Eindhoven Maatjes is a project group founded by a number of people who had one thing in common; they all felt lonely at times. Each in their own way. There turned out to be a lot of people who sometimes feel alone. The initiators wanted to do something about that.
Mark Evers (38) is a handyman and gardener in daily life and sometimes feels particularly lonely. “I feel despondent. I often miss social contacts and friends to do something fun together, despite the fact that I do go to PSV every fortnight.”
Kevin van de Elsen (34) knows the feeling. “I’m into dancing myself, mostly South American and African. That definitely does bring me in touch with others. I really enjoy it, but I still feel lonely sometimes. I have the feeling of not always being understood by those around me.”
Open card
This is exactly what Eindhoven Maatjes is trying to achieve: that people dare to talk about their loneliness. After all, if you talk about it, you can also do something about it. The organisation holds events for people who feel alone and was founded by Erik Bukkems (24). He decided one day to open up about his own loneliness.
“Sharing your story about loneliness is quite something! I think it’s quite difficult to be known as a lonely person.” Kevin complements him: “Most people believe that loneliness is a taboo and that it does need to be broken. At the same time, it is also a hot topic in the Eindhoven region. By the way, not only here, but throughout the Netherlands.
Erik wrote a letter to the newspaper because he wanted to tell his story. “Also to help other people. I made it clear that sometimes I felt quite lonely and that I wanted to take action to meet new people.” Erik’s appeal had an overwhelming effect. He was deluged with messages from people, who were in the same position.
Activities
With four of them, Erik sought further contact. “We sat down together with pizza and discussed what we can do to reduce our loneliness andd how can we start helping other people too. Then the idea of Eindhoven Maatjes was born, to organise activities, to bring people together in this way and be able to do something for someone else.”
Since then, Eindhoven Maatjes has built an online community, with about a thousand members. Moreover, there are regular events in which people can participate. Because everyone at these events is open to contacts, it is easier to make friends or have a chat.
Agreements
Mark: “I notice that I talk more here, because I feel more comfortable. I think this has to do with the atmosphere, the environment and the people. That really helps me feel less lonely. Kevin recognises this: “You have similarities with each other. You can talk about it, you can share things and I always say: ‘Every year you gain is character development’. Who am I really? Why am I experiencing this? Why am I feeling this?’ And just by doing things, you get to know yourself better and better but also the feelings of others.”
Erik has since become a sought-after loneliness expert in the region. He no longer feels so often alone, although this is also because he now feels useful. “I meet a lot of people and have conversations. It is very important to feel your life has meaning. It is an element that can work against loneliness. By doing something for someone else, you also mean something for yourself. And that’s very nice!”
Podcast
Eindhoven Maatjes will also soon present a podcast about loneliness. It can be heard at Studio040.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Shanthi Ramani
