K-Fest brings Kraaiennest together: ‘It was amazing’
Kraaiennest was all about K-Fest on Saturday, August 22. The local festival was organised by Hart voor K-buurt and supported by 3X3 Unites. It felt exactly as a neighbourhood festival should feel: accessible, welcoming and for everyone. “It was great to bring the neighbourhood together in this way”, says 3X3 Leader Jaimy Jacott, who was also involved in the organisation.
There was all kinds of things to experience. Young people could play sports, show their talent and take part in various activities. Basketball clinics and 1 vs 1 battles were held in the Paper Dome and on the outdoor basketball court. Elsewhere, food trucks were set up, music was playing and other organisations from the neighbourhood provided information. Children, young people and adults mixed together, and spontaneous encounters emerged everywhere.
“We wanted to give the neighbourhood a fun day and inspire people. We certainly succeeded”, says Jaimy. “It makes me happy when I see happy people. And I can assure you: I saw more than enough of them.” On the court in the Paper Dome, at the many food stalls and on the stage, where more well-known artists and emerging talent were given the opportunity to showcase their talents. “I was also on stage myself, really super cool”, says Jaimy.
The fact that 3X3 Unites supported K-Fest was no coincidence. The roots of 3X3 Unites lie in Amsterdam Southeast, and the basketball court in Kraaiennest was one of the first courts where 3X3 Unites organised activities. By now, the Paper Dome, made possible in part by the municipality and Rabobank Amsterdam, is the covered sporting hub in the K-buurt.
“This neighbourhood is bursting with talent. They deserve to be able to showcase themselves in all kinds of ways”, says Dennie Armélita, coordinator at 3X3 Unites. “It is great that we, as 3X3 Unites, can contribute to that. Many of the young people we support come from the K-buurt after all, and form a community here. It was great to see how the neighbourhood came together during K-Fest.”’
During K-Fest, there were therefore all kinds of activities on the basketball courts. These activities were part of Rabobank’s Street Sports activation campaign, in collaboration with FC Straat and 3X3 Unites. Together, they organise accessible street sports activities and events on squares and courts in various cities, where young people experience the power of street sports together. A place where everyone is welcome to take part and meet others, have fun and discover what makes sport in the street so special. It is precisely on the street that you learn to play together, persevere, fall and get back up again.
On Sunday, September 6, the street sports event will take place at Zambesidreef in Utrecht’s Overvecht neighbourhood. On September 19, Grote Markt in Groningen will be the setting for The Urban Sports Event, of which the street sports event is part. “With the support of, among others, Rabobank, we support the local need to make even more street sports possible”, says Mark Schuurman, co-founder of 3X3 Unites.
Jaimy looks back on K-Fest with a really good and proud feeling. “I heard from some people around me that the neighbourhood had been falling apart a little lately. That we brought everyone together again at K-Fest is truly amazing”, he says. “It just goes to show once again that it doesn’t take much to create a community. It was more than a successful day.”
Read more news from 3X3 Unites
Show more