Recap SEWF Citytour Rotterdam 2023

Lees de Nederlandstalige terugblik onderaan. 

Did you catch the impact bug last week? The Social Enterprise World Forum, hosted by the City of Amsterdam in partnership with Social Enterprise Netherlands put a spotlight on the Netherlands and its impact entrepreneurs.

After spending several days in the capital, Team Voor Goed hosted a group of international visitors in the city that we call home, Rotterdam. We were delighted to be able to organise an inspiring tour, highlighting the four impact areas Rotterdam is known for; social cohesion, fair chain, labour participation and sustainability. 

We kicked of the day bright and early in Amsterdam, where we greeted the participants and joined them on a journey to Manhattan on the Maas, or Roffa if you will. During our journey we explored the make up of Rotterdam; the history, challenges and opportunities that this international city offers inhabitants and entrepreneurs alike.

We started our program at Bluecity where over 60 entrepreneurs are working on circular innovations that will make our future more sustainable. Located in the old tropical swimming pool Tropicana, this hub puts the community at the forefront of their activities, as together they aim to close the production loop. Residual materials of one entrepreneur form the basis of innovation for the other. The future is circular, and Rotterdam is already living in the future.

After our visit at Bluecity, the bus brought us to the other bank of the river. At the Gemaal we were hosted by the Afrikaanderwijk Cooperatie, an ever growing cooperative of local residents changing their area for the better. What started with pop-up actions and a bit of civil disobedience, has grown into a self-sustaining community where people can learn, work, experiment and take ownership. Supported by the community, the cooperative hosts a community kitchen every week, offers transportation solutions and recently opened a resources station, where waste created by the community and the local market is repurposed for good. This story and these actions are not only inspiring to us, but also to others. The cooperative has been growing and new locations have been opened in different neighbourhoods of Rotterdam allowing local communities to grow more resilient and retain their agency.  

Our final stop of the day was a stone's throw away, as we visited Spider City located in Attractiepark Rotterdam. This recently opened indoor adventure offered us the opportunity to blow off some steam and get active, jumping from wall to wall whilst donning velcro gloves. You are never too old to have fun. For those of us who needed some more grounding, we invited Maujha to guide us in a mindfulness session, who helped us in reflecting on the busy and impactful week we had and guided us to be in the moment. 

After we were all refreshed, the team at Spider City told us all about their vision on work and participation. Many of the people in their team have experienced a distance to the labour market, but have grown to be full-fledged team members with the right guidance and motivation. Again, it is all about community, helping each other, reflecting and growing together and ensuring that everyone has a great experience. And that, we all did. 

The new economy is driven by the people that we got to meet that day, and all the others that visited SEWF. The companies we visited have proven that doing good and making impact can go hand in hand with making money and sustaining yourself. The key concept is community; knowing with whom and for whom you work, where your products come from and whom your investment is helping, makes all the difference. We hope that we can include many more of you in our community. 

We want to thank all entrepreneurs who opened their doors to us last week as well as all participants who took the time to visit Rotterdam. We hope to see you again someday soon.

Op vrijdag 13 oktober bezocht een groep internationale gasten Rotterdam om kennis te maken met de impact ondernemers die onze stad rijk is. We begonnen de dag met een rondleiding door dé circulaire hub, en boegbeeld van de blauwe economie: BlueCity. De deelnemers waren erg onder de indruk van het Blue City Lab en de kansen die ondernemers hierdoor hebben om te experimenteren met de mogelijkheden van allerlei soorten duurzame materialen.

Vervolgens stapten we in de bus op weg naar Rotterdam Zuid om een bezoek te brengen aan de Afrikaanderwijk Coöperatie. Onder het genot van een heerlijke vegetarische lunch leerden we meer over de kracht van samenwerking binnen een wijk met een enorme kracht door saamhorigheid en nabuurschap.

Bij de laatste stop op de route,Spidercity, konden alle deelnemers hun energie kwijt in SpiderCity. In dit indoor klimparadijs maken ze gebruik van een unieke klimtechnologie met klittenband. Het meest inspirerende aan deze plek was de drive waarmee het team zich elke dag inzet bij het begeleiden van mensen leerwerkplekken. 

Dank aan alle deelnemers van de tour die zich vol enthousiasme en nieuwsgierigheid lieten onderdompelen in wat sociaal Rotterdam te bieden heeft. We hopen dat jullie met nieuwe energie en inspiratie aan de slag gaan om over de hele wereld bezig te zijn met sociaal ondernemerschap!