Ruben De Cuyper joined HZ as a new lecturer in January. De Cuyper will continue to work as a researcher at the HZ Center for Community Research Zeeland, but as a lecturer he will focus specifically on the subject of resilient communities.
Although not everything surrounding his lectorate has been finalised yet, it is certain that “participation” will be an important term for him. "That is a theme I want to focus on in the coming years," says Ruben. The knowledge he gains must benefit education and ensure innovation in professional practice.
With his lectorate, he is building on the Zeeland Social Domain Workshop, a collaboration between the HZ Center for Community Research Zeeland and the Social Work and Pedagogy study programmes, which took shape last year. Two themes are currently being explored in depth within this workshop: refugees in sparsely populated areas and resident participation.
Ruben has developed both topics into lines of research for his lectorate. First and foremost, he wants to investigate the challenges refugees face in rural areas, for example in their search for a job, and how they can be supported. Ruben goes further than the standard researcher. For example, he talks to companies about a small-scale project to help status holders find a job. "We don't just want to share knowledge and experiences and learn from each other, we want to actually work together. That is the basis of action research. As HZ, we can contribute not only through knowledge development, but also by supporting status holders in their education and in obtaining recognised diplomas."
We don't just want to share knowledge and experiences and learn from each other, we also want to actually do things together. That is the basis of action research.
Resident initiatives
Ruben also focuses on residents' initiatives. He investigates how these initiatives come about, how they are received, what impact they have, whether they lead to geographical inequality and how the latter can be prevented. For example, we are currently working with the Odensehuis. "This is a place where people with dementia come together, but what we really want is for them to remain part of society. We talk to residents about how they want to deal with elderly people in their neighbourhood now and in the future, for example elderly people who are suffering from dementia. How do residents see the future of their village? How can elderly people in a sparsely populated region with declining facilities and a shortage of care staff continue to live comfortably in their village? What role can residents themselves play in this? What and who else do they need for this?"
The project is an initial process of participation. He hopes that more ideas will come from society. "I also want to look at playgrounds," he explains. "These are not always designed for children with disabilities. This unintentionally creates two separate worlds. I want to see what it takes to bring them together."
Collective private commissioning
Ruben also runs a learning network for the national network for broad prosperity, of which HZ KCZS is a member. The subject is how government policy affects residents. In this context, Ruben looks at larger policy programmes, such as the Regional Deals, NOVEX, and Accessibility at Level, and links them to the context of Zeeland. "Many government measures come together in the region at the same time, but they are often not coordinated. As a result, they sometimes reinforce each other, but they can also cause problems in people's daily lives. By designing together with residents, municipalities and the government, we gain a better understanding of these effects and can create concrete solutions together."
Exercise park for the elderly
According to Ruben, participation is a sticking point. People often want to take the initiative, but they run into a wall of rules. "I recently spoke to someone from Groede who wanted to set up an exercise park for older people with a number of fellow villagers. Everything was set, even the funding. All they needed was a piece of land. That proved difficult. Ultimately, they were expected to draw up a contract themselves. The residents' group was fortunate that one of its members had legal training. Without that knowledge, the initiative would probably never have got off the ground. All too often, you hear about people encountering these kinds of obstacles. It saps their energy and sometimes causes them to abandon their initiatives. As Kurt Lewin described in his field theory: real progress is not achieved by pushing harder, but by removing the barriers that hold people back or discourage them."
HZ Center for Community Research Zeeland
HZ Center for Community Research Zeeland conducts research on social and, if required, economic issues in Zeeland. The researchers thus recognise, describe and analyse trends and developments in Zeeland.
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