Clean Spaces, Belonging, and Friendship at the Rembrandtpark Cleanup
On a sunny Saturday morning in Amsterdam, Serve The City volunteers gathered not just to clean a park, but to protect nature, build lifelong friendships, and pop the university bubble.
The people you usually run into on a sunny Saturday morning at Rembrandtpark are runners, busy parents with strollers, or people simply enjoying a coffee walk. But on this first Saturday of September, a dedicated group gathered for a different yet deeply meaningful occasion: cleaning up litter as part of Serve The City’s monthly volunteering action day.
The morning kicked off with Jane, the activity coordinator, gathering everyone for a quick briefing before handing out litter grabbers, trash bags, and brightly colored T-shirts. The vibrant group consisted of eight volunteers aged between 19 and 34, hailing from the Netherlands, the USA, Germany, India, and Nigeria. As they split up to cover a wider area, the click of the grabbers, the rustle of filling trash bags, and warm conversations began to flow effortlessly across the green park.
Alexander met Nina and her friend Ally—who was visiting from Berlin—at an STC volunteering event five years ago. He and Nina became close friends and have continued to volunteer together regularly ever since. Alexander shares how vital it is for him to positively contribute to his local community. He feels fulfilled not only during the event—getting fresh air while giving back—but also long after it ends. For them, volunteering proved to be the ultimate place to meet lifelong friends.
Ally visits Nina in Amsterdam frequently, and as she fell for the charming city, she naturally wanted to make a positive impact on its spaces, people, and animals. For her, creating a safe environment for wildlife is crucial, as park animals can easily ingest trash or get hurt by broken glass. That is why she warmly encourages tourists to volunteer too: “Tourists produce waste as well, so helping clean up afterwards feels incredibly rewarding!”
“University feels like you’re in a bubble, and volunteering helps me pop that bubble!”
— Madeleine
Subhrajyoti joined the initiative because Rembrandtpark is part of his daily cycling route, and he wanted to do his part in keeping it clean. He strongly agrees that volunteering deepens his sense of community. This aligns perfectly with research on the benefits of volunteering, which shows it boosts a sense of belonging while enhancing mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
In fact, Madeleine feels most connected to the city whenever she volunteers. As she puts it: “University feels like you’re in a bubble, and this helps me pop the bubble!” She recommends volunteering “100 million percent” to everyone. It is so easy to fall into daily routines, she notes, but with volunteering, no two days are the same. It grounds you, helps you appreciate what you have, and most importantly, makes other people’s lives brighter. So, “give it a try!”
