What is Amsterdam to you?
The place where I was born and raised. Although the city is constantly renewing and changing, Amsterdam will always feel like coming home to me. Betondorp, known as the Johan Cruijf neighborhood shaped my childhood. I grew up right across from stadium De Meer the home of AFC Ajax, the stadium lights sometimes shone through my bedroom window. Despite never having anything to do with soccer, I felt secure and never alone.

The dynamics of downtown was my playground, here I did everything for the first time, from going to the club to drinking my first beer. The city tells a rich history but also my history. Different places, smells and streets sometimes bring me back to many memories. In Amsterdam I learned the art of togetherness, where neighbors were not just neighbors but a close-knit community where we look out for each other and help each other when needed. I hope we can keep this together because with poralization and gentrification we sometimes lose each other a little.

What does open mean to you?
Being open to others, even if they don't think the same as you. Being open to new and different perspectives. Learning and exchanging from them. Being open is also a piece of curiosity for me, curiosity about the other. Especially with the young people I work with, this is very important. They always have openness and curiosity about what the future is going to look like.

Why is it important to keep connecting? What person, collective or organization is a connector for you and why?
Especially in a time of polarization, I think it's very important to be connected to each other, even if we don't understand each other very well. The further apart we stand, the more unsociable it becomes in this world. Connecting counteracts polarization a lot.

One organization that comes to mind right away is Barracks Reigersbos in Southeast. They really are a place where everyone can go; from Auntie Nel who runs the store in the schoolyard, to dance classes for children, to youth programs where young people can further profile themselves in their field, to productions that are made there that win Grammys. I think they really stand for connection. The great thing is that they are actually an informal network. They don't really fit within formal structures, which makes them very bold.

What stories are most valuable to you?
The everyday, hidden stories. For example, for the Amsterdam Museum I worked on the Women of North project. There were so many women's communities that mean a lot to their surroundings. You don't see that when you walk down the street. As soon as you start talking to them, you hear the most extraordinary stories, which you don't know are happening next door. For example, I myself live in North and didn't know this. The hidden stories, which you really only find when you go looking for them yourself, I find the most fun and inspiring. Often I think these are also the stories of people who are always busy connecting people and empowering each other. These are the people who are not in the forefront themselves, but really have to push you to the forefront. At Women of North, a lot of them also often found it exciting, but in the end they did participate.

How do you stay relevant in this day and age?
Keep speaking out, even if it's exciting at times. I think you stay relevant by not only staying in your safe bubble, but also by going out into the city and being present in different places. In addition, it is also important to find a sustainable way to keep connecting and interacting in a reciprocal way.