This publication is a result of an international research project which took place from 2012-2014. Among the participators were four universities, number of service providers, NGOs and people with psychiatric and learning disabilities from Amersfoort and Maastricht in the Netherlands, Budapest in Hungary and Tallinn in Estonia. The aim of the project was to explore the wishes and needs of persons with psychiatric or learning difficulties with regard to community participation, and how services could be (more) supportive in order to meet these needs. We also looked at local policies, especially from the perspective of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). From the research we learn that regardless of the country where people live, persons with disabilities have similar struggles to cope with vulnerability and deprivation. They also share the same desires as any other human being: the wish to live a good and valued life, to have meaningful activities and to belong to a social community. The stories in this book were selected from the interviews which were conducted by researchers during the project. The portraits illustrate experiences of illness, disability and recovery. They also reflect experiences of using social- and mental health services, exclusion and inclusion. By reading these stories we see, how multifaceted life can be, and what are the challenges towards the real participation in community
Background: Survivors of lymphoma experience multiple challenges after treatment. However, a lack of knowledge of in-depth experiences of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare persists. Objective: To gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare who have received an aftercare consultation based on evidence-based guideline recommendations, with an advanced practice nurse. Methods: This study used a narrative design. We recruited lymphoma survivors after a best-practice aftercare consultation with an advanced practice nurse. A total of 22 lymphoma survivors and 9 partners participated. Data were collected through narrative interviews and analyzed according to thematic narrative analysis. Results: Six themes emerged: living and dealing with health consequences, coping with work and financial challenges, having a positive outlook and dealing with uncertainty, deriving strength from and experiencing tensions in relationships, getting through tough times in life, and receiving support from healthcare professionals. Conclusions: The stories of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare revealed their experiences of how they coped with a range of challenges in their personal lives. Choosing an aftercare trajectory based on an aftercare consultation that encourages patients to think about their issues, goals, and possible aftercare options may be useful for their transition from treatment to survivorship. Implications for practice: Survivors’ social support and self-management capabilities are important aspects to be addressed in cancer care. An aftercare consultation involving shared goal setting and care planning may help nurses provide personalized aftercare.
Background: Survivors of lymphoma experience multiple challenges after treatment. However, a lack of knowledge of in-depth experiences of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare persists. Objective: To gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare who have received an aftercare consultation based on evidence-based guideline recommendations, with an advanced practice nurse. Methods: This study used a narrative design. We recruited lymphoma survivors after a best-practice aftercare consultationwith an advanced practice nurse. A total of 22 lymphoma survivors and 9 partners participated. Data were collected through narrative interviews and analyzed according to thematic narrative analysis. Results: Six themes emerged: living and dealing with health consequences, coping with work and financial challenges, having a positive outlook and dealing with uncertainty, deriving strength from and experiencing tensions in relationships, getting through tough times in life, and receiving support from healthcare professionals. Conclusions: The stories of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare revealed their experiences of how they coped with a range of challenges in their personal lives. Choosing an aftercare trajectory based on an aftercare consultation that encourages patients to think about their issues, goals, and possible aftercare options may be useful for their transition from treatment to survivorship. Implications for practice: Survivors’ social support and self-management capabilities are important aspects to be addressed in cancer care. An aftercare consultation involving shared goal setting and care planning may help nurses provide personalized aftercare.
The transition towards an economy of wellbeing is complex, systemic, dynamic and uncertain. Individuals and organizations struggle to connect with and embrace their changing context. They need to create a mindset for the emergence of a culture of economic well-being. This requires a paradigm shift in the way reality is constructed. This emergence begins with the mindset of each individual, starting bottom-up. A mindset of economic well-being is built using agency, freedom, and responsibility to understand personal values, the multi-identity self, the mental models, and the individual context. A culture is created by waving individual mindsets together and allowing shared values, and new stories for their joint context to emerge. It is from this place of connection with the self and the other, that individuals' intrinsic motivation to act is found to engage in the transitions towards an economy of well-being. This project explores this theoretical framework further. Businesses play a key role in the transition toward an economy of well-being; they are instrumental in generating multiple types of value and redefining growth. They are key in the creation of the resilient world needed to respond to the complex and uncertain of our era. Varta-Valorisatielab, De-Kleine-Aarde, and Het Groene Brein are frontrunner organizations that understand their impact and influence. They are making bold strategic choices to lead their organizations towards an economy of well-being. Unfortunately, they often experience resistance from stakeholders. To address this resistance, the consortium in the proposal seeks to answer the research question: How can individuals who connect with their multi-identity-self, (via personal values, mental models, and personal context) develop a mindset of well-being that enables them to better connect with their stakeholders (the other) and together address the transitional needs of their collective context for the emergence of a culture of the economy of wellbeing?
The latest IPCC Report (2022) provided by the UN shows us that, to guarantee a safe future for upcoming generations, we must change how we lead our lives on several levels. However, the increasing urgency to act and behave in a way that is not damaging the climate is bringing many psychological concerns to young generations. Worldwide reports are demonstrating how the issue of eco-anxiety is increasing daily, and how young people are feeling more hopeless than ever. Climate change has become a climate crisis, and individuals are experiencing pressure and fear incessantly (Marks et al., 2021). We, as Climate Streamers, have often found ourselves in this situation as well, but rather than freezing, we decided to take this challenge and think of solutions. Therefore, with the support of Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Performatory community, the BUas Startup Support Team, and outside mentors, we created Climate Streamers Foundation: a new youth-led non-profit organisation and a movement working towards a more inclusive and less polarised climate action. By working with leisure elements and a positive and appreciative approach, we want to give back hope, voice and power to the youth and inspire each other genuinely and sustainably. The purpose of this application is to allow us to elaborate a feasibility study concerning our MVP (minimum viable product), the card game, and boost the overall concept. We intend to implement the researched data to improve the design and sales management. The card game aims to stimulate appreciative conversations by giving space to players to express their opinions and personal stories and it is designed so everyone can play it, regardless of background and knowledge. After giving 200 games in production, we launched the card game in July 2022.
In view of the 75th commemoration of the liberation of World War II, Visit Brabant asked BUas to connect the main heritage locations in the province through storytelling in order to attract more visitors.In 2015, we developed a narrative concept entitled “Crossroads. Life changing stories 40-45”. In 2016, we developed a brand guide which explains storytelling guidelines. In collaboration with Brabant Heritage and Brabant Remembers, in 2017-208, 15 meetings were organized all over the province to collect personal WWII narratives. From over 600 narratives, together with a group of historians, we selected 75 narratives. Under our guidance, these 75 narratives have been rewritten into Crossroads stories by some 20 different authors. Brabant Remembers has launched a marketing campaign and (digital and physical) experiences based on these stories. The aim is to touch visitors and local people emotionally with personal stories from the past, and to offer new ways of interacting with these stories, especially for young people.WhenThe project has been running since 2015. We currently play an advisory role in the development of the Brabant Remembers app (for example augmented reality videos), and in physical products such as the Dilemma Maze and the Stilllevens of Studio Verdult.Partners: Visit Brabant, Brabant Remembers, Erfgoed Brabant, Stichting Crossroads