WIJcafé opened as low-threshold meeting place

Activities at the WIJcafé

• Tuesday morning: walk-in consultation on making VvEs more sustainable
• Tuesday afternoon: personal energy talk
• Wednesday morning: reading café
• Wednesday afternoon: children's afternoon
• Thursday morning: chess
• Thursday afternoon: games afternoon
• Thursday from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: DigiHandig Walk-in Consultation Hour
• Friday from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.: Entrepreneur's consultation hour
• Friday afternoon: language café
• Saturday morning: Q&A session on saving energy

Every second Tuesday of the month, 015 Sustainable organizes knowledge meetings, each with a different theme.

Together with the people

Kristel Thieme of New Future Lablaat said she is proud to be able to give something back to the city as a Delft company. "As an entrepreneur you are often busy with your own projects. That's why we wanted to do something different with our team of young entrepreneurs on a voluntary basis, together with people from the neighborhood. And this place in Poptahof lends itself perfectly to that. The neighborhood is in full development, the row of stores and the apartments above them will eventually go away. Of course there will be new houses and stores afterwards, but we noticed in conversations with residents that there was a great need for a place to meet here now. Because soon everyone will be living somewhere else."

Social entrepreneurship

Marc Boekenstijn of Stichting Stunt: "We rented the building from Woonbron and gave it a major metamorphosis. It is now a tangible place in the neighborhood where residents can drop in for meetings, help or advice without an appointment. The idea really came from the residents themselves. There are not so many accessible places like this in the city. This is what residents need. Moreover, it is a wonderful example of social entrepreneurship."

Becoming happy

"We are going to bring extra energy here," Thieme continued. "Change never happens on paper, but always in practice. That's why we just started doing it. I hear from many residents that this makes them incredibly happy. They are happy that new initiatives are emerging and that, despite the plans, there is also investment in the neighborhood. When I hear that, I sleep well at night!"

Close to

Marije of 015 Sustainable: "We would like to provide information in such an accessible way to all residents of Delft, in all walks of life. We are in the middle of a massive energy transition. Whether it's about small insulation measures, how to save energy or if someone has questions about something radical like the heat grid. We want to be as close to people as possible and provide answers. The WIJcafé is an ideal place in that respect."

More meeting places

"We can't stay here forever, we know that," Thieme concludes. "It's more or less an experiment for all of us, too. But we are going to learn a lot from this and take the experiences with us. As far as I'm concerned, this is just the beginning. In the future we want to open more meeting places like this in Delft."

Tuesday through Saturday

The WIJcafé at Papsouwselaan 222 is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Tuesdays and Saturdays the people of 015 Sustainable are present. The team from New Future Lab is there Wednesday through Friday. Want to become a volunteer or have a good idea? Come to the café or email wijcafe@newfuturelab.nl.

(C) An interview by Municipality of Delft: https://www.delft.nl/we-brengen-gezelligheid-en-energie