This dataset contains interviews with Ben Schennink. Ben has been working for the Studiecentrum voor Vredesvraagstukken of the Catholic University (KU) Nijmegen, presently named CICAM. Ben Schennink also played a scientific supporting role within the Catholic peacemovement Pax Christi and the IKV, the Interkerkelijk Vredesberaad. This interview deviates from the other interviews and datasets within the project since it does not directly elaborates on the group of towns that formed the town-twinning circle that originated from Esslingen am Neckar in the fifties and sixties, which is the subject of the project. The interviews with Ben go well beyond the subject of West-European town-twinning after the post-war years and deal with subjects as Third World development, the nuclear armaments race and resistance against it, the fall of the Iron Curtainand the breaking up of former Yugoslavia. As such, his testimony refers to the third wave of town-twinning, were Friends in a Cold Climate is mainly concerned with the second wave. However, the interviews with Ben Schennink also shine a light on the role of the churches in the processes of reconcilliation and rapprochement that took place after WWII. The significance of this is explained by prof. Mathieu Seegers in his book: “The Origins of European Integration: The Pre-History of Today’s European Union 1937-1951” in which he acknowledges that “Many of the ideas for European integrations had been sustained by ecclesiastical networks”, “Such networks played a key role in the process of selecting and combining idea’s for the future of post-war Europe”.

Ben was born right in the middle of the Second World War, in Zevenaar, living on a farm with his parents and grandparents. Around the Battle of Arnhem in 1944, when he had just started walking, his family's farm, located about 5-600 meters from the main road to Arnhem and the railway from Germany to Arnhem, became a shelter. The farm had two large cellars filled with evacuated neighbors, as well as German soldiers setting up defenses and workers from Achterhoek digging trenches. The war stories and stress, along with the positive experiences of his parents and grandparents, shaped his past and sparked his interest in war and conflict from an early age. His father's keen interest in international politics further influenced him, leading him to follow global events closely during his teenage and high school years, maintaining a strong interest in international politics and related matters. Ben was very interested in Israel. Initially from the idea: ‘What is life on a kibbutz? What does that mean?’ So, it was about communal living and survival. This inspired him to pursue the topic of "war" and how to deal with it. The Study Center for Peace Issues had just been established, and he was approached. He came into contact with Pax Christi and later became active at the Study Center for Peace Issues, since he was studying sociology and research methods. In 1967, the Peace Week had just started, and the Study Center was asked to research the early Peace Weeks. He was asked, as a student assistant, to begin this work. He continued in the research trajectory of peace research and mobilization activities, including Peace Weeks and local action groups. He also connected with the Polemological Institute in Groningen. They collaborated on numerous projects between Nijmegen and Groningen for many years. Ben attended the first general assembly of Pax Christi, which took place in Roosendaal in the fall of 1968, shortly after the Russian invasion of Prague. The Prague crisis in 1968 was used by government officials to advocate for increased defense spending. Pax Christi opposed this, stating that the crisis should be used to promote dialogue. Ben became active in Pax Christi's International Affairs Committee, dealing with issues like the situation in Israel, détente, and armament. Another significant factor at the time, though less relevant to him personally, was the IKV, which had been founded in 1966. The issue of conscientious objection was prominent, and Pax Christi and the IKV were advocating for better support for conscientious objectors and a new Conscientious Objection Act. This was part of the broader discussions, involving the government, between Pax Christi and peace operations. When the discussion about nuclear weapons in the Netherlands emerged in the late 1950s, the question of whether to place nuclear weapons in the country led to significant debates within the Reformed Church. The theme of "war and peace" became a crucial topic in the lead-up to the Second Vatican Council, and Pope John XXIII's 1962-63 encyclical "Pacem in Terris" emphasized that not only Catholics but all people of good will should work together for peace.

Friends in a Cold Climate: After the Second World War a number of friendship ties were established between towns in Europe. Citizens, council-officials and church representatives were looking for peace and prosperity in a still fragmented Europe. After a visit of the Royal Mens Choir Schiedam to Esslingen in 1963, representatives of Esslingen asked Schiedam to take part in friendly exchanges involving citizens and officials. The connections expanded and in 1970, in Esslingen, a circle of friends was established tying the towns Esslingen, Schiedam, Udine (IT) Velenje (SL) Vienne (F) and Neath together. Each town of this so called “Verbund der Ringpartnerstädte” had to keep in touch with at least 2 towns within the wider network. Friends in a Cold Climate looks primarily through the eyes the citizen-participant. Their motivation for taking part may vary. For example, is there a certain engagement with the European project? Did parents instil in their children a a message of fraternisation stemming from their experiences in WWII? Or did the participants only see youth exchange only as an opportunity for a trip to a foreign country? This latter motivation of taking part for other than Euro-idealistic reasons should however not be regarded as tourist or consumer-led behaviour. Following Michel de Certeau, Friends in a Cold Climate regards citizen-participants as a producers rather than as a consumers. A participant may "put to use" the Town Twinning facilities of travel and activities in his or her own way, regardless of the programme.

Integration of West-Europe after the Second World War was driven by a broad movement aimed at peace, security and prosperity. Organised youth exchange between European cities formed an important part of that movement. This research focuses on young people who, from the 1960s onwards, participated in international exchanges organised by twinned towns, also called jumelage. Friends in a Cold Climate asks about the interactions between young people while taking into account the organisational structures on a municipal level, The project investigates the role of the ideology of a united West-Europe, individual desires for travel and freedom, the upcoming discourse about the Second World War and the influence of the prevalent “counterculture” of that period, thus shedding a light on the formative years of European integration.