Level up! – Looking back on our annual event

On December 12, the DoY community Becoming Adults in a Changing World convened for the second time in Tivoli, an event location in downtown Utrecht. The theme of the meeting was “Level Up”. This refers to the fact that the community managed to deepen connections between partners and roll out promising projects during the past year. Compared to the start of the community in 2023, we have indeed gone a “level up”!

We envision the community to be a network in which researchers, youth, and societal partners come together to discuss how we can help youth to grow up as healthy and happy adults in a changing world. Accordingly, we invited people from all three constituencies, and they showed up in large numbers!

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The program was highly varied and interactive, and included input from various people. For example, Laura and Jobbe talked about their involvement in the Toekomstdenktank, and how meaningful it can be for youth to actively participate in discussions about their own future. Next, we listened to Luuk and Dean, who talked about a podcast they made about how young people can decide their course of study during a time of rapid technological change.

After this, PhD student Ouissam shared her experiences in organizing a pop-up around the topic of “Growing Up and Growing Out?” This pop-up brought together different researchers and stakeholders around the topic of parenting and cultural differences. This included a keynote presentation by Professor Stijn van Petegem, and by social worker Abdellah Mehraz. The community is open to support other pop-ups with money and practical assistance via a menu of flexible funding options. Finally, the Breakwell institute, which is linked to our postdoc Liam Stephens, presented their activities in helping young people navigate the challenges of growing up and realize their potential.

Finally, attendees pitched exciting projects relevant for youth, such as a study on youth perspectives on divorce (research group of Youth and Family), a museum exhibition where profiles of youth will be showcased (Museum Flehite in Amersfoort), and an initiative that brings high-school students in contact with the university of Utrecht (Honours Trajectum Utrecht). This nicely demonstrated the diversity in activities and voices within the community.

Throughout the entire meeting, the atmosphere was very cozy and informal, and after the official program, the participants could socialize in the lobby while listening to a jazz band. As organizers, we look back with immense gratitude. Based on the vibrant atmosphere and new connections that were created, we are optimistic that in a year, we can meet again as a community and share ideas, projects, and results – “level up” once again!