COMBATING SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN THE NETHERLANDS: THE CASES OF ARNHEM AND AMSTERDAM Case study for the OECD-CERI Project on Social Exclusion Carolien Bongers, Jo Kloprogge, Dolf van Veen & Guido Walraven November 1999: revised version September 2000 © Sardes Educational Services PO Box 2357, 3500 GJ Utrecht, The Netherlands Telephone +31 30 232 62 00 Fax +31 30 233 30 17 Email [email protected] 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank all the informants for their invaluable input to this study and X, Y and Z also for their comments on an earlier version of the paper. The names of all informants appear in paragraph 4.1. We would also like to thank the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports and the city of Amsterdam for their support. P and Q from the Ministry and R from the city of Amsterdam provided us with comments on the draft report. The case study of Amsterdam was done by Dolf van Veen (appendix 2). Carolien Bongers and Guido Walraven did the case study on Arnhem (appendix 1). Jo Kloprogge and Dolf van Veen contributed to paragraph 1.4. Guido Walraven wrote the rest of chapter 1, as well as chapter 2 and 3. He also acted as editor of the whole study. Language editing or translation: Kees Broekhof & Corry Donner Carolien Bongers, Jo Kloprogge, Guido Walraven and Kees Broekhof work for Sardes Educational Services in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Dolf van Veen is the co-ordinator of the educational programmes carried out in the city of Amsterdam. He is also professor of urban education at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. Corry Donner works for Athabasca Communications, The Netherlands. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................2 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................5 Background of the study..............................................................................................................................5 Methodology................................................................................................................................................5 The selection of the cases ............................................................................................................................6 The national context of the cases.................................................................................................................7 ANALYSIS OF THE TWO CASES.............................................................................................................14 Basic Data..................................................................................................................................................14 Strategies and Structures ...........................................................................................................................14 Outcomes...................................................................................................................................................16 CONCLUSIONS...........................................................................................................................................18 What works and why? ...............................................................................................................................19 Weak points in the strategies.....................................................................................................................20 The three elements of the model of Amartya Sen .....................................................................................20 .......................................................................................................................................................................24 SOURCES.....................................................................................................................................................25 Interviews ..................................................................................................................................................25 Publications ...............................................................................................................................................25 APPENDICES...............................................................................................................................................27 Appendix 1 The case of Arnhem ..........................................................................................................27 Experiences of some parents and students.................................................................................................33 Strategies to prevent social exclusion........................................................................................................35 Strategies to improve access to possibilities and services .........................................................................36 Existing links between local policy and practice and central governmental bodies, and related problems37 The multi-cultural or multi-ethnic society? ...............................................................................................37 Appendix 2 The case of Amsterdam .........................................................................................................37 Youth Care Advisory Teams .....................................................................................................................38 Evaluation..................................................................................................................................................43 .......................................................................................................................................................................43 EXCURSUS: LESSONS FOR THE NETHERLANDS FROM INDIA: THE CASE OF POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN ARNHEM .........................................................................................................44 Pradip Prabhu and Jaap Huurman-Sobczak...............................................................................................44 1. The advisory report on Klarendal from India........................................................................................44 Analysis of the situation ............................................................................................................................45 3 2. Towards Change in Klarendal - An Agenda for Emancipation............................................................50 3. Follow up on the advisory report...........................................................................................................54 4. Conclusions ...........................................................................................................................................56 On Participation.........................................................................................................................................57 On Self Respect .........................................................................................................................................58 Reference...................................................................................................................................................59 4 INTRODUCTION Background of the study 1. The CERI of the OECD has recently launched a new research project, focused on the theme of social exclusion. It is aimed at two groups of children who would seem a priori to have greater chances than other children of becoming socially excluded: the disabled and disadvantaged (including ethnic minorities). 2. In January 1998 an invitational conference brainstormed on the possibilities of research into the processes involved in becoming excluded, including the methodologies and conceptualisations. 3. There was general agreement that a conceptualisation of social exclusion should go beyond ideas based on poverty and employment, and is best considered in the sense developed by Sen. Nobel prize winning economist and social philosopher, Amartya Sen stresses the development of ‘capabilities’ which are intended to ensure that everyone has the material, cultural and emotional resources to develop their capabilities to the full. He distinguishes three areas of relevance to social exclusion: community integration, participation, and the social basis of self respect. 4. As one of the next steps, CERI invited Sardes Educational Services to conduct a case study of two Dutch communities and the ways in which they are building up civil approaches to respond to the needs of children and their families. The report should compare and contrast the outcomes of different community governance styles on the development of civil society approaches to preventing the social exclusion of disabled and disadvantaged children in the Netherlands. Methodology 5. The data for the analysis were gathered through interviews, site visits and review of written materials, such as statistical and annual reports, policy papers and project plans, as well as results of research or self-evaluation. 6. In the case of Arnhem, schools were visited and interviews were held with students, parents, and professionals at different levels. The main written sources were annual reports of the co-ordinators of the educational priority policy as well as the policy to