Informatie en advies

English

Our organisation, mission and activities

COC Rotterdam is a member of the Federation COC Nederland, consisting of 23 local COC organisations.

COC stands for “Cultureel Ontspannings Centrum”, this name originates from the past, when the word "homosexual" was not accepted. Therefore the association called itself "Cultural Recreation Centre".

The Rotterdam branch was founded in 1947, one year after COC Amsterdam, and in 2007 we have celebrated with a lot of support of the City Council our 60th year anniversary. Main elements were a street fair, making the organisation visible for a larger public and an exhibition in the Kunsthal.

The mission of COC as a whole is to:

• Encourage societal reforms in order to increase integration and acceptance of homosexuality;
• Encourage individual emancipation by encouraging the awareness concerning the individual and societal situation (and the relation between those) concerning homosexuality and bisexuality and gender roles.

As COC Rotterdam our mission is to inform and educate, advise and serve the interests of lesbian women, gay men and bisexual men and women in Rotterdam and surroundings.

Our activities could be summarised as: politics, individual care and fun

• Education and communication to our members and the greater Rotterdam society as a whole.
• Serving the interests of GLBTs in our area (development in politics and society are looked after carefully and if necessary actions are taken, many times in association with other GLBT organisations).
• Support to individuals and groups.
• Support of social contacts between our members and within the GLBT community at large.

Formally, we are working for 53 cities and villages with a population of approximately 1,9 million inhabitants. Rotterdam is the only city that gives a grant to our organisation, and logically we concentrate ourselves on this area. Other cities have in our experience little interest of the activities of COC Rotterdam.

At present the Rotterdam branch has approximately 450 members and thanks to a new board in recent years but also because of increasing problems in the Netherlands with equal treatment of GLTB and consequent worries and political attention, the membership is raising again after a gradual decrease after the 90’s.

Our income is originating from our memberships fees, café income and donations (50%) and a grant from the city of Rotterdam (50%).

The COC building at the Schiedamsesingel 175 houses two cafes (ground & first floor) for drinks, chats and specific activities for to meet other men / women. Several other organisations use our building, e.g. gay and lesbian sports club, association for bisexuals, married people.

We are a volunteer organisation, with no paid staff. Most members of the board have full time jobs. The city council, civil servant of the cities and other welfare organisations with paid staff often do not realise this.

There is an other, but non-membership organisation with city subsidy that is active in the area of equal treatment of GLTB, called “Rotterdam Verkeert”. An other, member based (small) volunteer organisation called “Apollo” is focussing on young GLBT.

The situation for GLBT in Rotterdam

The Youth monitor (GGD, 2004) indicated that a majority of scholars from foreign origin (age 13-15) are intolerant towards their homosexual fellow citizens. Turkish and Maroccan youngsters are most negative in their judgements. Gays and lesbians with a non-Dutch origin are facing more difficulties with their coming out, sometimes it results in life threatening situations.

The Study Roze (on)zichtbaar in Rotterdam? (Radar, 2006) indicated that 25% of GLBT’s living in Rotterdam are confronted more often with intolerance in their neighbourhood, work compared to earlier years. More positively, 85-88% of overall Dutch population has a neutral or positive stance (SCP, 2006) and violence against GLBT seems more rare in Rotterdam than in Amsterdam (though it has not been registered by police in recent years).

Our activities in more detail

Education and communication to our members and society at large

• introductions by (young) volunteers at schools (regular activity)
• ad hoc guest courses, e.g. integration of immigrants, sport associations
• media campagnes (e.g. Respect My Love, in public transport, 2005)
• monthly magazine for members “Zinnen”
• press contacts
• website

Support of individuals and groups

• counseling by telephone, email and face-to-face talks by appointment
• list of organisations that could help in case of serious problems (“roze zorgwijzer”)
• support for older people to prevent isolation (volunteers’ visits)
• organising self help groups on coming out (currently 3)
• specific group meetings (professional, religious, cultural, international)
• support in case of discrimination and violence (registration by police, etc.)

Serve the interests of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in our area

• encouraging political debate (political cafés)
• local and regional ‘intelligence’, information gathering about developments
• dialogue with other local GLBT (Rotterdam Verkeert, Apollo) and societal organisations (e.g. anti-discrimination (Radar), equal treatment (article 1), women (Donnadaria), etc.
• encouraging local GLB(T) policy development
• support to develop “Act on Societal Support” (WMO)
• contacts with foreign GLTB associations (mainly with Gdansk, Poland, and via membership ILGA, Amnesty International)

Support of social interaction between our members and within the greater Rotterdam GLBT community

• open café (4000 visitors p.year)
• arts café
• gay film programme Beefcake in co-operation with Cinematheek Lantaren/Venster
• specific meetings and parties (e.g. women, older people, immigrants, international exchange students, local GLBT sports club, mentally disabled, Asian gays)
• thematic gatherings (e.g. gay teachers)

Internal organisation

• attracting and retaining members and volunteers
• co-ordination of working groups
• secretariat
• management of the building