Re-membering Nieuw-West is about bringing back agency to the people of Nieuw-West, who face gentrification in their neighbourhoods. This research consists of three tracks: The first track (People's Plan) is about exchanging strategies and tactics with citizens in Noord and Zuid-Oost for a People’s Plan in order to mobilize and activate especially the young generation of New-Westerners. The second track (Bicycle Tours) departs from the need to write and share a ‘people’s history’ of Nieuw-West. Through bicycle tours and personal storytelling, participants will engage with and build on the histories of Nieuw-West. In the third track (Ghetto Conversations) stories for a possible future 'counter-monument' are collected about the 1998 'riots' at August Allebéplein.

Researchers: Tayfun Balçik, Rosa te Velde 
Partners: New Metropolis, Ru Paré, Nieuw-West in Verzet, Represent Jezelf

Lely Assembly II: People's Plan is a program on the occasion of the farewell of De Appel, which will leave Broedplaats Lely (the former Calvijn College), in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. Like many other buildings in this neighborhood, it is being renovated and given a new purpose and will find a new audience. During this assembly we look back on the life of this building and the neighborhood. We share and commemorate the stories of what is lost, disrupted and uprooted as a result of 'urban renewal' and gentrification. 

The 'National Program Together New West' (formerly the New West Master Plan) has been launched since 2021, for which 65 parties signed an agreement in March 2023. In what ways are citizens involved in these plans? How do we move from a 'Master Plan' to a 'People's Plan'?

During this program, moderated by Soumaya Bazi (storyteller), we talk with Saundra Williams (former ZO Masterplan program director), Melissa Koutouzis (organizer Woonprotest), Tayfun Balçik (journalist and activist) and members of the core team of the National Samen Nieuw-West Program. We conclude with a musical protest.

This meeting is organized by Tayfun Balçik and Rosa te Velde, both researchers for the Social Justice and Diversity in the Arts Lectorate, Amsterdam University of the Arts.

Language: Dutch.

Location: Aula of De Appel, Schipluidenlaan 12, Amsterdam

Time: 5pm - 7pm

https://www.deappel.nl/en/archive/events/1222-the-lely-assemblies-moving-assembly-amp-peoples-plan-assembly 

Speakers:

Soumaya Bazi is a storyteller, writer and filmmaker. She has lived in Nieuw-West almost all her life. Soumaya also has experience in presenting and moderating She  has followed many labs at the Meervaart Studio, a place she describes as” a warm nest:  for young creative people.

Melissa Koutouzis is a journalist and lives in Amsterdam. Melissa has been a housing activist and co- initiator of the Woon protest since 2018. She also works for the Transnational Institute

Saundra Williams studied Social Sciences at Utrecht University. With more than 26 years of experience in the social and cultural sector, she has held various positions in recent years, as a youth worker, coach, diversity and inclusion trainer, business operations manager at the Bijlmer Parktheater, artistic director of the Production Performing Arts course at the AHK and for the past 2.5 years she has worked as program director for the Masterplan ZO in Amsterdam South East. In this position she profiled herself as a changemaker in the field of community-based working. She currently works as a freelancer, focusing on inclusion, coaching, innovation and change.

The Nationaal Programma Samen Nieuw-Weststarted as “the Masterplan Nieuw-West” in 2021. The goal of the program for the upcoming 20 years is to tackle  subjects such as inclusion,democration, safety, work, livelihood, living and environment  and the inequality of opportunity for kids and youngsters. 65 partners signed a covenant in March 2023. 

Tayfun Balçik is a historian and journalist for the news platform De Kanttekening. Since 2021 he has been involved with the housing association De Bundel, and the action group Nieuw-West in Verzet, that both stand up for affordable housing in the city district of Nieuw-West. Tayfun is part of the research group of the Lectorate for Social Justice and Diversity in the Arts at the Amsterdam University of the Arts. 

This assembly is organized by Tayfun Balçik and Rosa te Velde. Starting in 2019, Rosa investigated the histories of the Lely building and the district of Nieuw-West where de Appel is housed. This resulted in the publication Drafting Futures: Remembering a building, looking into how the “politics of forgetting” function in segregation and gentrification. In March 2022, Tayfun gave a lecture as part of this research: https://www.deappel.nl/nl/events/2739-lezing-tayfun-balik.