Mara: “Parents have more influence than they think”.

Mara: “Parents have more influence than they think”.

Many parents wonder how much influence they have on decisions in their own municipality. From safe schoolyards to equal opportunities in education: the policy in your municipality affects the daily life of children. Mara van Waveren from Stichting Lobby Lokaal sees that parents can often achieve more than they think, if they know how.

We speak with Mara at the office of Lobby Lokaal in Amsterdam. The organization helps residents across the Netherlands to make their voice heard at the municipality. “We train residents and initiatives in local lobbying all over the country. We believe that all their interests should be heard in municipalities, and that is not always the case yet.”

What is Lobby Lokaal and why does it exist?

The foundation works with neighborhood groups, volunteers, and schools. The topics vary, but the goal is the same: to improve the living environment of the municipality. They also work on other social themes, such as nature, care, and culture. “The common factor is always that everyone wants to change policy locally for a social cause,” Mara explains.

Mara started Lobby Lokaal because she saw that many people do not know their way in politics. “All those interests should be heard much better, and not everyone can represent their interest well. My goal with Lobby Lokaal is to let everyone experience that they can have influence on local policy. I see lobbying as a democratic skill.”

Why municipal politics is important for parents

For parents, education is important. Although municipalities do not decide what is taught in class, they play a big role in themes around the school. This means the municipality decides on things that affect parents daily, such as safety around schools, the condition of the school building and the opportunities children get. After elections, choices are made. Mara: “Then the next four years are planned: how we divide our money and which themes get priority? You can also find the financial overview in the coalition agreement.”

Politics is closer than you think

Many parents find local politics complex or hard to reach. For some it can also be scary to contact the municipality or approach a council member. Mara understands this feeling but stresses that the municipality is actually close. “The municipality is the first level of government for people,” she says. “You meet council members for sure in smaller municipalities at the football field or on the schoolyard.”

According to her, making contact is easier than many think. “You can follow council meetings online or in the hall. Contact details of council members are often online. So you can really get in good contact with the municipality.”

Still, many parents do not know where to start, which can make that first step feel big. At the same time, council members want to know what is happening in their municipality and like to hear experiences from parents and residents.

From concern to action: this is how parents make a difference

That parents really have influence is clear from an example Mara gives. In Diemen parents were worried about an unsafe schoolyard. “It was a kind of concrete patch where cars also parked when children were brought to school,” she says.

The parents protested and contacted the municipality. “Because of this, they got into talks with the municipality. Eventually, this led to real changes at the school, and for the children.” According to Mara, lobbying does not have to be complicated. “You do not have to dive deeply into politics. That can help, but even with actions like this you can already do a lot.”

This action even made it to the local media afterwards. “This shows that simply raising a topic can already be enough.”

When can you have influence in the municipality?

It is important to know when you can have influence. Mara explains that decision-making in municipalities often follows a fixed process: “First, council members see what the topic is about and form an idea of the situation. Then they discuss and form a judgment. After that, there is the decision-making. At this council meeting a decision is made. Especially in the first phases you can have your voice heard.”

How do you start as a parent?

If you have little political experience, it can be hard to find the right person. Mara says it is often easier than thought: “You can see on the municipality website which parties are there,” she says. “On that party’s website you can often see well who is responsible for which topic.”

Local media can also help to see who works for education or youth. “Look in the local paper: who talks about education? You often see immediately who works hard for that.” Still, one thing remains the biggest barrier according to Mara: doing nothing. “Doing nothing is the most made mistake,” she says. “Very often we have an opinion or are angry and tell that to friends or other parents. But taking a next step, very few people do that.”

When parents work together and share experiences, they can start change at the municipality. “For a successful lobby you need supporters. It must be clear that it is not only about you but about a large group of parents. That way you can make a difference.”