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| | Doarpswurk supports the Frisian villages
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Local interest associations – history
Although some of the 285 Frisian local interest associations exist over hundred years, the majority started in the fifties/sixties. The future of the small villages was threatened and villagers organized themselves to stop several (negative) developments.
Something had to be done to keep the villages ‘viable’. The villagers knew this, but also the local and provincial government did. They started projects to improve the infrastructure, the sewerage, the employment, etc. In these projects the local interest associations were communication partner of the government and the representatives of the local population.
Among other organisations, Doarpswurk was set up to fight this degradation.
Changing context
In spite of the fact that aspects of the doom scenario came through, over time - a lot of villages proved to be pro-active, alert and inventive. At this moment in time people are enjoying living in villages and new employment is coming up. On the other hand new problems are emerging,
In fact, not much has changed since the seventies. The villages still try to keep people and facilities from leaving and closing-down. Different is the way a problem is handled, nowadays it’s a part of the whole picture. The issues of today are vision, social viability, spatial quality and social cohesion.
The local interest associations are still voluntary non-political organisations, which has the common concern of the villagers at heart and represent the village. They organise social activities, make plans, execute projects, communicate with the local government and other professional organisations etc. Bottom-up is the keyword in these co-operations. They initiate ideas in the villages which lead to the fact that villages more and more control and rule their own future.
Village Development Plan
Village associations do their work based on the wishes and opinions of the majority of the villagers. That means that one of the most important project of these volunteers is to write down what these wishes and opinions are in a document, a vision on the future. And try to realize them of course!
Click
here to learn more about the village development plan
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 | | Aanpak Rotte Kiezen
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