Onze Sprekers

Joost was able to see until the age of 26.Today he can only see 0.8 percent. Due to a rare eye disease, Joost turned virtually blind within ten years. It meant a radical reversal, nothing would remain the same. Joost now gives workshops about how to deal with change and lets you experience that with acceptance, confidence, courage and humour obstacles are in fact smaller than they seem.Joost is a true optimist and is anything but afraid. He did not have a particular goal in mind, but due to his approaching blindness he gradually discovered new opportunities. This occurred when he was confronted with himself in the dark. There, he learned to look beyond his limitations and discovered what he is capable of: help people to see their opportunities instead of limitations. Help people to feel confidence instead of fear. Joost was able to see until the age of 26.Today he can only see 0.8 percent. Due to a rare eye disease, Joost turned virtually blind within ten years. It meant a radical reversal, nothing would remain the same. Joost now gives workshops about how to deal with change and lets you experience that with acceptance, confidence, courage and humour obstacles are in fact smaller than they seem.

Nature is magical. She doesn’t need any techniques to make light or bring air humidity to our homes. The wondrous world of bacteria could mean a lot to us. Nature is magical. She doesn’t need any techniques to make light or bring air humidity to our homes. The wondrous world of bacteria could mean a lot to us. Teresa uses this knowledge of nature in her designs. She creates a magnificent play of light that only needs a little push to shine. In 2015 Teresa won the Dutch Design Award in the Young Designers category. The core and foundation of her work is the combination of her passion for Design, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Teresa‘s goal is to make the techniques of nature visible so it becomes part of our daily life.

André Kapitein, founder of Smartsensors.me and Big Data expert, located in the waarderpolder, develops smart sensors that measure everything. Sensors to measure the indoor air quality in your home, but also sensors in waste containers that signals the council when they need to be emptied. Recently, André started to place his sensors in beehives, an important project to fight the bee mortality.

Chantal Dentro, winner of the TEDxHaarlem wild card, captivated the audience with her smile during our pitch night and performed on the main stage on the second of December. She takes us closer to a life full of loving honesty with lots of humour and self-mockery.

Sportsman Anton-Jan literally ran along all the Dutch borders but also found figurative borders. His own and of others. What is a border exactly? When do you respect boundaries and when do we stretch our limits…? Anton-Jan Works as a communications strategist, but is above all a sportsman. He is currently in training for his first 100 km+ mountain-ultra. Additionally, he focuses on sports projects that contribute to a better, healthier and happier life together with the Partij van de Sport (Sports Party). In 2015 Anton-Jan ran as close as possible to ‘The edge of the country’. Every week a marathon on average, totalling 2,500 km.

Victor has been escaping systems from an early age. Not by revolting, but by staying true to himself. Victor has always been a free spirit. He has been escaping systems from an early age. Not by revolting, but by staying true to himself. That makes him elusive for the establishment which he escapes from time and time again. Victor van Doorn has set up Sherlocked with a group of friends. A company that creates and realises escape rooms. After several presentations and a performance at DWDD (talk show) the escape room phenomenon has become widely known in the Netherlands. Recently, he has also launched the first escape-game-app. As a hobby, he climbs on well known buildings and statues around the globe. Pushing the boundaries and escaping the rules of the establishment.

he author Christine Otten does not want to be locked in her own world. She can be whoever she wants in her novels; a man, black or old, or a criminal. This is how she connects to others and the connection is what brings us closer together. This essential, empathic contact brings about a change between people, because something new is created. In her talk, Christine explains how connecting doesn’t just bring us closer to one another but also gives us a better understanding of our own identity. Christine Otten, started her career as a journalist and broke through as an author with her novel The Last Poets in 2004 for which she was nominated for the Libris Literature Prize. The book was adapted for the stage and translated in English. The main themes of her most recent published novel We hadden liefde, We Hadden Wapens (We Had Love, We Had Guns), are resistance, love and family. Literary freedom and cultural appropriation are the main themes here. The novel is set to have its premiere as a theatre play in January 2017 starring Huub van der Lubbe, Akwasi, Manouschka Zeegelaar Breeveld and Ntjam Rosie.

Technology is changing the world around us so rapidly that we cannot keep up. This is disruptive to the traditional educational system and working environment, but it also brings new possibilities. The Curious Technologist Vivianne Bendermacher jumped fully into this fascinating reality. With infectious enthusiasm she shows us that we have to get closer to these changes, and how to achieve this.