By Laura van der Laan & Maddy Slot
Dance for Serious Request - Stop the Beat, Keep on Dancing When: Friday November 21st Where: The Spot, Middelburg Tickets: €8 up front (available at De Drvkkery, De Spot, Seventy-Seven) €10 at the door RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/386263001528451 All proceeds will be donated to Serious Request!
Abandoned, ashamed, and afraid. Millions of young women feel this way every year due to the result of sexual violence. To help people in areas of conflict, Dutch radio station 3FM and the Red Cross started Serious Request, a charity that raises money and awareness for a different cause every year. This year: ‘Hands Off Our Girls’, a plan of action against women being victims of sexual violence in areas of conflict.
Serious Request aims to raise awareness and collect funds in the week before the Christmas holidays, in order to provide help to the Red Cross. From the 18th till the 24th of December, DJ’s from 3FM will stay in a glasshouse without eating. They can be followed 24 hours a day via television, radio, and their website. They will go to these extremes to raise money for women who are victims of sexual violence.
One out of five women is raped, forced to have sex, or is sexually abused. In areas of conflict it is used as leverage, as a way of controlling and humiliating. It is not discussed in these areas, nor is it something that women share with anyone, not even their close family. The Red Cross reaches out to these women and arranges psychological and medical care for those who need it. As Kim van der Toorn, chair of Red Cross Student Desk of Zeeland, noted, “We want to offer them shelter and a future.” Essentially, these efforts help them rebuild their lives and to create a new outlook on life.
In 2013, Serious Request raised money for child mortality due to diarrhoea, and raised a total of €12, 302, 747. Not only did they raise a great amount of money, they also reached 12,3 million citizens in Holland. Awareness and funds, these are the aims of Serious Request.
The Serious Request is, of course, a very serious event, but the Student Desk of Zeeland has discovered a fun way to work towards a good cause: an energetic and hyped up party! According to Kim van der Toorn, “In this way, we can, as students, raise money for this good cause while doing what we do best: dance!” Students can expect an exciting night at the event’s venue, De Spot, with an amazing line up. First, an up and coming pop rock band, Steady New Sounds, will perform and begin the night with style and enthusiasm. The band is highly anticipated, given its already growing popularity on 3FM and large festivals such as Concert at the Sea. Second, DJ Alec will take the stage, and lastly, the evening will close with DJ Aluco, a professional DJ who makes his very own Dirty House tracks.
All proceeds from the party will be donated to Serious Request’s cause, and the Red Cross Student Desk hopes for a large turnout, not only to help support Serious Request’s mission, but also to inspire a one of a kind, enthusiastic, and colourful party! Be ready to light up the dark and dance into the night, while shining light onto the serious issue of Serious Request.
Laura van der Laan, class of 2016, is a Law major from Orinda, California.
Maddy Slot, class of 2016, is an Art History and Literature major from Eindhoven, The Netherlands
