Youth Village Hedenesse

The Rise and Demise of Progressive Youth Initiative

Abstract

This brief historical note chronicles the emergence of “Hedenesse,” a self-governing youth village in West Zeeuws-Flanders, The Netherlands, after World War II. A short background sketchleads into a descriptionof the repurposing of a cluster of bunkers and a summary of principles that under pinned the youth village. The next section profilesthe participating youthand the activities they undertook. The conclusion points to the reason for the youth village’s demise and its lesson of demonstrating the importance of long-lasting support for the viability of innovative youth initiatives.