Debate in the Neighborhood update

Last week's issue of the Big IDEA brought you a story about how IDEA's "Debate in the Neighborhood Project" was working to increase dialogue between youth and local police in the Netherlands city of Rotterdam. Here is an update on that event:

On November 9th, local youth in the neighborhood of Crooswijk, Rotterdam met with local police to suggest solutions for the growing tension between them. Doutsen Langhout, the head of Dutch projects in the Netherlands, recently organized a series of meetings with local youth and police force members in Crooswijk to help them resolve issues.

The event attracted a lot of attention, many youths attended, as well as local police and law enforcement officials. Although the discussion was very heated, in the end, both sides clarified their standpoints. The police explained their reasoning behind their actions toward the youth; while on the other hand, the youth expressed how they felt about being labeled and stigmatized. Although no specific action plan was developed, this meeting was a step forward to an understanding and cohabitation between the two groups.

To find out more about "Debate in the Neighborhood," click here, or visit the IDEA-Netherlands website.