Stichting Vrienden ASF Nederland

The “Stichting Vrienden ASF Nederland” was founded in December 2005. The aim of the foundation is to support the ideas and the activities of ASF in the Netherlands by several means. ASF has been active in the Netherlands since 1959. The main activity is to organize long-term volunteer services. Every year a group of several volunteers comes to the Netherlands. The coordinator of ASF has the task to find the hosting organisations and to be in with them. Furthermore, she supervises the volunteers during their stay in the Netherlands. The activities of ASF are mainly based on critical reflection of the history of German national socialism and its crimes, and to give off a sign for international comprehension and reconciliation. Therefore the themes of the work of ASF are antiracism, combating anti-Semitism and exclusion, for intercultural understanding and peace. Social inclusion and support of refugees is are actual items. The memory of the victims of the national socialism is another important theme. To encourage these ideas, the coordinator organizes seminars with the volunteers, in order to discuss and work on the above themes. We want to stimulate the volunteers in their critical reflection of those problems and to make them sensitive for social commitment. Also the development of the individual volunteer to explore his/ her own capabilities and social skills are important themes on the seminars. Furthermore, the volunteers are stimulated to come into with other young people, for example by visiting school classes in order to tell about their own experiences. Some of the volunteers also have the opportunity to visit some older people, who have survived the Holocaust and who are good friends of ASF for years. Stichting Vrienden ASF Nederland supports the activities of ASF by giving advice to the coordinator and givingpractical assistance where necessary. Furthermore we are organizing several activities in cooperation with ASF. Since 2007 the Stichting Vrienden ASF NL coordinates mentors of the volunteers, who are not working at the hosting places. These mentors can support the volunteers inquestions of daily live (in a new country), help them to find their way in Dutch culture and give the opportunity to get into with people from the Netherlands and their daily live. The Stichting is also a sending organisation. In the last years several Dutch volunteers were send to Germany. Once a year we are organizing a meeting with all the volunteers, the mentors of the hosting places and the mentors from outside the host projects. These meetings are very stimulating for all the participants. Furthermore, once a year we organize a public debate on themes that are important for the work of ASF in the Netherlands.