Confidential counselors

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Are you being bullied, harassed or on the receiving end of sexually unwanted advances? Or do you see someone who is going through these things, but who is unable to speak up? Are you a parent of a youth member, and do you see behavior that is unacceptable?

At Sovicos you can talk confidentially with:

Yvonne Nieuwmans-van der Moolen (Ladies 3)
06-10775047 – vertrouwenspersoon1@sovicos.nl

What does a confidential advisor do?

The confidential advisor listens to someone’s story and helps them find ways to resolve the situation. They can assist someone in filing a complaint with the association, sports federation, or police, but simply talking can also be helpful.

The confidential advisor treats information confidentially and does not take any action without the knowledge of the person concerned. Our confidential advisors are bound by confidentiality about what they are told, unless there is a threat of danger or a compelling reason to break this confidentiality.

If you want to learn more about the procedure, please refer to the protocol of the confidential advisors. If it is urgent, it is handy to notify them on their mobile number that a message has been sent to their mailbox.

Read more below about our confidential advisors and what they can do for you.

Counselors within Sovicos

Dear members and parents/primary caregivers of our youth members,

A few years ago Sovicos has decided to appoint two counselors. These counselors are the point of contact for all members/parents, in the case of harrasment or other unwanted behavior by another member. You can think of bullying, defamation, violation of personal integrity, sexual harassment and/or abuse, and discriminatory or racist behavior. These concepts have a loaded character and are – fortunately – usually not directly associated with a game of volleyball.

However, it has probably not escaped your notice that in recent months the media has reported various, very disconcerting cases of abuse in the world of (top) sport. Sometimes these cases have lasted for years, without anyone being able to speak out. As a result, a large number of (youthful) athletes have been damaged for life, and might have never been able to enjoy their sport as intended.

It is important to realize that undesirable behavior can start everywhere, even within our own club, as something small and sometimes unintentional. It is often not yet recognized as undesirable behavior, while early recognition can actually lead to this behavior being stopped quickly.

If this undesired behavior can however continue unhindered, a huge problem will arise for the victim, which he or she often cannot easily talk about with teammates or family. Sometimes the problem “gets solved by itself”, for example when the victim in question quits and leaves the club. It goes without saying that this is not the solution that clubs such as Sovicos stand for. Everyone should be able to feel at home within our club and be able to be themselves!

Within Sovicos, the positions of confidential counselor are filled by two people, the undersigned … and Yvonne Nieuwmans.

We both started playing volleyball at SVC in the 1970s and 1980s. We still have a lot of fun playing the game and are still enthusiastic members of this club. We can be found in the sports hall every week: not only as a player, but also off the court as a (youth) trainer, supporter in the stands, or for fun in the bar. It is usually not difficult to spot us and talk to us about anything and everything.

However, we think it is important that everyone at Sovicos also knows how to find us as a confidential counselor, and that you can report any undesirable behavior to us. We will then discuss how to solve the situation in consultation with the person who came to us. As a confidential counselor, we are aware of the duty of confidentiality. This means that anything said to us in the above role will be treated in confidence and will not be discussed with other persons inside or outside the club without the consent of those directly involved.

Of course, we hope – like a first aider – that we have to take as little action as possible. But we want to reiterate that we are always ready to help any member who needs it. Below are also our email addresses and phone numbers, on which we can be reached, even if you as a member or parent of a youth member have any questions after reading this text.