it found that in the Netherlands, independent mobility increases sharply with age of 8\u201312-year-olds, independence increases over the years. 36% of 8-year-olds travelled to school independently, compared with 91% of 12-year-olds.<\/span><\/p>\nThese figures do not specifically measure children going door to door, but they show the wider decline in opportunities for children to move around independently.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
A Dutch example for Europe<\/strong><\/p>\nPedagogue Martin van Rooijen also sees the decline in children\u2019s independent mobility in Europe and the Netherlands. He explains that children need opportunities to do things on their own, without adults constantly being involved. \u2018It is important that children can and are allowed to do things on their own like travelling alone, \u2018he says. \u2018They need to experience what that is like, sometimes doing things that feel a little scary but choosing to do them anyway. This can help build confidence, resilience and dealing with disappointment, \u2018 Van Rooijen says.<\/span><\/p>\nHe sees the Dutch Children’s Stamp Campaign as an example of how children can increase the independent mobility \u2018I think it\u2019s a good initiative for children to have the freedom to approach people themselves.\u2019 Van Rooijen also adds: \u2018I think it could be a good example for other countries to do something similar, because it encourages children in another way to explore their neighbourhood.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\nVan Rooijen believes that going from door to door is valuable for children, because it gives them the opportunity to experience something new on their own. \u2018They might find it a little exciting, but I think that is exactly the point.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n
Waiting for the first customer<\/p><\/div>\n

Making their first sale<\/p><\/div>\n
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Organisation point of view<\/strong><\/p>\nThe campaign also comes with questions about the safety of the children. The organisation has adapted to concerns from parents over the years: children no longer carry cash and receive safety instructions before going out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAccording to Albert de Leeuw and Marieke Andriessen from the organisation, however, safety concerns do not necessarily reflect what happens in practice. \u2018It is more the concern from parents than something actually happens when the children go out on their own,\u2019 they explain. They say the campaign has not necessarily become less safe, but that measures have been introduced in response to wider concerns in society. \u2018I don\u2019t think it has necessarily become safer, but the measures were simply taken to create a sense of safety.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\nAndriessen says the campaign is about more than collecting money. \u2018It is more than just going door to door and selling stamps. The children learn to approach people they do not know, step outside their comfort zone and take responsibility.\u2019 De Leeuw describes it as an initiative \u2018with and for children.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\nPerhaps that is what makes the Dutch tradition interesting beyond the Netherlands: not the stamps themselves, but the opportunity for children to step outside, meet people, take responsibility and do something for others.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The annual Dutch Children’s Stamp Campaign kicked off this Wednesday afternoon, with several ceremonies, where the children went out in their neighbourhood and the first sales were made. Every year, thousands of Dutch primary school children go door to door, to sell poststamps to raise money for charity. This Dutch tradition continues at a time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3424,"featured_media":22116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cbj","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
What can Europe learn from a Dutch children\u2019s stamp campaign? - International Journalism<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n