field

When we discussed what kind of intervention we wanted to do in the North, I came up with the idea to bring people together. The thing I see a lot in in this neighborhood, is that people are rather divided; there is not a lot of contact between the Moroccan and caucasian families. I myself play a lot of soccer a couple of streets from where I live, but I do not see any other white kids playing there. So my first thought was, to set up a soccer match where everyone would be invited, and most importantly the parents could come together, cheer for their kids and connect with one another.

It was important to us to take the culture and language barriers in consideration. The first idea was of course to bring the parents together by creating a soccer event for their kids, where there would be a winner, some food and drinks and just an event for everyone in the neighborhood.
I would love to execute the soccer tournament, but I don't know if that it achievable.

Eliminate language barrier

The next idea I had, was to completely erase the culture and language barriers, by putting a game in the neighborhood. There are a lot of sitting opportunities but not a lot of tables. By placing a chess game on a table it's easier to connect with someone you don't know yet, because there is not a premise of having a conversation and show interest in a person- it is just about playing the game.

The idea we thought of today, was to lead the residents through the neighborhood by placing multiple threads throughout Oude Noorden that lead to a shelf where people can leave and take anything they want. The shelf of course is not our own invention, but it gives the threads a purpose.

Let the ropes lead to the shelf as a little event
Leave a note for your neighbor

Necessities:
- Tape
- 3 different colors of thread
- 6 posters, each matching with the color of thread it belongs to
- Protective case

Poster beginning red thread:
- Do you know the neighborhood?
- Do you know the people?
- Follow the red threat to find a little surprise!

Poster end red thread:
- Leave anything you want in this cabinet and don’t forget to smile at strangers
- Because after all, strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet
- If you want to connect more with your neighbors and this neighborhood, visit https://www.hetoudenoorden.nl/activiteiten/ to see all the upcoming events