More than 100 people participated in a 5-hour-long Spelletjesdag event organized by LGBT World Beside with the financial support of the Bob Angelo Fonds on November 4, 2023. This marked the seventh Spelletjesdag organized this year, and it’s noteworthy that these events are gaining popularity. At the beginning of this year, the number of participants was around 40-50.
This time, two information sessions were held, both dedicated to job and career-related issues. The first information session took the form of a panel discussion featuring two former refugees, Mikhail Bilak, a specialist in data analytics at PostNL, and Vitalii Katargin, a policy adviser at the company SVB (Sociale Verzekeringsbank). Misha and Vitalii shared insights about their work and careers, discussed the opportunities and challenges LGBTQ+ refugees face in the Netherlands, and answered questions from the audience. More than 40 people participated in this informative session.
The second information session focused on labor law, with Oxana Brizmer, the founder of Herz Lawyers, addressing pre-submitted questions and taking live questions during the event. Over 50 people participated in this session, and due to time constraints, not all questions could be addressed. LGBT World Beside expresses gratitude to Oxana for her time and effort and looks forward to her continued involvement in discussing various legal issues.
Following the information sessions, a quiz game was organized, which has become a tradition for Spelletjesdag and remains one of the event’s most popular activities.
The organizers and volunteers of Spelletjesdag extend their immense gratitude to the Bon Angelo Foundation for their support, which enabled the purchase of train tickets for approximately 30 participants and provided lunch. Special appreciation is also extended to Ben & Jerry’s for generously supplying their delicious ice cream free of charge. Additionally, special thanks go to Wolfgang Schreiber, a worker at the Goethe Institute Amsterdam and a volunteer of LGBT World Beside, without whom organizing the Spelletjesdag events would not be possible.