Stimuleringsfonds

In the third edition of the Open Call Platforms for design-based learning, 11 projects were selected. The overarching goal of the diverse initiatives is to introduce children and young people to the Dutch design and making culture.

20 January 2025

background and general impression

With the Open Call Platforms for design-based learning, the Creative Industries Fund NL and the Cultural Participation Fund aim to give an impulse to initiatives that introduce children and young people to the Dutch maker and design culture. The call specifically focused on initiatives that involve groups that do not have ready access to the maker and design culture.

The response to the open call reflects the breadth of the field. While some initiatives focus on specific design disciplines or techniques, others take a broader approach where talent development is central. Notably, the same names and organisations recur in several applications, which indicates a close-knit network of initiatives that are also often active in the same region. According to the advisory committee that assessed the applications, this network fulfils an important role in connecting professional design practices with the interests of children and young people.

However, what the committee believes remains underexposed in many proposals is how these initiatives relate to each other and to other existing organisations and initiatives. To build a stronger bridge between the professional design world and the youngest groups of makers, a better understanding of how networks (regional or otherwise) function and develop is needed. This knowledge can be used to more easily detect gaps in what is on offer and the regional distribution of initiatives can be identified better.

selection

A few notable projects from the selection are:

Radical Data - Kreando Futuronan
The Dutch Caribbean region lacks readily accessible programmes that introduce teenagers to design and digital culture. If they want to pursue creative careers, they often have to leave the region. Kreando Futuronan offers these young people the opportunity to explore and apply design and digital culture. The year programme focuses on developing practical skills to digitally design stories, from both their own community and far beyond. The year programme has two streams: Spark for 12-18-year-olds, with hands-on creative workshops introducing design and digital culture, and Sustain for 18-28-year-olds. Sustain participants receive professionalisation workshops and training to give workshops themselves. They also learn how to develop their creative initiatives into sustainable organisations that can contribute to a thriving ecosystem for the next generation of Dutch Caribbean designers and artists.

Stichting Tante Netty - Studio Woensel-West
Tante Netty is committed to guiding young makers towards self-reliance in professional practice. Studio Woensel-West started in 2023 with the aim of taking young people into creative entrepreneurship. It is a grassroots programme and a collective where young people can join in and develop at their own pace, both solo and in groups. With partners such as the Van Abbemuseum and Dynamo Jeugdwerk, a qualitative programme has been set up with three components: a workshop programme, open workshop evenings and a summer school. The organisation engages makers from all possible disciplines based on the development needs of the participants, including photography, videography, painting, illustration, ceramics and social design. With Studio Woensel-West, Tante Netty wants to make a structural contribution to the maker culture for young people in Eindhoven.

Leren in de Metropo(o)lder | Ontwerpen aan betrokkenheid en actief burgerschap van de nieuwe generatie - Cpunt | Podium voor Architectuur
Leren in the Metropo(o)lder (LIDM) connects young people from architecture studies and design culture to large spatial-design tasks. The programme is based on four coherent objectives. Firstly, giving young people ownership of their living environment through active involvement. Secondly, connecting commissioning clients to spatial tasks in the neighbourhood. In addition, LIDM is building a network of young professionals who act as role models. Lastly, all the issues are approached and solved in an interdisciplinary way. Ten vouchers are available for local clients. This allows them to set up projects that interest a broad group of young people in their living environment. The projects tie in with different talents and preferences: ranging from practical and theoretical to technical, creative, investigative and design-based. The intended result is that participating partners make young people co-owners of local tasks. Together with clients and designers, young people explore the tasks and their own talents, and design and present these outcomes to clients, professionals, peers and people they know. At the national level, LIDM presents the outcomes and shares knowledge with the network.

You can see the entire selection here.

assessment

To arrive at a selection, the proposals were assessed according to the following criteria:

- The set-up of the programme
- The role and quality of the designers and supervisors involved
- The accessibility of the programme
- The positioning within the existing infrastructure
- The sustainability of the programme

For the first time, this third edition of the call expressly takes into account an even distribution of initiatives across the regions of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The selection considered where the activities take place, and the aim was to have at least one positively assessed proposal per region (North, Central, South, East, West and the Caribbean). Of the 11 proposals selected, two have a national focus.

The assessment took the form of a tender: a number of proposals were preferred to the other submissions. The advisory committee chaired by Daniëlle Koelemij (social-cultural entrepreneur) consisted of: Catelijne van Middelkoop (practor and research professor in design education), Marwan Magroun (photographer and director) and Biza Shalmashi (executive director Kleur in Cultuur).

numbers

From the 23 proposals assessed, 11 were selected, bringing the percentage of applications being awarded grants to 48%. A budget of € 750,000 was available for this open call.

follow-up

In 2025, the Fund and the Cultural Participation Fund are launching another Open Call Platforms for design-based learning. If you would like to stay informed about this, keep an eye on our website and newsletter.