WHO WE ARE
About De Gele Plu
De Gele Plu (meaning: The Yellow Umbrella) makes and distributes yellow umbrellas with positive texts and drawings. In doing so, we offer support and encouragement to all those who want to stand up for freedoms and fundamental rights. It makes people visible and connected, in a loving, peaceful and comfortable way, turning their backs on (police) aggression.
THE ORIGINS
“There has to be a way we can keep our voices heard.”
On 24 January 2021, Welmoed Arkenaar again witnessed (police) violence during a demonstration. The courage sank in the shoes of many protesters and that made Welmoed look for an alternative way to continue to make our voices heard. A way in which aggression can be turned away, that is possible for everyone (young, old, weak, strong, rich, poor...), that is comfortable and fun, that does not bother anyone and that cannot be forbidden. So that protesters in good spirits can continue to express their truth for a long time.
She began to fantasize about umbrellas with loving symbols and positive texts. She went looking, dubbed over a color and carefully invested in a small order on January 26. Would that work? Helped by friends and family, it immediately caught on and was immediately unstoppable. A new manifestation trend was set and the birth of "De Gele Plu" was a fact. An organization that grew rapidly and is still growing thanks to many volunteers.
Meanwhile, thousands of Yellow Plus swarm through the Netherlands (and now also beyond). During demonstrations, they meander through the streets like a sea of yellow. And to our surprise, De Gele Plu also appeared to appeal to another target group: those who do not go to demonstrations, but who do want to show in daily life what they stand for.
A motley group of enthusiasts manually paint Plu for Plu and ensure that they end up with the right people. An activity that connects and makes you happy, a creative action in which you can courageously participate without having to stand at the front of the barricades like a rebel. Because yellow also happens to be the color of courage, of life and of the sun's rays.
BEHIND THE SCENES
The Core Team
A core team was created within the team when Welmoed sought support and feedback on its tasks to continue running the organization. In the meantime, this core team has grown into a team of four people who meet weekly about the ins and outs of the organization. Here decisions are made about purchasing, working methods, logistics, communication, promotion and all other additional tasks. We would like to introduce ourselves to you:
Welmoed Arkenaar
FounderNever thought I would set up a foundation and it does me a lot of good! With De Gele Plu I have found a way to fight for my ideals in a light-hearted way. A way that suits me: creative, peaceful and tactical. And a way that surprises me: I am no longer in the background as I am used to from myself. At the helm of a growing team, I can develop on many fronts and my self-confidence also grows.
Marijke Claassens
SecretaryBy joining De Gele Plu, I am more in contact than ever with like-minded people throughout the Netherlands. This is the most valuable thing I have left over from this crazy period.
Eva Arkenaar
TreasurerWhen my sister told me about her ideas at the beginning of 2021 and decided to just buy 200 yellow umbrellas, I was still slightly worried whether she was not mainly throwing her money away. Now I can say; boy was I wrong!! You show me again and again how a simple object can become a symbol, an object of power that puts people in their own light. And that is exactly what this world, now more than ever, needs: people who are fully empowered and live from love.
Maarten Vaal
Purchasing/Content ManagementAfter having worked for Viruswaarheid for a year, De Gele Plu came my way which gave me a new challenge in my work (purchasing / content management).
Mede omdat ik tegen agressie en geweld ben én zeker tegen onrechtvaardigheid sprak De Gele Plu en waar zij voor staat mij meteen enorm aan.
The volunteer team
Welmoed once started as a "one-man business" with some Yellow Pluutjes handing out, supported by some family members and friends. Meanwhile, we are talking in 2022, we have a team of more than fifty volunteers! The vast majority of people are committed to De Gele Plu as a marker and/or collection point, but we can no longer do without the secretariat, social media team, an advisor, a graphic designer, ICT specialists, and many hands that make lighter work in all conceivable areas.
Our markers color beautiful words and symbols on our Yellow Plu's. One makes real works of art, where the other makes mountains of plu's. One pen in a group and the other goes to work at home. We find it important to guarantee a certain quality in decorated Yellow Plu's and therefore let every marker be trained by a marker instructor. This way, all our markers are aware of the mission and vision of De Gele Plu. More than twenty-five of our markers are also collection points. They are spread all over the Netherlands in order to create the largest possible reach.
Would you also like to contribute by highlighting Yellow Plu's, or do you think you can support us in another way, please feel free to send us a message via the contact form! We like to look together at the possibilities to use knowledge and skills as well as possible.
Join us at De Gele Plu!
Become a volunteer, wear your Yellow Plu or make a donation and contribute to the peaceful expression of connection for freedom.
FOUNDATION
With a goal in mind
We at De Gele Plu attach great importance to transparency and honesty. Something that unfortunately is still not commonplace in the world in 2022. That has to change! Since we exist solely because of all the heartwarming and generous donations from you, it is only logical that we show you what is happening with your money and what our future plans are. We therefore make the documentation of the foundation public below, for every curious person to read. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send us a message!
Below you will find the financial report of our 1st year: 2021 (until 16 December 2021, the day we became a foundation). In this report you can read, among other things, how much money we received, and where we spent it again (spoiler: veeeeel Gele Plu's!). Furthermore, there are some numerical fun facts about this eventful first year in which we have grown enormously.
Below you will find our policy plan for the period 2022-2024. Since the end of December 2021, we have become a real foundation. This way we can continue our mission in a more professional way. We have drawn up a policy plan for the next 3 years. In this way we can always test our ideas against our policy plan to see if we stay on track. And so you can read about our vision of the future to see if this resonates with you.