Emmaus Netherlands hits the right note with youth!

Since spring 2025, the Dutch Emmaus groups have been making the most of the country’s most popular music events to collect items and raise awareness. Emmaus Netherlands has also recruited a large number of young volunteers by partnering with key actors. Interview with Yvette Gumbs, the Netherlands National Delegate, who reveals the recipe for this success.

How did this project start?

Yvette: It all started with a call from Billie Eilish’s manager in early 2025.

The US singer-songwriter already knew about Emmaus International’s work and is a very committed environmentalist. Her manager got in touch with me before the start of the Dutch tour in order to get advice about reducing the environmental impact of the five tour dates scheduled for May 2025 in Amsterdam.

I then contacted Mojo, the main ticketing platform in the country (for concerts, festivals and so on, to suggest a partnership with them. The conversation focused on a simple observation: increasing numbers of concertgoers camp for several days outside venues, leaving all their camping equipment behind the minute the doors of the venue open. So, the idea this time round was for Emmaus to collect these discarded items instead of the local council picking them up and throwing them away!

A large number of volunteers and employees of Emmaus Bilthoven helped out during the event. It proved to be a very rewarding and powerful experience. We were able to wander among the 17,000 Billie Eilish fans who came each evening and raise their awareness about over-consumption, fast fashion and the Emmaus values, and collect their camping equipment.

Since then, we have attended over 25 concerts and festivals, including Bruno Mars, Harry Styles and The Weeknd. This has opened new doors for us, not only in Amsterdam. We tend to prioritise events that will attract lots of young people.

We also attended the Lowlands Festival at the end of August and collected the items left at the campsite once the festivalgoers had left. After a big sorting operation, we redistributed them to homeless people and shelters for undocumented migrants. We also sent some of the goods to Ukraine.

Does Emmaus Bilthoven run the project by itself, or have you received support from other groups?

Initially, Emmaus Bilthoven met the demand for the Billie Eilish concert, but we grasped that this was too big a project for the group to run without support.

As the country’s National Delegate, I therefore presented a review of this initiative to the Dutch Federation, and this is how the other Emmaus groups in the Netherlands got to grips with the project. Six of the 11 Emmaus groups are now involved, and this has enabled us to better share out the work and develop this initiative.

A long-term project has arisen from this simple opportunity. We have forged strong bonds between our groups, which is not easy to do, given that we are all very busy with our everyday activities.

Why prioritise events that will attract lots of young people? Could you tell us more?

In the Netherlands, we are struggling to attract young volunteers; and I believe this is a widespread issue in Europe. There are a range of reasons for this, but since we have been attending the concerts, we have been able to meet them and tell them about Emmaus!

We make calls for volunteers that deliberately target young people, asking them to come along to the concerts with our regular volunteers, employees and companions. It’s a win-win situation: the young people become Emmaus volunteers, raise the awareness of other young people, can enjoy the concert from the backstage area, and share their Emmaus experience on social media!  We have even been interviewed on several occasions by media outlets wanting to highlight this project.

All of this social and traditional media exposure has attracted new types of volunteers and has refreshed our image. It enables us to meet young people, start a conversation with them, and find out what they need and expect of Emmaus.

So, what are the next steps?

Last year was a pilot year. Now that we have learned lessons, and now that we know what it involves and what benefits it brings, we have decided to develop this project. Big concerts and festivals are scheduled for next year and we are already considering how to reinvent ourselves and bolster our presence at these events.

We are currently discussing the idea of running an advert on the big screens outside the venues. Young volunteers have also suggested selling our second-hand clothing at a stand at festivals.

I have to say that it has really raised our profile. It is really the ideal way to collect items, raise public awareness, benefit from positive media coverage, and attract young people. I believe that this method could work across Europe.

I would personally really like to see the young volunteers taking the reins of this initiative. They are full of ideas, have a different view of activism, and I think it is high time that we made room for them and listened to their views.