Amsterdam is made by all of us
Residents know best what is needed for their living or working environment. Decisions must therefore be made locally as much as possible, in cooperation with all those concerned. The municipality must structurally finance good ideas from residents and facilitate them where necessary. In addition, critical self-reflection is needed within the municipal organisation and local politics. BIJ1 fights for municipal policy that originates from loyalty to residents, not to the civil service.
We also stress that resources for self-organisation and participation are currently unevenly distributed. Because of this, the participation policy is in practice an exclusion mechanism. To create more equality, it is therefore important to invest unequally. This also applies to social work, youth work and talent development: these facilities, which have been structurally cut back, are necessary for the creation of opportunities and the stimulation of self-reliance.
For an Amsterdam of all of us, shaped by all of us, Amsterdam BIJ1 is committed to the following:
- Every neighbourhood is entitled to its own neighbourhood platform and self-organisation. The municipality recognises this by allocating a budget and other support. The municipality also recognises neighbourhood platforms and residents' collectives as neighbourhood experts and involves them in decision-making.
- Neighbourhood budgets are made available for cultural, educational and social activities and events.
- The municipality makes neighbourhood participation a permanent part of the political and administrative decision-making process and the participation process becomes clearer.
- The municipality informs residents about their input and makes visible how the residents' contribution is taken into account in the final decision.
- The expertise of young people and youth workers must be leading in the municipal policy that affects them.
- The municipality is committed to involving children and young people in local politics and democracy. Young people can participate fully in local democracy from the age of 16.
- The municipality ensures that residents are informed as much as possible about decision-making and participation through newsletters and social media, among other things. This is always at B1 language level.
- The municipality will continue to develop and implement democratisation policies such as the referendum regulation, neighbourhood budgets, citizens' initiatives and citizens' councils.
- We will work towards an administrative system in which city districts are allowed to make as many decisions as possible.
- Local residents are given a great deal of input before decisions are made on the master plans for Zuidoost, Nieuw-West and Noord.
- All neighbourhoods will have at least one community centre and one youth centre.
- More investments must be made in youth work and the current age group for which youth work is used must be extended from 8 to as many as 27 years.
- Amsterdam will continue with the Strong and Accessible Youth Work and Streetwork in Amsterdam development agenda after 2022. More attention will be paid to talent-oriented youth work - the focus is still too much on 'problems'.