Dear people,

It is good to see you. I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year!

I want to start by honoring the hospitable citizens of Slotervaart, Nieuw-Sloten, and Overtoomse Veld (Slotervaart, including the two areas mentioned, is one of the Districts in the western part of Amsterdam. Ahmed is Mayor of this District - Freddy). Entering our office, you will find a golden medal placed on one of the pillars. Slotervaart received this medal for its hospitality, during the program “Since we are here”, presented by the Dutch host Eddy Zoey, which was broadcasted by BNN the 4th of January. We received gold, because our citizens were tested on their hospitality and they succeeded in an incredible way! Eddy Zoey tested five citizens: “Do you have something to eat for us?”, “Do you have a drink for us?”, “We need a place to sleep”. “Yes!”, was the answer in all five cases. I was very proud!

“Of course”, Mr. Azouz said, “come in. You may sleep in the same bed in which my mother passed away”. Zoey accepted this extraordinary offer without reluctance.

´”Come along”, the Turkish young man said, being tested on his hospitality by Zoey's team. “I'll take you to our educational center, Ekmel, and we will make you breakfast”.

“Have a cup of coffee”, was the invitation to the three journalists by a Croatian lady.

Let us not forget the lunch at a very sad Iraqi-Turkish young man's house. Every morning at half past five, he is standing on his balcony, just to catch a glimpse of his lost Turkish love, who has been promised to a another groom from the village. And the Turkish carpet salesman who made dinner for Zoey and his colleagues.

All great examples of Slotervaart's hospitality!

You do not have to be rich or even happy to be a good citizen. This has been proved by the five examples I mentioned. A citizen is more than a consumer who knows his rights, and more than just a person who follows the rules and laws thoughtlessly. A real citizen does more than that. Just think of all the people of Slotervaart who are doing their utmost to make a difference to their community: the Mothers of Slotervaart, or the members of the residents committee. They feel responsible for our society, they want to be of value to our society.

If we – from which ever origin we are – use our lives in this way, in The Netherlands, if we work here, if we are successful, if we show everyone that we contribute to society, the Boularouz-effect will occur (Boularouz is a famous soccer player of Moroccan origin – Freddy): nobody asks whether you are integrated into society or not, if you play for the Dutch league the way he wholeheartedly does, under difficult circumstances.

The way you dress, the way you greet other people will no longer be interpreted as symbols of oppression. The motives behind those cultural expressions will no longer be considered a hostile rejection of The Netherlands, old fashioned discrimination of women, or religious arrogance. On the contrary, they will be seen as symbols of the freedom of choice which is allowed within Dutch law – maybe reluctantly, but still........They do not contradict or work against democracy and good citizenship.

A consumer, or a resident, is rational, but a real citizen also has an emotional relationship with society. The results of the most recent Amsterdam Civil Monitor show that you are content with the District City Council and with our civil servants. Residents from all neighborhoods put the Slotervaart City Council on number one. This is a big difference compared to the results of 2007. Back then, we were at the bottom of the list. The results also show that you are interested in the District City Council's politics, which is wonderful. We are number two, after the Council of Westerpark. This is a seed of hope which will grow into a flower in 2009.

There are many signs of recovery. A little more than a year ago, absent parents were a quite common phenomenon. Chances are that those parents actually had something to hide. Many children stayed at home from secondary school, without anyone noticing of caring. Many mothers did not even know the school of their children. That is in the past now: we have skilled educational civil servants who check if the children are actually going to school or not.

Educational civil service is a sign of recovery as well, more than two years after I rang the alarm bell for Slotervaart. A recent survey shows that our children do not skip school as much as they used to. In Amsterdam on the whole, this number has actually increased. Bravo to our teachers and our educational civil servants in Slotervaart! And to the parents, because, if children in primary (or secondary) school skip classes, there is definitely something wrong at home.

Two years ago, I was astonished by the fact that mothers, dressed in bathrobes, waved their children – who were already late for school – goodbye. Parents do not consider this normal anymore. The standard is to bring your children to school, and on time! Parents are visiting the schools of their children more than they used to.

In junior college, we have other, worse problems. That is to say, the students don't stay home for days, but there are still many problems to be dealt with. Educational civil service has a heavy job solving them. The solution? The civil servant visits the parents, and the schools to check if they actually report the fact that their students are skipping school. This is what a District City Council can accomplish. To be on top of it, to know what is happening, to check.

A District City Council is a blessing to the city, but it needs support from the municipality, if only to receive the right rules to work by, to be a pioneer if necessary. A District City Council has to fight for that, in the interest of its citizens.

To be on top of it: that is what we do with the homework classes. We are tutoring our children in math and language, at school. In the same way the lessons in religion can be considered, in a didactic environment, at school, if parents feel the need for it.

In 2009, we will – in co-operation with the municipality and other organizations – improve the quality of education, with better educational programs as well as better teachers. If necessary we will sacrifice the free Wednesday afternoon (school children in The Netherlands always have Wednesday afternoon off - Freddy)! Let us be informed about what the student goes through. This goes for the teachers, the youth workers, the police and the social workers. Thus, we will reach our goal: a community dedicated to education and growth. ´It takes a whole village to raise a child.´

All this can only happen if the streets are safe. Safety is the ground on which citizenship and a community are built. Robbery and car theft have decreased with 50%. This is what a District City Council can accomplish, even if – formally – the Council does not address crime, only hindrance. How? We just told the police and the municipality about our goals, about our problems, and we insisted on their help and support. We were the pioneers for street coaches, 8-8 coaches (a unique project in which youngsters with problems are being guided to a better life, one-on-one, by a skilled youth coach; the parents are being involved as well - Freddy), home visitors, for addressing radicalization, and youth work in a new style.

The youth workers changed in the direction of growth and education. They want to get to know the city, to discover life. And the youngsters themselves, who just last year used to end every conversation by stating that they wanted their own juvenile center, now are asking for better teachers and structured educational means.

I want to follow the example of police commissioner Welten: the municipal administration should not give passports or driving licenses to convicted criminals. On the contrary, we want to call the police as soon as we see them at our counters, just like the banks are doing with customers who do not pay their bills. I am going to negotiate this with the Mayor of Amsterdam.

There is a web site with convicted criminals. One of those criminals comes from Slotervaart and he already has been arrested after having been reported. You should report, it works! Now you can actually see what we are doing as a District City Council, including safety measures like “mosquitoes” (these devices produce a sound which only can be heard by young people between 18-25. It is an unpleasant sound and, therefore, it prevents youngsters to hang around at places where they shouldn't be - Freddy) and cameras. In return we ask you to co-operate: report criminal behavior to the police and do not stand for the fact that ambulance staff, garbage men, police officers, and other personnel are being intimidated or attacked even. The culture which tells us we “should learn to live with it” needs to go! Let us NOT accept it!

A second condition for citizenship is a clean environment, without clutter. If the environment is cluttered, this will provoke careless behavior. That is why our garbage men and other cleaning staff clean everything, everyday, again and again. We have a complete supplemental team of cleaning staff who even clean the mall squares on Saturdays. On top of that, one of our aldermen, Paulus de Wilt, has hired twice as many environmental officers.

So again: seeing us doing all this, it makes sense that you, as a citizen, give us a helping hand. I have already seen the start: in 2008, no less than thirty families have “adopted a litter container” (a project in which people are stimulated to keep their environment clean and free of clutter - Freddy)!

The improvements which you see, are seen by the companies as well. They have a different way of showing it though: the housing corporations and developers are building in our District and they keep doing so, financial crisis or not. Alderman Ineke Ketelaar was – second year in a row – the champion of house building.

On the other hand, many developers are asking us for permission to build new companies, such as hotels. A fifth hotel will rise in Slotervaart this year. Then, there will be a thousand hotel rooms in our District. For every hundred hotel rooms, forty employees are needed, preferably in the neighborhood. Then, as a resident, you know: let's go for it! Go for it, with the attitude and mentality that a job as a doorman, room maid, or cook, is the start to a career as a hotel manager.

Working is the best way to fight poverty and it is better than accepting hand-outs and welfare. Hands are made for working, not for begging. Begging is against human dignity.

Have a heart for our society. This goes for citizens, but for companies as well. Do not only focus on cheap staff, sharing profits, or shares, but develop a heart for Slotervaart.

There are so many good examples of citizenship. A part of our youngsters are finally taking control of their lives. Such a difference compared to the situation as it was one year ago!

They do no longer complain about discrimination. Mohammed Bakkali wants to promote diversity among companies, in order for them to achieve a trademark, which tells people who apply for a job that these companies recognize the value of staff which is from non-Western origin.

Once you and your neighborhood have grown apart – because you have actually grown – you might turn away from your roots. But not always: many of you are successful and coming back, to serve your community. You work, you study, you volunteer. You use your lives in the best possible way. You do not accept the glamour job at a company, maybe later, now your priority lies in serving society. You are on a mission. You are the citizens I am talking about.

We need the best people in Slotervaart. We will see that, in the near future, the benches our elderly used to sit on to rest between home and the mall, will be back, without being demolished by obnoxious youngsters. The A-students from the housing projects: we will see them.

Now, let's work hard to make Slotervaart a wonderful District. We can do it. Together!

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