Village Platforms

Village Platform Websites

All eight Village Platforms in the municipality of West Maas en Waal have a website with a fresh, modern look.

On each website, you’ll find up-to-date information specific to your own village. At the same time, as a resident, you’ll also get an overview of what’s happening throughout the entire municipality. This helps create even stronger ties between the villages.

What does a Village Platform do?

A village platform highlights activities in the village that make life there more enjoyable.

The enthusiastic volunteers from the platforms bring fellow villagers (and their ideas!) together. Together with the villagers, they take on projects, making the plans even better and stronger.

This is always done with the following question in mind: “How attractive is the village as a place to live or work? And how can we preserve and improve this?” The activities of the village platforms are aligned with the Quality of Life Vision.

Ideas are often further developed and taken up by working groups.
Examples include:

• creation of a nature playground
• strengthening nature
• tackling litter
• expand hiking trails
• organizing a village festival
• focus on financial abuse or energy consumption

Recurring themes include:

• facilities
• housing
• sustainability
• Safety and Youth

Members oversee the entire village and volunteer their time selflessly.

“My motivation for getting involved in Appeltern partly self-interest. This allows me to actively help ensure that my village is (and remains!) a great place to live!”
Mario van der Velden, Appeltern Village Platform

Objective of Village Platforms

Village platforms aim to work together with residents to maintain and improve the quality of life in the village. Village platforms seek to achieve this goal by, among other things:

• Informing residents about issues related to the living environment. They do this by:
  • by organizing meetings and publishing materials.
  • On issues that (may) require the foundation to take a position, the foundation will remain neutral.
• Identifying residents' ideas, wishes, and needs. They do this by:
  • on topics related to the preservation or improvement of the living environment.
  • by, among other things, organizing meetings and conducting surveys.
• Encouraging residents to take the initiative on their own. Here’s what they do:
  • on maintaining and improving the living environment (for example) in focus groups.
• Facilitating the foundation’s affiliated thematic groups. They do the following:
  • in carrying out projects that help maintain or improve the quality of life in the village.
• Functioning as an intermediary between the residents of the village and the municipality of West Maas en Waal. Or other relevant organizations. Whereby the foundation should not be seen as a representative, but as a connector, gathering and transmitting information from two sides.
• Referring residents to the appropriate authorities for specific questions or complaints.

What is the relationship between a Village Platform and the municipality?

• Each Village Platform maintains contact with the municipality. In this role, the platform acts as a link between the village and the municipality. There is a two-way flow of information between the platform and the municipality. The members of the platform are not representatives of the village.
• The municipality’s efforts to engage residents for community participation are never limited to a Village Platform. Village Platforms are just one of several effective ways to connect with residents.
• The Village Platforms cannot participate in discussions on politically sensitive topics with significant implications. The municipality does not ask the Village Platforms to do so either. However, the municipality may ask Village Platforms to use their network and connecting role to reach out to residents who may be interested in participating. Does a member of a platform wish to participate in the participatory process personally? This is possible, but only in a personal capacity, as an independent resident.
• Each year, every Village Platform receives a grant. A Village Platform may not use the grant it receives to provide financial support to associations or organizations if those groups are organizing activities for which they already receive a grant from the municipality’s annual grant program.
• Village platforms and the municipality meet every six months to discuss current issues. They do so together with the Alderman and the municipality’s liaison officer. For substantive, specific topics, village platforms are in direct contact with the relevant municipal official.

The activities of the village platforms align with the Quality of Life Vision. Watch this video to learn more about the Quality of Life Vision 2030