Jong Present

English translation. This entry was submitted in Dutch. It was translated by AI and checked against the original by a second pass. The Dutch text below is the contributor’s own, and it is the authoritative version. If you spot a translation that misses the point, please say so in the General space.

Young Present

As part of the Maatschappelijke Diensttijd Programma (Social Service Time Programme), young people volunteer with Present by carrying out practical or social projects (or helping to organise them). Practical projects include tidying up a garden, painting a children's room, clearing out, or laying a laminate floor. This is done for people affected by poverty, illness, or lack of a social network. Social projects often take place in care homes or shelters.

Through meeting the person receiving help, the positive experience of being able to make a difference, and reflection with the supervisors, young people come to look out for others more, find it easier to make contact, and know that they are capable of something.

What it sets out to do

to introduce young people to volunteering, so that afterwards they find it more natural to commit themselves to helping others

Who it reaches

30 locations throughout the Netherlands

Who runs it

Maatschappelijke Diensttijd (Social Service Time) subsidy – Present Nederland as lead applicant

What seems to make it work

Young people experience that it is very satisfying to do something for someone else; they discover that they are capable of things, and find out that the other person is not so scary after all and that contact can be great fun.

30 local Present foundations take part, offering tailor-made programmes for the young person in their area.

A number of young people taking part had dropped out of school and, through this project, have regained energy and ideas about what they want to do.

What gets in the way

we don't really know whether young people go on to volunteer more after the project ends. For the most part there is little contact left between the young person and the local Present foundation afterwards.

How it is funded

Ministry of OCW (Education, Culture and Science)

Moving it somewhere else

I think this is applicable in other countries too. The subsidy is needed to get it started, though.

Read the original in Dutch

Als onderdeel van het Maatschappelijke Diensttijd Programma zetten jongeren zich in bij Present door dat ze praktische of sociale projecten doen (of deze mee helpen organiseren). Praktische projecten zijn een tuin opknappen, een kinderkamer schilderen, opruimen of een laminaat vloer leggen. Dit is bij mensen die te maken hebben met armoede, ziekte of geen netwerk hebben. Sociale projecten is vaak in verzorgingstehuizen of opvanglocaties.

Door de ontmoeting met de hulpontvanger en de goede ervaring dat ze van betekenis kunnen zijn en de reflectie met begeleiders zullen jongeren meer naar anderen om gaan zien, makkelijker contact maken en ze weten dat ze wat kunnen.

What it sets out to do

jongeren kennis laten maken met vrijwillige inzet waarna ze het vanzelfsprekender vinden om zich in te zetten voor een ander

Who it reaches

30 plaatsen in heel nederland

Who runs it

Maatschappelijke Diensttijd subsidie – Present nederland als penvoerder

What seems to make it work

Jongeren ervaren dat het veel voldoening geeft om iets voor een ander te doen, ze ervaren dat ze iets kunnen en ontdekken dat de ander niet zo heel eng is en contact heel leuk kan zijn.

30 lokale Present stichtingen doen mee die trajecten op maat kunnen geven bij de jongere in de buurt.

Een aantal jongeren die meedoen waren uitgevallen op school en hebben door dit project weer energie en ideeën over wat ze willen gaan doen.

What gets in the way

we weten niet goed of jongeren zich na afloop van het project meer vrijwillig zijn gaan inzetten. Voor een groot deel is er na afloop weinig contact meer tussen de jongere en de lokale Present stichting.

How it is funded

Ministerie OCW

Moving it somewhere else

Denk dat dit in andere landen toepasbaar is. De subsidie is wel nodig om het op te starten.

The record

Lead organisation
Maatschappelijke Diensttijd subsidie - Present nederland als penvoerder
Target populations
Children and young people
Countries
Netherlands
Evaluation status
Informal feedback only
Peer reviewed
No
Publication
https://www.jongpresent.nl/
Contributed by
Stichting Present

These details are reported by the member who registered the intervention.

Where this entry comes from

This description was submitted to the LONELY-EU mapping of what is being done about loneliness across Europe. It is published in the language it was written in, and reproduced as it was given to us. The contributor gave permission to be named. Recorded aim: prevention.

If this entry is yours and something in it is wrong, or you would like it taken down, write to the Ties moderation team quoting its reference. Consent given to the mapping can be withdrawn at any time.

Cite this entry

Stichting Present (2026). Jong Present. LONELY-EU Intervention Registry, entry LEU-045. https://buddyboss.silc-exchange.com/interventions/jong-present/

Reference LEU-045 is permanent. If the entry is corrected later, the reference stays the same.

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