Seventeen young people showed up.

That is not a small thing at an introduction meeting for a brand new team at a refugee camp in Oosterwolde, in the north of the Netherlands. Seventeen. Standing at the beginning of something they did not yet fully understand.

But some of them had heard from people who did.

Something Spreading Across the North

Play for Peace® in the Netherlands is growing. In recent months, new teams have begun at refugee camps in Zweeloo, Vledder, and Delfzijl, each one supported by team Assen, the founding group that has become the beating heart of the Dutch network. At every new location, it is the Assen team that shows up first, helps set the tone, and passes on what they know.

That is what happened on Monday evening in Oosterwolde. Seventeen young people gathered for an introduction meeting, and Soltan opened the way he always does: with a presentation about Play for Peace® that he made himself, and that moves everyone who sees it. It moved the room again that night.

What Abdulrahman Said

This time, the presentation included something new: an interview with two members of the Zweeloo team, Abdulrahman and Haitham, who joined only two months ago and came to Oosterwolde to speak directly to the new group.

Abdulrahman's words need no editing:

"When organization Play for Peace came to Zweeloo, we thought it was just an ordinary organization that organizes activities for children, nothing more, nothing less. But after we joined, we discovered that Play for Peace is much more than a children's organization that offers fun and valuable activities for people of all ages. We found love, respect and appreciation there, especially after getting to know the Assen group, which formed the foundation of this organization. Slowly, we became not just a team, but one true family.

That is largely thanks to our leader, Roel, who always stood behind us and supported us constantly. As a result, my view of this organization changed completely. I realized that we are not just a team, but a family.

Since then, a lot has changed, also for us as team members. The best thing of all is the joy and happiness we see in the children's eyes and the smiles on their faces. That is a great achievement for us and the most beautiful reward we could wish for."

What Happened After the Presentation

The official part of the evening ended. Then the group finished the night together with a traditional Arabic dabka, the kind of music and movement that does not need a shared language, only willing feet and a room that feels safe enough to celebrate.

The team from Assen drove home to their city singing, clapping all the way back. Full of joy, full of thankfulness, and already thinking about what comes next.

A Family That Keeps Growing

This is how Play for Peace® spreads in the Netherlands: not through top-down strategy, but through people like Abdulrahman standing in front of a new room and telling the truth about what they found. Through young people who arrived at a refugee camp not knowing what to expect, and left calling it home.

Zweeloo started two months ago. Oosterwolde starts now. And somewhere in the north of the Netherlands, seventeen young people went home that Monday evening carrying something they did not have when they walked in.

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