitytilburg.nl
