Mourad El Otmani (38 years old) - born and raised Amsterdammer - is the founder of youth participation platform Young Amsterdam, where he works with great passion. Meanwhile, the Young Amsterdam Awards Gala is held annually at Meervaart, offering recognition to talent between 16 and 27 years old.

Could you tell us more about Young Amsterdam and what you do?
With this participation platform, we give young people the chance to represent themselves and their peers by becoming active in their community and making their voices heard on everything that matters to them. The platform emerged from this need, and we've already reached many successful young people who are committed to their neighborhoods, inspiring other young Amsterdammers in turn. I started Young Amsterdam because I felt the need to put young people in a positive light. I saw a lot of underrated talent in my surroundings, and at the same time, Nieuw-West regularly made negative headlines.

Everything is possible in your city, as long as you persist and go for it.

Everything comes directly from the young people themselves; they bring their own themes and carry out these projects from start to finish. We organize various debates, college tours and help find internship placements. To close the gap between young people and politics, we created the position of youth mayor in 2019. By now, Amsterdam already has its second youth mayor!

In addition to all this, we also organize the 'Young Amsterdam Awards Gala' at Meervaart annually. An award show for young Amsterdam talent excelling in areas such as sport, arts & culture, social engagement and entrepreneurship. We started this in a school canteen once, but Meervaart opened its doors for us five years ago to think bigger. By now, the gala has grown into a Red Hall production and a beautiful show that is entirely organized by the young people, with support from all the professionals at Meervaart.

With all the efforts from Young Amsterdam, we try to inspire and motivate young people. Everything is possible in your city, as long as you persist and go for it.

It makes me proud that together we've made it one of the most beautiful neighborhoods.

So we can certainly say you know our neighborhood well. What is your favorite place in Nieuw-West?
Nieuw-West is home to me. The adventures I had during my youth remain wonderful memories, but my favorite place is Sloterplas. It doesn't matter from which angle you look at it; the lake is beautiful. It's a very lovely, calming place where you can escape the hustle and bustle but at the same time greatly enjoy the activity around it. What I find extra special is that the lake connects the different neighborhoods - Osdorp, Geuzenveld, Slotermeer and Slotervaart - with each other.

It makes me proud that together we've made it one of the most beautiful neighborhoods.

If you could decide, what would your ideal Nieuw-West look like and what role could Meervaart play in this?
I'd like to see more major retail chains; we should definitely think bigger. Centrum Nieuw-West can become a real vibrant hotspot. With a diverse range of shops, sports and arts & culture, we can attract a larger audience. I'm proud of Nieuw-West, proud of Sloterplas, and I think the new plans for the neighborhood fit with Amsterdam as it is today. The city center is getting increasingly crowded with tourists, so it's nice to have a center in Nieuw-West for the local population. It's good for them to have their own place in Amsterdam that has everything to offer. I definitely see the new Meervaart playing a big role in this: facilitating accessible programs for everyone, young and old, and more programs in the field of talent development, but also bringing "established" artists and shows to Nieuw-West. I see opportunities for Meervaart to grow further, and a beautiful new theater is of course part of that. I think the new building plans for Meervaart are wonderful. The closer to Sloterplas the better. The view could become a real eye-catcher for Nieuw-West.

And finally: would you like to share your most beautiful memory at Meervaart with us?
That's of course my own show; the 'Young Amsterdam Awards Gala' and especially the first time we stood in the Red Hall. It was exciting and quite a challenge, because beforehand you don't know how it will go. So when you stand in the foyer after the show and look back at the complete picture and talk with the visitors, that's just so special!

Curious to read more dreams and visions for the future? Check out the other interviews at: M-Talk | The Dream