Social Initiatives

The program

Adessium strives to create a society in which people live together with respect and compassion for one another, and in which everyone can participate equally. We are working on a society that is characterized by humanity and solidarity. We support organizations in the Netherlands that offer help and assistance to people who have become vulnerable as a result of the situation they find themselves in, and initiatives that boost young people’s involvement in society.

Theme 1 Help & perspective

Theme 3 Migration & asylum

Theme 2 Youth & society

Theme 1 Help & perspective

Everyone in the Netherlands should have an equal opportunity to participate in society. This requires mutual engagement and support for those who need it. A large group of people cannot get by, either because they do not have a permanent residence, live in poverty or have a minimal social safety net. They run a great risk of living in social isolation and losing control over their lives.

Our goals

• Help people in vulnerable situations by providing direct support.

• Structurally improve the position of people in vulnerable situations by finding sustainable solutions to poverty, homelessness and exclusion in our society.

Our overall approach

• We fund organizations that provide support in the areas of financial aid and debt prevention, shelter and mentoring, overcoming isolation, buddy networks and network building.

• Our partners focus on innovative ways to provide support, for example trust-based interventions and direct cash transfers, which have proven to work better for our target groups.

• We promote a way of working where aid workers become involved in a person's life and where the knowledge of hands-on experts is used to provide effective help.

• We ensure that aid organizations have sufficient capacity to advocate for policy changes, based on experiences on the ground, which structurally improve people’s situations.

Partner in the spotlight

Stichting Zwerfjongeren Nederland: “Peace of mind to find their own place”

Stichting Zwerfjongeren Nederland (The Netherlands Homeless Youths Foundation) is an independent advocate of homeless youth in the Netherlands. Director Marleen van der Kolk: “Young people between the ages of 18 and 21 who, for whatever reason, do not work or study receive 265 Euros of social welfare per month. The idea behind this is that parents are expected to provide further financial support to their children. That is however, an expectation and not an obligation. Those who have a bad relationship with their parents, who no longer have parents or whose parents are financially struggling themselves have to figure it out without additional allowances.”

The promoters of ‘Bouwdepot’, social designer Manon van Hoeckel and Stichting Zwerfjongeren Nederland, want to structurally tackle this systemic exclusion. Bouwdepot is a program in which homeless young adults receive a monthly income of 1.050 Euros for an entire year. They get the peace of mind to find their own place to live, a job or possibly an education. Sixty young people have now taken part in a Bouwdepot year in four cities. In 2023, more than sixty young adults will start in a follow-up pilot in Eindhoven, Amersfoort and other municipalities.

Theme 2 Youth & society

In an engaged society, people take responsibility for each other and their environment. This also applies to young people. Young people are the future and should therefore be involved in its development. They can use their enthusiasm and conviction to affect change in society, which is why it is so important for them to develop their ideas and talents, and make sure their voices are heard.

Our goals

• Young people have the skills, knowledge and attitude they need to become active in society.

• Initiatives by and with young people are supported to ensure that their voices are heard.

Our overall approach

• Our partners implement programs to develop skills, knowledge and attitudes. The focus is on programs that offer action-oriented experiences for young people between the ages of 10 and 25.

• We strengthen umbrella organizations that aim to represent young people better and empower them in issues that are relevant to them.

• We work with umbrella organizations and/or with fellow foundations to fund bottom-up youth initiatives.

Partner in the spotlight

The Move Foundation: “Students want to do something for other people”

The Move Foundation offers programs to children and young people between the ages of 10 and 16 who have fewer opportunities than their peers. During the Move Your World project, students invent a charity or another initiative to improve the world. For example, students combat loneliness among the elderly, hand out healthy snacks in their neighborhood or place trash cans in parks where they have noticed litter. Director Jony Ferket: “We researched how the students felt after their project. They all said that they want to do something for other people more often. Throughout the project, students can also identify which talents

Theme 3 Migration & asylum

and skills they used: their creativity, cooperation with others, coming up with ideas, organizing, devising and implementing a plan, and making contact with other people. More than 80 percent of them end up feeling proud and appreciated.”

Society is for everyone and should offer equal opportunities and prospects to all. Successful integration gives newcomers the possibility to build a dignified life and enhances support for receiving refugees in Dutch society. The language barrier, restricted access to employment and education, and a limited network often prevent newcomers from developing their full potential. We also see a large group of undocumented people who do not always have access to basic services, limiting their opportunities to work on a dignified future for themselves in the Netherlands or abroad.

Our goals

• Promote the integration of newcomers into a welcoming society.

• Ensure access to basic services for undocumented people.

Our overall approach

• Our partners provide support in asylum seekers’ centers in addition to the scarce public assistance offered.

• With our support, we aim to strengthen social acceptance by stimulating citizens' involvement in the integration of newcomers.

• Our partners are committed to providing access to basic services, such as medical care, shelter and personal development.

• The organizations supported represent newcomers' interests based on the insights of people with lived experience.

Partner in the spotlight Movement on the Ground: “We always assess the greatest needs first”

In line with the philosophy of Movement on the Ground (MOTG), people living in refugee camps in Greece and other European countries instigate change themselves. Refugees work together on sustainable, safe and humane environments, in collaboration with the local community: ‘From Camp to CampUs.’ Co-founder Adil Izemrane: “In 2022, we started working in the Netherlands in Cranendonck – an asylum center next to a village called Budel. Since there is a so-called ‘over-flow’ of asylum applications in Ter Apel, Cranendonck serves as a center where asylum seekers can also register. We want to make sure that the people who have come from Ter Apel are received in a humane environment. We talked to the residents of the asylum center, and held meetings to hear about their urgent needs and concerns. This is how we always work, we first note the greatest needs. After just a couple of weeks, more than 50 refugees volunteered for MOTG. Together, these volunteers ensure that the communal kitchens are well managed, they help as translators and organize activities.”