The Neighbourhood Union Manifesto #

Our Story #

We live close together but often feel alone. On the stairs, at the tram stop, in the supermarket, we see each other every day. Sometimes we nod, sometimes we speak, but behind each face are worries we prefer not to share: rent taking a large part of our paycheck, work draining us without giving meaning, children labelled as behavioural and educational challenges, neighbors growing old alone. Many carry the weight of discrimination, debt, strained relationships, or fear of losing their home. Life somehow feels harder than it should, and the future increasingly uncertain.

Throughout all this the world around us is changing, and not in a positive way. Prices and the cost of living continue to rise relentlessly, the climate is growing harsher and more unpredictable, and politics seems only to spread confusion, fear, and distrust instead of serving the common good. We are told to handle this by ourselves: to compete and succeed, or at least to keep running so as to remain where we are. This way of living is exhausting us, draining our energy, our trust, and even our sense of connection. Decisions made far away and without our approval make these struggles worse: schools and hospitals are stretched beyond their limits, homes are sold to investors, and large funds grow rich while workers in care, education, and housing struggle. Communities weaken, and trust erodes.

Yet another way is possible. Long ago, people here survived storms and floods by working together. Under difficult circumstances they were able to build dikes, share food, and care for each other. Life was hard, but it had meaning and the future was in our hands. Over time, trade and profit shifted our priorities. Streets lit up, it became easier to travel, and homes increasingly safer. As we grew seemingly less dependent on nature, we started to dream of unending growth and wealth, and even lasting peace.

Yet we ignored that this comfort relied on cheap energy and the exploitation of others. Because of this, wealth became concentrated in the hands of those who controlled the system rather than those who built it. Homes and land became investments, public services were cut, and the same logic that once exploited others abroad now governs our streets, schools, and hospitals. Many of us struggle while a few grow dangerously rich, and the system pushes toward domination, war, and surveillance that keeps people disconnected and unable to speak up.

We cannot face this alone. There is enough to eat, enough to live, and enough to care for each other. What is scarce is the will to share and the imagination to live differently. Yes, hard times will come, but if we act together, our possibilities are far greater than we imagine.

Call to Action #

This is where Wijkbond begins. Not in parliaments or boardrooms, but in stairwells, markets, schools, and community centers. We begin by turning fear into trust, strangers into neighbors, neighbors into companions.

We listen, we speak, we organize, we defend what we love, and we imagine a society we can be proud to leave behind for other generations. Education here is not strategy alone. It is the cultivation of clear eyes to see what is real, of a heart able to feel the beauty of life, and of a spirit strong enough to care for what sustains us all.

Wijkbond is a promise: to be there for each other, to find strength in difference, to rediscover our shared humanity, and to defend our communities.