De Serre is a neighbourhood workshop where local residents can meet, set up initiatives, develop their talents, dedicate themselves to the neighbourhood and take steps towards work or training. It is a partnership between numerous local partners, social workers, outreaching workers from mental healthcare, volunteers, local residents and the City of Ghent.
One visitor said this about De Serre and that maybe says it all. ‘You get space and opportunities, even if you are not a perfect visitor’.
Local
Belgium
Ghent, city in flanders
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Yes
ESF : European Social Fund
European Social Fund 2014-2020, Social Inclusion Priority 9i call 457 Outreach and Activation 2020-2023
No
Yes
2021-09-29
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): City of Ghent Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Leen Last name of representative: Bonte Gender: Female Nationality: Belgium Function: Programmaregisseur Stedelijke Vernieuwing Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Botermarkt 1 Town: Ghent Postal code: 9000 Country: Belgium Direct Tel:+32 9 266 82 35 E-mail:leen.bonte@stad.gent Website:https://stad.gent/nl/plannen-en-projecten/de-serre
De Serre is a neighbourhood workshop where local residents can meet, set up initiatives, develop their talents, dedicate themselves to the neighbourhood and take steps towards work or training. It is a partnership between Aanloophuis Poco Loco, CAMPUSatelier, Bij Pino / KAA Gent Foundation, De Zuidpoort, social workers, outreaching workers from mental healthcare, volunteers, local residents and the City of Ghent.
De Serre is a temporary project in the former parish hall De Kring which awaits repurposing. Local residents and partners have renovated the building themselves, paying particular attention to the recovery of materials. Partners make optimum use of the surface area by sharing spaces.
Right from the start, De Serre has been a place for and made possible by local residents. The contribution of residents to the creation of this space gives them co-ownership and lowers the threshold.
It is an inclusive project that reaches a diverse group of people. Anyone is welcome and activities are tailored to the needs of visitors.
De Serre fits in with the urban renewal project Nieuw Gent Vernieuwt aimed at transforming the social housing estate Nieuw Gent into a lively and dynamic neighbourhood. Nieuw Gent is characterised by low-quality housing, numerous residents living in poverty, high unemployment figures and a concentration of people who require care due to their vulnerability, poor health and/or addiction. Nieuw Gent Vernieuwt envisages a neighboorhood with affordable, high-quality housing in a safe and pleasant environment bustling with activity, where people get the chance to develop their full potential, to interact with each other and to relax.
The urban renewal project involves the replacement of 640 social housing units and the renovation of a park and square, as well as socio-cultural and socio-economic projects to provide residents with a better living environment and, if possible, break the cycle of poverty.
(Social) activation of local residents
Expansion of the formal and informal network of residents through encounters and activities
The promotion of inclusion through co-housing of organisations with a diverse membership
The provision of a platform for talent and growth to residents
The repurposing of a building through temporary use
The City made the conscious choice to organise a temporary project instead of leaving the building vacant for a long time. The co-use by several partners reduces the need for space, materials and energy, and prepares for sustainable space sharing at the final location.
De Serre is a neighbourhood workshop. Materials are recovered and reused as much as possible, both during the renovation and during the actual day-to-day activities. For instance, old windows from one of the demolished tower blocks were reused for compartmentalisation, and the bicycle repair shop mainly runs on materials recovered from abandoned bikes. The wood workshop also uses recycled materials to create new objects and focuses on repair whenever possible. The garden was laid out with materials that came from the demolition and alteration of the building (plant containers, chicken coop, greenhouse, pergola, etc.).
Right from the start, De Serre has been a place for and made possible by local residents. The contribution of residents to the creation of this space gives them co-ownership and lowers the threshold. No architect or paper plan was involved in the renovation of the dark parish hall from the 1970s. Aesthetics and design are primarily used to support the major objectives of accessibility and inclusiveness. The flexibility and user-friendliness of the space also take priority. Light, a sense of spaciousness and cosiness are the basic principles for any alteration of the space. Recycled materials also make the space feel warm and natural.
After all, the target group of De Serre is not necessarily attracted to clean modern design. De Serre is meant to be a work in progress which is constantly developed further, always in consultation with the partners and volunteers, and often the visitors as well. So the aesthetic aspect of De Serre is mostly about the initiatives and creativity using the available materials, compromises with co-users, etc. It is thus fully focused on the building’s quality and how users experience it. The homey atmosphere sets people at ease when discussing difficult issues and supports residents who require a sense of home and security to take steps towards personal growth and activation.
This vision of design and layout is also applied to the outdoor space. The boring lawn in front of the parish hall was converted into an appealing community garden with seating elements, flowers, a greenhouse and a vegetable plot. Everything is completely made within the organisation – usually from recycled materials – by local residents and the volunteers of the partners.
The former parish hall was used by a limited club. Nevertheless, it has a lot to offer: its central location and visibility in the neighbourhood, physical accessibility and an outdoor space with great potential. These assets continue to play an important role in reaching a diverse group of residents. The neighbourhood is home to several people with disabilities who easily find their way to the building thanks to its physical accessibility. The layout of the indoor space was given careful consideration. The meeting place is cosily furnished and features several corners with tables and chairs as well as a lounge with sofas. This way, the centre serves as a home away from home, a safe haven where visitors can be themselves. The partners in De Serre give everyone a warm welcome and work as inclusively as possible. Every visitor is addressed and feels welcome. There are no obligations in De Serre. The threshold is kept low by offering drinks and snacks at very affordable prices.
Partners from various domains are active in De Serre (well-being, mental healthcare, poverty reduction, activation, social sports activities, etc.). This interdisciplinary team targets a diverse group of local residents and creates a unique mix. Young families, women with a migration background, mentally vulnerable residents and homeless people all find their way to De Serre. They participate in programmes depending on their needs.
The lever to achieve inclusiveness is a bottom-up approach. Co-ownership and involvement were created by allowing residents to participate in the work and decision-making from the start of the renovations. This is now continued by developing a strong volunteer activity in which residents are given a voice in the day-to-day operation of De Serre.
De Serre also creates opportunities for people to make their voice heard with regard to specific policy topics and thresholds they experience in society. The organisations pick up signals and set up processes where needed.
Prior to the purchase of the former parish hall, the City of Ghent already involved the partners who would use the building later on. They took action together and jointly developed an approach to create a place where they could continue their activities, while also adding value to the project as a whole. Within this scope, the 4 partners initiated a co-creative process. The City of Ghent took up the role of facilitator.
Volunteers and local residents were involved in the design of the building from day one. Not a single step or decision was taken without consulting the group. Once the building had been stripped, the interior could be designed from scratch. This was a step-by-step process without a ready-made plan on paper. No-one knew in advance where the project was heading to.
If a residents stated they could plaster or tile, that task would be assigned to them instead of painting, for instance. A resident who was skilled in working with electricity shared responsibility for installing new cables, sockets and lamp fittings, the fuse box, etc.
Other visitors made a more modest contribution to the building, served coffee and soup, or welcomed other curious visitors. Thanks to this joint approach, people felt they were co-owners of the building from the start. Everyone who – literally – helped build this place attaches great importance to De Serre and belongs to the same big family. The name De Serre was also chosen in a participatory manner.
In a sense, the creation of De Serre is a citizens’ initiative (in this case, by partners from civil society and local residents), with the City of Ghent providing the framework and resources, and leaving the initiative for everything else to the people on the ground.
Today, more than 1 year after the opening, all the users of the building (the partners, volunteers and visitors) continue to represent this place. New things regularly pop up, such as new activities being organised or the interior getting a makeover.
A wide variety of stakeholders are involved in De Serre at several levels. Visitors and residents of the neighbourhood are the principal stakeholders. They are the reason behind the project, but without their initiatives and contributions there would be no neighbourhood workshop, activities, encounters or exchanges.
The 4 partners of De Serre are at least equally important stakeholders in the project. Poco Loco, KAAGent Foundation, De Zuidpoort and Campus Atelier provide a basis from various disciplines: a low-threshold meeting place (coffee bar and workshop) where people can drop by without being obliged to do anything and get the chance to grow, through group activities organised for and by local residents.
In addition to the permanent ‘resident’ partners, there are also regular users and service providers. Their services are an absolute bonus for De Serre and its visitors, and they even create an influx of new visitors. They currently include social workers, Jobteam (job assistance), Digibank and a social grocer's shop. De Serre still keeps on growing, new partners may join the project.
In addition, the City of Ghent is actively collaborating as the proprietor of the building and through several municipal departments. The City invests nearly all the resources required for De Serre. The Flemish government subsidises the broader urban renewal project Nieuw Gent Vernieuwt which explicitly supports this neighbourhood workshop: a stimulating place where local residents can develop their talents, meet each other, perform DIY activities, hone their entrepreneurial skills and receive guidance on employment or training.
Jobteam Gent, which is active in De Serre with job assistance, is a project made possible with resources from the ESF, the Flemish government, the City of Ghent and the Flemish Service for Employment and Vocational Training (VDAB). Jobteam brings together expertise from 10 organisations to help vulnerable job seekers find employment.
De Serre touches on a wide range of knowledge. The City of Ghent provided space and involved partners and disciplines from a series of policy areas. The social housing estate of Nieuw Gent is one of the neighbourhoods with the highest concentration of social deprivation and numerous vulnerable residents. Obviously, this involves various disciplines and policy areas: well-being and coexistence, employment and activation, outreaching work, local social policy, healthcare as well as social sports activities, culture, youth, participation, urban renewal, etc.
The partners in De Serre add an extra layer: they always start from the resident / visitor, and enable them to take initiative without being influenced or pigeonholed in advance.
While ‘the government’ often classifies disadvantaged people into categories or adopts an approach specific to a particular policy area, with or without a corresponding benefit, this is not how De Serre operates. Visitors’ strengths are highlighted and specifically framed by the workers at De Serre so as to encourage growth and self-reliance. The goal is to achieve success in areas where conventional social work often fails. Many people have gone to all sorts of government assistance agencies, but here they find a cross-cutting approach. Of course, the partners in De Serre work on the basis of their own expertise and discipline, but they transcend it through collaboration tailored to the needs of the local residents. This ensures that the partners continuously learn from one another and question the conventional approach, provide space for different points of view en challenge the boundaries of social work. In this context, the social and spatial-physical dimensions come together. The renovation and joint construction of De Serre was also a continuous process of inter- and transdisciplinary cooperation. Social workers join in activities with local residents, and workshop staff take care of residents and assist them whenever possible.
After 1 year, De Serre has already made a significant impact on the neighbourhood’s social cohesion as well as the self-image and activation rate of many visitors. The project’s effects and impact are most evident in conversations with visitors, volunteers and partners.
‘You become a better person if you can do something for society. I also feel more energetic now than in the past.’ ‘Social contacts, keeping myself busy, that’s what I look for here.’ ‘I find being there pleasant because they trust in me so much and they tolerate so much from me. These are the perfect conditions for personal growth.’
3 partners manage the meeting space together. This has resulted in a wide range of opening hours and activities in one place. Many of the services did not exist in the neighbourhood before. Now that the building is shared, more people are reached than on previously separate places. The scope of residents is very diverse: different nationalities, age groups, income groups, with or without disabilities, etc.
Doors are opened by the proximity in a familiar environment and encounters in an informal context. Real working relationships have been built with several visitors. Minor and major steps have been taken towards employment. Sometimes, people get ‘stuck’ in another assistance programme which isn’t going well; here, Jobteam looks for the most suitable help. The presence of Jobteam in De Serre lowers the threshold for addressing the topic of activation. This is illustrated by the following quote: ‘I’ve experienced a lot less stress since getting to know Jobteam because I know they’re here to help me.’
Since its start, 45 visitors have been intensively coached in a programme with Jobteam. All these contacts have so far resulted in 15 intensive coachings, some of which are still ongoing. The (preliminary) results in terms of employment are excellent: 8 people found a job, 3 people started with (extra) volunteer work, one person does a work placement, etc.
The combination of Jobteam’s methodology and an accessible physical place in the neighbourhood as a base is new and proved successful. The methodology of the Jobteam counsellors differs from that of conventional employment counsellors: they literally step into the world of those who seek help. There are no strict formal procedures that must be followed, e.g. making an appointment or reporting to a reception desk. The counsellors take their time to handle very complex situations by taking small steps, often by trial and error. As the Jobteam counsellor is a familiar face at De Serre, working in an outreaching, low-threshold yet intensive and incentivising manner has proven to be successful.
This aspect of the neighbourhood workshop is combined with a meeting place, organised and facilitated by local partners who each bring their own grassroots support to the place and continue to attract new visitors, ranging from vulnerable people who come for the social grocer's shop to young parents who are attracted by the different social sports projects for children and young people. This cooperation and interaction paid off: in an informal context, visitors of De Serre are invited by the employment counsellor to reflect on their wishes, ambitions and possibilities in terms of work. If desired, they receive the support to make progress one step at a time. For the partners of De Serre, Jobteam strengthens the services provided, and brings a wide array of knowledge and expertise about employment and activation.
The first year of Jobteam’s presence in De Serre delivered nice results, often unexpected: Ghentians were reached who could no longer be reached via the traditional job assistance channels. The City of Ghent’s Department of Employment and Activation is currently looking for funding that makes activities like those of Jobteam in places like De Serre possible in the longer run.
De Serre’s ambition to be a place where people can use their talents and competencies with a clear return for the neighbourhood is being realised by means of a broad partnership. We have witnessed personal growth in De Serre during the renovations and the activities of the partners, in people hosting groups, running the coffee bar, building a bicycle repair shop, greenhouses and plant containers, or helping organise social sports activities and events in the neighbourhood. This is particularly the case when people are allowed to grow on their own initiative and at their own pace.
The City of Ghent’s Department of Employment and Activation introduced Jobteam into De Serre, thus putting ‘activation and taking steps towards employment’ on the agenda. Especially on an individual level, this has made a difference for the network of De Serre and for the entire neighbourhood.
In De Serre, the concept of activation is interpretated broadly; no obligations, we only want to help ‘those who are able and willing’ to take steps toward employment. And the activities performed by the partners themselves also fall within the scope of ‘enabling people to grow’ and the broad concept of activation. By coming to De Serre, people participate in social life, which they often were unable to do before due to various thresholds and multiple problems.
‘Lise made time and an effort for me and found me a job. VDAB (Flemish Service for Employment and Vocational Training) requires you to make an appointment. They don’t make phone calls for you, but search the Internet. Lise made calls for me and told me about companies I had never heard of. With Lise, I immediately had an appointment followed by a job interview here in De Serre.’
‘It is essential to look at people as individuals and ask them: what do you want to do, what are you able to do, and what options do you have with the kids? At VDAB, they say: you should do this or that. Lise first looks at the human aspect and your abilities.'
De Serre owes its success, to a large degree, to the good combination of partners who now share the building. They are complementary in their activities and target groups, and thus attract sufficient visitors from diverse backgrounds. As the City has opted for the highest level of participation, not a lot is needed apart from a minimum framework, operating resources and self-organisation, and no demanding prerequisites need to be fulfilled for the successful implementation of the concept and methodology. Activation is possible on all levels through encounters, by bringing partners together and by combining this with low-threshold job assistance at the same location. The concept can be easily copied in other places and can even be adapted to specific neighbourhoods by changing the type of partners and the services provided. In one neighbourhood, the focus may be on young people, and job assistance can be aimed specifically at young unemployed or low-skilled youngsters, while another neighbourhood may require a focus on the elderly or mentally vulnerable people, as is the case in Nieuw Gent.
‘When I’m here, I’m happy. I’m happy I can do something for myself and for others.’
Globally, the inactivity rate is very high in deprived urban neighbourhoods. Most inactive people have not participated in the labour market for many years, and – in their opinion and that of society – it usually seems unrealistic for them to become active in one way or another. The method of combining a welcoming place with taking tentative steps towards activation has paid off.
The co-use of the building by several organisations reduces the need for space, materials and energy, while expanding the opening hours and networks. This provides a solution to energy and environmental challenges as well as more general issues such as social isolation, loneliness, low self-esteem, etc. This way, De Serre contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal.
As a common, De Serre also provides an answer to the hyper-individualism of contemporary society. After all, commons are based on shared responsibility for the common good. Citizens are thus considered as active people who wish to make a contribution, in this case at De Serre.
Finally, De Serre is important as an experiment to turn shared places into a source of solidarity in society, as an answer to hyper-diversity. The concreteness of a shared place is the beginning of a new commonality. De Serre is the starting point in Nieuw Gent of a quest for what connects us beyond the numerous differences. If you create an equal footing, the challenges entailed by diversity are easier to address.
