Edwin Göbbels, Alderman for Spatial Planning, emphasized during his welcoming address how important their input is. After all, young people will be using the city the longest, and through the Toekomstlab, their ideas can truly go beyond just the classroom.
The day started actively with an energetic quiz hosted by Sean Bogaers and clerk Mark Pen. They taught the students how to turn their ideas for the city into reality. Afterwards, the pupils dove into workshops on the East Side of the station area, the Sportpark area, meeting places for young people, and the way decisions are made within the municipality.
Joost and Teun from the Roland Holst College and Aimee and Derk from the Gemeentelijk Gymnasium attended the workshop on decision-making. “I enjoy learning how the municipality works and how it is structured,” says Teun. Joost found it particularly interesting to see what the Council Chamber, where decisions are made, looks like. The students debated the – fictional – case of whether a food truck should be allowed on the Groest.
Aimee: “It’s nice when a food truck comes, but what do you do about the waste and noise?” Derk was more concerned about the competition for the restaurants on the Groest and wondered: “Is this location actually any good?” At the end of the morning, the students returned to school full of energy and new ideas.
Toekomstlab is an initiative of the Dudok Architecture Centre (DAC) together with partners Stichting Omgevingseducatie Gooi Vecht en Eemstreek, Hilversum 100, and support from the Municipality of Hilversum. Students from Aloysius College, the International School Hilversum, and Hilferstheem College also participated.
