Josja: “We build bridges between families and schools with our volunteers”.

Josja: “We build bridges between families and schools with our volunteers”.

For newcomer families, the Dutch education system can be quite overwhelming. The project ThuisOnderwijsMaatjes (TOMaatjes) supports children and parents who seek extra help with schoolwork and knowledge about the Dutch education system. We spoke with Josja, project leader at TOMaatjes.

How do you explain TOMaatjes to someone who has never heard of it?

“TOMaatjes is a project of OpenEmbassy. We support newcomer children aged 3 to 18 with their schoolwork, mainly after school,” says Josja.  “Many families do not yet know the Dutch education system well or do not speak the language enough, making it hard to help with homework. Our volunteers, the ‘buddies’, step in then. They visit the family, online or for example in the library. We also organize knowledge sessions for parents about how the education system works.”

Why did you see that such a project was really needed?

According to Josja, the idea came from necessity: “During corona we saw that many newcomer parents did not know well how to support their children at home with schoolwork. Volunteers then offered online help, and we noticed how big the need actually was. Children made huge progress thanks to this support.”

She emphasizes that the effect is still big: “We saw for example that some school recommendations in grade 8 after six months of guidance rose by two levels. That really shows the impact. Also, with TOMaatjes we want to encourage connection between people with different backgrounds.”

What does that support look like in practice?

“A volunteer mainly helps with schoolwork and language development,” Josja explains. “We look at what a child needs: sometimes we work with the weekly task from school. And if that is not enough, we contact the teacher for extra material. This way you build not only the child’s development but also the relationship between the school and family.”

How do you match a volunteer to the right family?

“That is a careful process,” Josja says. “Parents sign up via our website and volunteers do the same. After an intake interview, we look at what preferences a volunteer has: children of primary or secondary school, online or physical, which subjects… That must fit well with what a family needs.”

Once we have a good match, we create a group chat and plan an online introduction meeting. Then the tutoring starts and we keep monthly contact with parents and volunteers.”

What do you notice in the children and parents who join?

“We see children who gain more confidence, get higher grades and learn Dutch faster,” says Josja. “But also parents feel stronger. They know more about how the education system works and what rights they have as a parent. Sometimes they also ask the volunteer to come to parent meetings, so the volunteer can pass on the parents’ needs well. This way we build bridges with our volunteers between families and schools.”

What do newcomer families usually struggle with in education?

“The biggest challenge is that parents cannot support their children with schoolwork because they do not know the language or system well yet,” says Josja. She explains that schools sometimes register families themselves: “Teachers then see that a child needs extra practice. Volunteers sometimes even come to parent meetings to help translate or make the conversation easier to understand. That is exactly the need of parents we want to meet.”

What drives the volunteers to join TOMaatjes?

“The main motivation is to contribute to fairness of chances for children,” says Josja. “Volunteers see and hear that children from newcomer families sometimes start with a delay. They want to help close that gap.” Also, students, secondary school pupils and people with a migration background sign up. “For many, it feels like giving something back to society.”

How do you guide the volunteers themselves?

“We offer training on how to start well, how to work culturally sensitive and which materials you can use,” Josja explains. “We also have intervisions, question hours and a WhatsApp and/or Signal group where volunteers share tips. That works very connecting.”

What does the process look like for a volunteer – from sign up to the first tutoring?

Josja describes the process:

1. Volunteer signs up.
2. Then there is an intake interview.
3. We search for a suitable match (usually within a month).
4. Afterwards there is an introduction meeting with the family.
5. Volunteer attends a training.
6. The first tutoring starts.
7. Monthly check-ins.
8. After about six months there is an evaluation.

Where do you want to go in the coming years?

“We study how we can structurally improve education chances for newcomer children. For this we want to work with as many children, social organizations and volunteers as possible. We also want to start a children’s panel, so children can say what they need themselves.”

Finally: where can people find you?

“Our website is www.thuisonderwijsmaatjes.nl. Anyone who needs guidance or wants to become a volunteer is very welcome,” says Josja.