The Project Plaine Commune

Third exchange between French, English and Dutch youngsters

On Friday 11th of January the implementation of the first playground of Kids and Space started. Dutch youngsters from Liebergen symbolically removed the ping-pong table, together with alderman Erik Boog and the English and French youngsters. With applause, the table went up in the air. The playground will be finished in about six weeks.

As a part of the exchange between Swindon, Plaine Commune and Hilversum, the youngsters of England and France brought this visit to Liebergen. The program started at Friday with the celebrative start of the activities at the playground.
On Saturday the youngsters had a busy program. In the morning they painted three paintings for the already existing playground ´Dudok-square´. Every country could choose their own design. Richarda van Kasbergen will finish the paintings and will put them on the wall.
At the community centre we had a wonderful lunch, with Dutch pancakes and bread. And in the afternoon we made a tour along three playgrounds. The subject was social management of the playgrounds. What rules do youngsters and adults make with each other and does this work? The youngsters of the project ´Surveillance by Youngsters´ told about their great project.

In the afternoon we climbed the Town hall-tower. Because of the good weather it was possible to see the cities of Amsterdam and Utrecht. In the evening we had a nice dinner in a restaurant in Hilversum. As special surprise we went Disco ice-skating in Amsterdam. The youngsters had a great time. For some it was the first time on ice ever!

Bonjour La Courneuve

The October exchange visit to La Courneuve was an experience to be treasured.  Travelling by Eurostar to Paris was a first for many in our party and to arrive punctually at Gard du Nord and then be whisked away to the hotel in St Denis ensured our stay began well.  When we realised that the hotel was literally across the road from the stadium in which the World Cup Rugby Final was to be played things could not be better.

Meeting our French and Dutch friends was fun and helped our understanding of the many youth facilities that we visited.  A very stark contrast for us was to see the very tall residential blocks in which so many families live because we live in Victorian terraced housing in Broadgreen.  The discussions about street art that might be introduced at La Courneuve produced many interesting ideas, some of which could be used by all three partners to mark the joint working during the Streets for Living project.

It would be unfortunate to be in Paris and not visit some of the world famous buildings, so for all of us the evening tour to see the city centre was a real highlight.  When the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower appeared on the skyline they took our breath away.  Our coach parked across the River Seine from the tower so we were able to appreciate the height of the top-viewing platform and decide which of us would go all the way to the top.  Most of us did !  Although time was tight the excitement of seeing Paris by night from the very top of the Eiffel Tower will remain in our memories for years to come.

Thanks to everyone concerned in making our exchange visit to La Courneuve so interesting and memorable.  We all look forward to meeting again in January when the location will be Hilversum.