King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will soon find out more about the chat café under the flag of Het Gilde Emmen and surrounding areas. A booklet with well-wishes from visitors to the Emmer café was presented to Mayor Eric van Oosterhout at the Grote Kerk on Friday afternoon.
He personally ensures that the royal couple receives the booklet on Saturday at the national celebration of King’s Day in the butterfly city of Emmen. Willem-Alexander and Máxima will soon read in the booklet about what happens during the talk café in the Emmer library on Noorderplein.
The king receives warm congratulations from participants in writing, for example in the Arabic language. The chat café has been around for many years. The Gilde Emmen and surrounding area is one of about fifty guilds in the Netherlands. The Emmer volunteers want to transfer their own knowledge, skills and experience selflessly. The general idea is students and teachers, but in an informal way.
During the chat café in the library – the exact room varies every now and then – people from different countries come together twice a week. On Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons the café is open to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. A total of eight volunteers try to familiarize visitors with the Dutch language in an accessible way.
‘No politics and religion’
We also discuss together King’s Day, the four seasons of the year, professions and social issues. “We are not concerned with politics and religion in the café,” says volunteer Lenie Renkema (75). “Because our visitors have not yet mastered the Dutch language, we do not think it would be wise to talk about these types of sensitive topics.”
De Emmense has a history as a teacher in secondary education at the Hondsrug College in her hometown. She has been involved with the chat café for twelve years now, which has been around for at least fifteen years, according to Renkema.
“We treat each other respectfully in the café. That’s fantastic. I think the atmosphere is always very pleasant. And people from different cultures sincerely want to help each other. We are proud of what we have achieved together so far. It is nice to contribute to integration.”
From young to old
On average, twelve guests visit the chat café. They range from young to old and they mainly come from Emmen, including the local asylum seeker center on Wilhelmsweg. “Residents of the asylum seekers’ center really enjoy a visit to the chat café.”
Nieuw-Weerdinge and Weerdinge are also represented, according to Renkema. The café goers are originally from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Turkey and Morocco, among others.
More general information can be found at www.gilde-emmen.nl