We often get the question: “What are you doing for the Salvation Army?”
Jelle and I started our new job on the first of January. Jelle wrote a proposal last year and it got accepted with a part-time job for both of us. We have our different roles and that is great, as you know, we are differently gifted;-)
We are going to provide workspaces for students and entrepreneurs who are tired from working alone from home. At our location, they can work on a project, book a day and get a healthy, local lunch as well.
This is what I say in the video:
Hello everybody,
Here a little impression about the workspace we are developing in the heart of the university town of Wageningen, for everybody who is exhausted of working from home.
Here in the front we get a large table with a lamp. And in front of the front window we are going to create a 4 meter long wooden standing desk with a view on the street.
If you say: Oh, that would be way to distracting then you’ll have the opportunity to work at a desk facing the wall. We create 4 places there.
Halfway the room we’ll make doors to divide the space and create the “Garden Room” facing the back garden and the stillness of the church, our nextdoor neighbor.
The kitchen will also get a makeover, because when you book a day, lunch will be all included and mostly homemade with local products.
The garden is a stonewall garden and we have nice plans with that too. So stay tuned to see how this place will develop in the coming weeks.
Why is this a Salvation Army project?
The Salvation Army has a long history of coming into action when there is a social need, especially when it is not visible to others. In the Christian tradition relationship, connection and community are very important. All questions can be asked around this table. A lot of people are working from home, loneliness is a real issue and many students are eager for contact and connection. We hear more and more about loneliness amongst students and young professionals. With this place, we hope to create a space where many people find a warm welcome and hospitality.
All corona proof of course!
Why Wageningen?
Jelle and I know and love the town of Wageningen. We lived in Randwijk before we moved to Croatia and that is just at the other side of the river Rhine. We did our weekly shopping here at the local market. This place, Bergstraat 9, is very unique. Here we find a connection between Prayer and Work. There is the liveliness of the shops in the street and the rest from the Church in the back. Since Wageningen has a unique University dedicated to life science a lot of people are concerned about the environment and sustainability. We hope to be able to connect those questions with a faith perspective.
What are you going to offer?
We will offer a flex desk in the coworking space which people can book for a small fee for 4 or 8 hours. We can accommodate 4 to 12 people per day. People can also book the Garden Room (2-4 people) or the whole space (max 12 people) for a workshop, meeting or training event.
We found this nice map of the town from 1698. We are going to print it and cover one of the walls with it. We love Wageningen and its history.
We are really excited that we can work on this project and we hope that we will be able to provide hospitality for many people in the future. What do you think about this? Please respond to this post if you have any questions or comments.
If you like to stay tuned, follow us on and see a regular update.
Instagram.com/werkplek.bergstraat
Yes, and feel free to share!
We hope that you are excited about this, as we are.
Jelle en Janneke Huisman
