What is the Child Raising Support project about?
Through Child Raising Support, SKIN-Rotterdam contributes to healthy families within Christian international communities. We strengthen families in their relationships and parenting and support communities in providing a stable and safe foundation for this. After all, healthy families form the foundation of strong communities, and vice versa.
Why this approach?
Many parents and educators navigate between different cultural expectations. This can raise questions about parenting, family roles, and safety. We focus on key individuals, such as youth leaders and confidants, who play an important role within their community. They are equipped with knowledge and skills to support families and to make parenting issues discussable.
What we will do in 2026:
In 2026, SKIN-Rotterdam will help families get to grips with these issues through training courses, workshops, and peer review, as much as possible in familiar places within the communities themselves. We will also organize in-depth meetings for parents and other interested parties, with a special focus on single-parent families and families with complex issues.
Part of Child Raising Support: Safe Space
Safe Space is an important part of Child Raising Support. In many international communities, talking about domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual misconduct is difficult. Cultural taboos, uncertainty about the Dutch context, and fear of authorities mean that problems often remain hidden.
What we will do in 2026:
In 2026, we will create a podcast and safe spaces for education, dialogue, and awareness, in collaboration with professionals. We support parents, youth leaders, and church leaders in recognizing signs and knowing where and how to seek appropriate help. SKIN-Rotterdam builds bridges between communities and professional organizations, with an eye for trust and careful, warm referrals.
We also pay specific attention to fathers and young men. In a series of meetings, we talk to them about fatherhood, responsibility, and mentorship. By strengthening them in their role as role models, we contribute to greater stability and safety within families.
With Child Raising Support, we work on openness, connection, and resilience: so that families feel supported and children can grow up safely.
How we do this:
- Training courses for key figures and youth leaders
- Dialogue meetings with professionals
- Workshops and meetings for parents
- Support for single-parent families
- Pastoral Care and Counseling Training (with De Hoop – GGZ)
- Series of meetings for fathers and young men
- Podcast and closing meeting
- Follow-up, support, and warm referral
→ Check out our activities page for an overview of our current meetings!
Want to know more?
For more information, please contact Jane Martie-Chatlein, jane@skinrotterdam.nl.
The Parenting Support project is made possible by Gemeente Rotterdam, Sint Laurensfonds, and Stichting Rotterdam.