Talents of Tomorrow

3 friends from Utrecht volunteer for the children of Meerzicht

Zakaria Bousdar and brothers Charif and Hicham Bouhaddou saw in corona time that the grades of their younger siblings in elementary school were going down. These children found it difficult to stay motivated for school during this difficult period. The chance of dropping out of education was lurking. This made them think back to their own childhood experiences in which they had also missed guidance at school. So it was time to do something about this.

How could they ensure that children continued to learn? That it remained fun and that children enjoyed going to school. In September 2020, they made their first plans. In April 2021, their first lesson at an elementary school in The Hague was a reality. The "Talents of Tomorrow" foundation was up and running.

Working together in Meerzicht

At the "Equal Opportunities Alliance Conference" in Rotterdam, the men were touched by the story of Anna Vreugdenhil, principal of elementary school De Regenboog. There they spoke with her and with Jerremey Schutte, director of IKC De Entree. They decided to work together. Thus a beautiful connection was made between 'Talents of Tomorrow' and the 2 elementary school in Meerzicht.

The 3 friends organize and give homework help themselves. They also organize theme lessons, for example on health or how to handle money. There are excursions to for example museums and theaters. And during the summer vacations a 'Summer School' is organized in which the parents also have an active role. In a few weeks, children are then motivated to learn in a playful way. All in order to bring out the best in themselves. And with success. Meanwhile, they guide 200 children at various schools.

They organize their activities together with school boards, teachers and with 22 volunteers from the neighborhood. These volunteers help the children, but are also role models for them. This is because they often come from a similar neighborhood/situation so they understand these children better. This is very important. "Teaching is a way to build a bond. We do this at a slow pace because quality is paramount. Then you can really help the children."

They do their work voluntarily. And if there is any income at all, it goes right back into training volunteers, for example. "It's mostly fun. It gives us a lot of satisfaction to do. And it doesn't feel like work. It's nice to see from where we've come and what we've accomplished. From nothing, we've created something. The pain we saw in children has been transformed into strength. And because we have a role in this ourselves, we nurture them, but also ourselves."

Watch this video to learn more about Talents of Tomorrow.

Zakaria is studying Commercial Economics and Charif Social Legal Services. Both at the Hogeschool Utrecht. Hicham Bouhaddou is doing his internships in Medicine in Leiden. These are very different fields of study, but they see that as an added value to their work for Talents of Tomorrow.