Building unforgettable moments together - Yes We Can Youth Clinics

The holiday season is here. A beautiful and warm time at Yes We Can Youth Clinics. Behind these meaningful days are the heroes of the Sports & Development Programme team. Today we speak with Ferry (Sports & Development Programme Officer). Together with his team, they start building months in advance on something that can’t be captured in a script: experience. They play a role in everything connected to sport, play and connection.“Our goal is for the fellows to experience unforgettable moments. Moments they’ll look back on and think: those festive days at Yes We Can — I’ll never forget them.”

The preparations for the busy holiday season

Sinterklaas, Christmas and New Year’s Eve require preparation, coordination and, above all, making sure everything is just right. Ferry explains that they usually start shortly after the summer. The broad outline is already in place: “The script is essentially ready.” But they continue to look at it critically: what do we want to create this year, what worked last year, where do we need to adjust, and how do we make these days unforgettable once again? It goes beyond simply organising a fun activity. They coordinate the entire programme and work closely with the kitchen (for example around the Christmas dinner), as well as with therapists and other teams regarding staffing, roles and what fits within the (treatment) programme.

From script to experience

Ferry explains: “The activities are festive, but they are always connected to what fellows need in their recovery.” You can see this, for example, during Sinterklaas. “This year, for the first time, we introduced ‘Piet gym’. Fellows don’t just take part; they also create something themselves. First, they practise skills and then they put together a mini show that they perform for each other. It’s about working together, daring to show who you are, and stepping out of your comfort zone. The quiet fellows who step forward. The fellows who are used to leading, who learn to give others space. Afterwards, fellows are often so proud, because they’ve done something they didn’t dare to do before.”

After Sinterklaas, that feeling remains: creating something together, encouraging one another and taking pride in the small steps they make. And that is exactly what the team continues to build on as Christmas and New Year’s Eve approach, with the Christmas dinner and the activities around it.

“We find it very important to offer variety, so there is space for different fellows. One person wants to run and burn off energy; another prefers something more creative: crafting with music in the background and a warm, sociable atmosphere. It’s about the ambience as well as taking part in your own way.”

Gratitude

From the very beginning, Ferry and his team have had one goal: to give the fellows an unforgettable Christmas and New Year’s Eve. When Ferry talks about what he personally finds most special about the festive season, one word keeps coming back: gratitude.

“The Christmas dinner creates such beautiful moments — everything feels just right: fellows in a festive mood, everyone in the clinic coming together to create something special, a warm atmosphere with the feeling that everyone is welcome. It really touches me when fellows stand up to thank the kitchen team. Fellows who find that difficult, but do it anyway. Moments like that are small and big at the same time.”

“That fellows arrive at first with the feeling: ‘damn, I’m here during the festive season,’ and later say: ‘wow, it was such a beautiful day.’ I think that’s the greatest compliment you can receive.”

The most beautiful gifts can’t be wrapped

They’re found in a poem that feels personal.
In an activity that becomes a memory.
In a dinner where you feel truly seen.
In a countdown moment with sparklers and genuine connection,
and the feeling that you’re not facing it alone.