Team
We work together with the world’s best cartoon artists and a specialised team of highly qualified and experienced educators. Our educators have specialisations such as Intercultural Democratic Citizenship, Democratic Education and Development, Peace Education and Character Development.
For the purpose of enlarging impact and civic space, we assemble local teams per project together with civil society organisations (CSOs), universities and independent media/journalism platforms in the countries where we create larger youth programmes.
The Next Movement HQ
Arend Jan van den Beld
Arend Jan, a.k.a. AJ, is our busy bee(keeper): when he’s not feeding his chickens, taking his family to ancient places for a history lesson, being a councillor or a psychologist, he’s making a difference via multiple initiatives. Arend Jan is the one always surprising us by viewing the world from a different perspective. This is probably why you’re more likely to be on the beach than in the office, whenever you’re having a meeting with AJ. And why many of his initiatives are marked by introducing you to different worlds, via the power of visuals and stories such as video journalism. The driving force behind all his initiatives is ‘there is more than one truth’, with which he is showing that we can actually bring people closer together.
Lucinda Miedema
Are you having a bad day or just a bit stuck in your steps? Call Lucinda, she will find your spark in no time and make you sparkle by the end of the conversation. It’s contagious. Whoever knows Lucinda, knows that there’s one word that resembles her driving force: flourishing. She believes everyone has the right and the ability to do their own version of thriving. All you need sometimes is a little bit of help, or a boost. Luckily, she’s specialised in the various ways such a boost can be created both in and out of education systems. Maybe that’s why she loves travelling and meeting (new) people so much, so she can do some global impact sparkle spreading.
Tjeerd Royaards
You don’t think a global community can be created and continue to exist online? Think again. This man is behind the magic of our global #1 cartoonist community. Perhaps being a passionate cartoonist himself has enabled this community to thrive. He understands as no other the importance of a platform that gives voice via the power of cartoons, the form of journalism where an artistic image speaks a 1000 words. But when he’s not busy building important bridges worldwide, you can find him doing his favourite thing: cartooning.
Niels de Vries
Whenever you have a vision to create something meaningful and fun, Niels is the guy who can help you arrive where you want to be. Why? Because, apart from being a gifted creator himself, an amazing listener and talented at figuring out the bigger picture of any project, he doesn’t focus on the problems. He just sees exciting opportunities to explore new avenues and options. This is the guy behind the magic of the TNM platform, where even the smallest details are helping youth and facilitators globally to convene their messages from wherever they are.
Marjolein Klare
Some people have the power to really capture a whole story, emotion or moment in magic visuals. Marjolein is one of those people. Having travelled all over the world, she has gathered a lot of insight to shine the right light on any type of story, really doing it justice with the right colours and words. She knows how to reach people’s hearts. And she is a true perseverant motor, never giving up and always caring about both the impact of projects and how they will be received.
Team Lithuania
In collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Lithuania
Prof. Robert van Voren
Prof. van Voren is not just the brains behind supporting pivotal changemaker- and human rights initiatives. He is also the life and soul of the party! Make sure he’s there at your next gathering!
Benas Skublickas
Benas keeps us on our toes, knows all the latest research and makes sure we don’t reinvent the wheel. Full of dreams, he’s often our motor of inspiration and has beautiful quotes ready to make your day!
Dainius Genys
Dainius has a superpower in managing the important details of the project. We feel pretty safe knowing he’s part of the team, the good listener who wants to help make your plans come to live!
Raminta Rusoviciute
When you ask Raminta what her drive is behind the youth work she does, she’ll answer that she just wants to spread some magic for as many young people as she can…That’s why she’s our big Magic Creator!
Justinas Brikys
Justinas is the one who thinks about the The Big Why of any programme or workshop we create together. He makes sure that we walk the walk and talk the talk and reflects this in the most awesome visuals!
Team Cuba
In Cuba we work together with a group of facilitators – Frikomic – who are artists that also want to inspire and empower youth in Cuba with cartoon art.
Miguel Morales Madrigal
Miguel is a doctor and head of his specialist department during working hours... But in his spare time, Miguel is a professional cartoonist and has a passion to inspire new generations of young cartoon artists.
Mary Esther Lemus
Mary Esther Lemus is an independent visual artist, cartoonist and illustrator. She graduated from the Academy of Plastic Arts "Eduardo Abela". She's part of the xel2 team and collaborates with other Cuban independent media.
Brady Izquierdo Rodrguez
Brady is a cartoonist, illustrator and visual artist, he works as a freelancer and is a member of Cartoon Movement. He collaborates with several national and foreign publications.
Iran Hernández Castillo
Iran Hernández Castillo graduated from the San Alejandro National Academy of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Audiovisual Media at ISA. He is a visual artist, audiovisual producer, cartoonist and pioneer of comic journalism in Cuba.
Ramsés Morales
Ramsés Morales graduated in 1996 in graphic arts at Art Academy of Trinidad. He works as a graphic artist drawing political cartoons and illustrations for the international press. He worked for 12 years as a teacher for cartooning and illustration in the Art Academy of Trinidad and worked as an illustrator for the Office of Conservation in Trinidad. He also wrote and drew comic books for the promotion of the Unesco World heritage of Trinidad. Since February 2016 he lives with his wife in Switzerland and work as a freelancer creator.
Wimar Verdecia Fuentes
Wimar Verdecia Fuentes is a visual artist, scriptwriter, illustrator, cartoonist and graduated in Social Communication. He published five comic books in Cuba and has collaborated with several publications internationally. He currently directs the digital publication of graphic humour xel2. He actively collaborates with other independent media on the island as an illustrator and graphic journalist.
Team South-Africa
This project is an initiative of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa in collaboration with the City of Joburg.
Ras Silas Motse
Ras Silas Motse is a mixed media/ street artist who works with a concept of capturing feelings to narrate contemporary concepts using different people with normal township scenery/imagery and beyond. He has been working to understand himself due to his calling (Which in his words is Art). He loves and believe that his work is spiritual because of his dreams and images that he sees, which eventually invite him to be in the right space and time. His calling was born and bred as a young cartoonist from a young age from a primary level in Thaba Nchu, a small isolated town called Motlatla. When Ras left high school, he went to study Fine Arts and a PGCE at the Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein. Then went on to work as a high school educator and now is a full-time artist.
Emanuele Del Rosso
Emanuele Del Rosso is an Italian award-winning editorial cartoonist and communications specialist. His works are published in international newspapers and magazines such as Courrier International, Japan Times, Le Temps, Het Financieele Dagblad, and more. Emanuele hosted a wonderful workshop for youth in South Africa, in collaboration with SAIIA, about the power of cartoons and helped them create their own sketch representing their ideas for the future we need.
Team Hungary
This project is an initiative of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Hungary. We work together with a diverse local team in Hungary, among which are several other embassies, youth organisations, media platforms and EU organisations.