Six years ago, the Youth Initiative Program was launched as a pioneer project by the 5 enthusiastic founders who we all know: Ani Hanelius, Pernilla Fogelqvist, Reinoud Meijer, Rose Nekvapil, and Susanne Hansen. These five young entrepreneurs set about building their dream house, a house that could host a group of young idealists from around the world for a year of self-transformation and empowerment. The founders of this house built different rooms, installed doors and windows, and insulated the walls. They called their house YIP, and people from all walks of life visited the house and helped in its construction, decoration, and maintenance. But even as the house was being built, it was also in constant need of repair– the roof started to leak unexpectedly or a window cracked and needed to be replaced.
It was very difficult, the founders realised, to both build something new and repair the old at the same time. At no time was this more apparent than at the end of last year when the last of the founders, the parents of the YIP family, decided to move out of the house and hand over its ownership to the next generation. And that’s how the children of YIP stepped in to keep the house functioning and available for the next batch of idealists to come and transform themselves and the world.
The coming year will be one of transition for YIP. It will be a time to solidify the foundations of YIP as an organisation and to make the needed repairs so that the YIP house won’t collapse in on itself. The team is made up of alumni from every year, as well as two contributors who have been part of YIP since its inception six years ago.
We are excited to introduce ourselves to you, the YIP network, and look forward to meeting you in the future.
From left to right, above then below:
- Thijs Moonen – YIP 1
- Lucy Carver – YIP 4
- Danika Desai – YIP 5
- Pieter Ploeg – YIP 2
- Nakyta Grimm – YIP 2
- Rachel Miller – contributor and former house parent
- Annie Meijer – biographical counselor & contributor
- Nino Tadaros – YIP 3
- Maíra Rahme – YIP 2
- Lyra Skusa – YIP 4