De Nieuwe Poort is for everyone. Business professionals in the Zuidas in Amsterdam and the Central District in Rotterdam can find rest and reflection there. It’s a place for lectures and debates. A place where you can meet people you wouldn’t normally encounter. You can also drop by for a bite to eat or a drink, of course. Be aware though that your coffee is roasted by ex-prisoners at Heilige Boontjes, your lunch is prepared by disadvantaged cooks trained in-house, and your wine is served by a host who worked in refugee camps on Lesbos. Everything we do is the result of one conviction: The world is a better place when we take care of each other.

It all started on the Zuidas. Towards the end of 2012, in the middle of the economic crisis, the idea arose for a social workplace. Why here? There was already a historic link with the nearby Thomaskerk and predecessor Zingeving Zuidas. But more importantly, during the crisis, the Zuidas was the embodiment of everything hard, impersonal and commercial. Starting a social organisation here, where employees could improve their prospects on the employment market, where there would be space for reflection, philosophy, rest and humanity; it felt almost like invading occupied territory. It also had to be a place where business people could feel at home. The result was De Nieuwe Poort: a restaurant with a bar, several meeting rooms and space for reflection.

The name wasn’t chosen at random. We were inspired by the Bible, in which the port is an important symbol. Whereas walls divide different groups of people from one another, a port provides accessibility and engagement. Engagement between young and old, poor and rich, CEO and volunteer. What’s more, for the people working with us, we are an access port to the employment market. Everyone comes together at De Nieuwe Poort. To learn from each other, but also just to eat and drink together. The concept caught on and a new location quickly followed. This time in Rotterdam, a stone’s throw from Central Station. In the heart of the business district, just like in Amsterdam.

The New Port! We want to provide locations for engagement and inspiration throughout Europe. After Amsterdam and Rotterdam, we recently opened El Nuevo Puerto in Valencia. And we’re dreaming about Il Nove Porte, Le Nouveau Port, O Novo Porto… Young, old, poor, rich; together we go in search of (personal) anchors in our society and civilisation.

The New Port! We want to provide locations for engagement and inspiration throughout Europe. After Amsterdam and Rotterdam, we recently opened El Nuevo Puerto in Valencia. And we’re dreaming about Il Nove Porte, Le Nouveau Port, O Novo Porto… Young, old, poor, rich; together we go in search of (personal) anchors in our society and civilisation.

Our El Nuevo Puerto in Valencia has proven to be an inspiring location for The New University’s leadership programme. In the future, we hope to organise more journeys of discovery for school pupils, students, young professionals and executives in all the cities where The New Port has branches.