At Sparks, we believe in the strength of community leaders. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the incredible people we’ve been collaborating with.
Alfred
Mensah
Alfred Mensah is a project coordinator at Recogin, an organization focused on supporting the Ghanaian community. Recogin offers various social services, including educational programs on finance, health, and poverty, as well as sports initiatives, with about 5 or 6 projects annually. They act as a link between the local municipality and the community and have a radio station. They also regularly visit elderly residents to check on their well-being. As a bridge between the Ghanaian embassy and the Netherlands, Recogin participates in initiatives with the Red Cross and supports local entrepreneurs by reporting their challenges to the municipality.
Bangsa
Jawa
Bangsa Jawa is a welfare organization primarily focused on, but not limited to, the Javanese community. Everyone is welcome, and the organization has been active for 40 years. They offer a day program for the elderly, organize various activities for seniors, run a radio program to inform the community, and have a “form-filling brigade” to help people with document completion. Additionally, they organize many other activities.
Elvis
Ruth-Penuel
Elvis, active daily in Zuidoost, is a versatile media creator involved in audio production, film production, directing, and working both in front of and behind the camera. His goal is to give the residents of Zuidoost a larger platform in the rest of the Netherlands through journalism and storytelling. He loves telling stories about people and believes that when people know the story behind someone, they often see that there are more similarities than they initially thought. He works from the Bijlmerpark Theater with his studio, in collaboration with Jeltje van Nuland, on Jonge Reporters, where they train young media creators.