In October I gave a painting workshop at the Goede Lyceum. We started with a brainstorm: what are the associations with the jungle? A lot of ideas were generated by the students. All post-its were grouped in collective themes “colors and atmosheres”, “plants and trees”, “animals” and “others”. After generating and discussing the themes we made collective paintings. Great talents, different styles, great artworks.
If you have a creative mindset you are a better problem solver. That is why I integrate creative thinking technics in the social performance courses for Shell.Today i facilitated for a different target audience: 24 students of the Goese Lyceum. We made street art of our core values.
In July fifteen children from different schools in the local communities were installed as Kids Community Advisory Panel member. During interactive lessons and excursions they learned about refinery, safety, the environment and working in technical jobs. This panel was asked to advice Shell Pernis about D&I: diversity and inclusion. During the research they asked many questions, formed opinions and came with good and new views. Last week the panelmembers presented their advice aout D&I in a special film premiere. The kids compiled a checklist, entailing 10 important elements for a pleasant working environment. This list can be used to research the workplace. The... Read The Rest →
Now in the third year of the partnership with the Natuurmonumenten NGO we planted around 1000 trees yesterday with a group of volunteers. With this project Shell Moerdijk helps maintain the woods in Rucphen in the Netherlands and improve biodiversity. The project provides green spaces for local people and demonstrates focus on environmental stewardship. In the first and second year we softened the sharp transitions from forest to non-forest. We removed smaller trees and stacked them to create living areas for small mammals. The results of the project are now becoming very visible!
As Social Performance Advisor, I am frequently in contact with the communities. While researching social investment requests I meet inspiring people who spend their free time making a positive contribution to their community. The Hellevoetsluis Rescue is a voluntary association dedicated to safety on and along the water. The volunteers help people who get into trouble when swimming or doing sports on the lakes in the area. Additionally, they provide training and swimming lessons. On my visit I received a professional presentation and a tour of the club house. We... Read The Rest →
What a great afternoon at the LiveWIRE Rising Star awards ceremony! In my function as member of the jury, I saw a large number of innovative start-ups with simple ideas with a creative twist, state-of-the-art technology and everything in between. What inspired me most was the diversity, energy and drive of the entrepreneurs. In addition, it was interesting to interact with the other jury members, previous winners and employees from the chamber of commerce. I felt a lot of energy during the awards event and I think, on their merit,... Read The Rest →
Today the Kids Community Advisory Panel came to the site for an excursion. When I started this project in 2014, I was slightly concerned if the refinery would be interesting enough for 8-11 year olds. But my contacts from De Kleine Ambassade, the specialised partner I worked with on the project, assured me that the children would be interested. And indeed, the first Advisory Panel was highly engaged with topics such as safety and refinery. One of the kids even said it was better than De Efteling, an amusement park... Read The Rest →
