Stichting Leren Helpt!

What was the goal behind founding the foundation?

‘With Stichting Leren Helpt!, I want to contribute to equal opportunities for everyone. Whether it concerns adults or children, everyone should have comparable opportunities to develop within society. We believe that development increases your chances, and I find it incredibly important that equal opportunities exist for everyone, regardless of social and economic background, education level, work experience, age, and gender. Someone who masters the language is more likely to be healthy and happy, will play a larger role in society, find work faster, and be less likely to face financial problems. That was the primary reason for establishing the foundation.’

What kind of projects does the foundation carry out?

‘One of the projects we carry out is Samen op weg met Taal! (On our way with Language together!). It is intended for non-Western non-native speakers, including many refugees, but also for Western non-native speakers. Among other things, we deploy volunteers as Language Buddies. They speak with each other for an hour and a half every week for three months, following a thorough intake where we look closely at the personal match. What background do the volunteer and the conversation partner have? Where do they live, and are they a good fit? These questions have led to sustainable matches of duos who sometimes continue to meet for a long time to practice the language. In addition, we have a Language Café where non-native speakers can go weekly to practice Dutch. It is a safe environment where people are allowed to make mistakes. Almost half of the visitors are TopTaal students; the others simply walked in and keep coming because they enjoy it.’

Do you carry out the projects alone or in collaboration with other parties?

‘We collaborate with organizations such as Taal voor het Leven, Blik op Werk, the Vrijwilligers Centrale Amsterdam, Amsterdam Cares, and ViiA. In addition, the Stichting Lezen en Schrijven also makes a contribution. We provide the volunteer coordinator ourselves. This person is responsible for setting up and executing the process of recruitment, selection, matching, training, guidance, and support of volunteers across various trajectories.’

Are you satisfied with the foundation's results so far?

‘Not truly satisfied yet, because our goal is ambitious. But we are taking small steps. The time you have at your disposal is always limited. Furthermore, leading a non-profit foundation works completely differently than leading a company. It is more complex. We are currently trying to qualify for funds so that we can grow the foundation. And we are looking into whether we can obtain subsidies from municipalities. That immediately gives you a larger reach. What makes us unique is that we know the world of non-native speakers well. We understand the challenges they face, which makes us a suitable partner. So although I am not yet one hundred percent satisfied with what we have achieved so far, I certainly intend to put even more energy into the foundation to ensure we can offer opportunities to even more people. We primarily help them learn the language, but showing them the way in a country in a broad sense is something we consider at least as important.’

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