NEST is an initiative from Stichting De Vrolijkheid based on the ‘Nest model: a Home Away from Home’, an after-school programme developed in Bosnia and Herzegovina by Kinderpostzegels and ICDI. In essence it is a safe, stable place for children where they receive psychosocial and educational support. ICDI’s Mathijs Euwema and Rutger van Oudenhoven have been visiting the NEST centre in Katwijk, Netherlands, to interview children. So far children indicate that they feel listened to and they appreciate a lot that their opinions are heard. One of the girls said she would not know what to do without the NEST centre. The NEST pilot in the refugee centre in Katwijk, Netherlands, is the first of its kind in the Netherlands. The aim is to see how the model from Bosnia can be used for refugee children, who often face many difficulties in asylum centres. ICDI’s role is to train the staff and volunteers of Stichting De Vrolijkheid, the main implementing organization, in the Nest approach and to do research on the impact of the approach on the children.
Children in the refugeecentre in Katwijk, enjoy the after-school programme ‘NEST’
