Past TEDx event

TEDxWageningenUniversity

Rewriting the Narrative

Took placeJanuary 31, 20261:00 PM - 6:00 PM (GMT+1)
LocationWageningen, Gelderland, Netherlands
FormatUniversity
The stories we tell shape how we see the world and how we act within it. Yet many of today’s narratives come from a narrow lens, often centered on Western values and mainstream voices. Important perspectives are left out, and complex challenges get reduced to single stories. Our shared future calls for something different: new ways of seeing, listening, and acting. Rewriting the Narrative is about moving beyond the “usual” path, making space for overlooked voices, and embracing more holistic perspectives. By including everyone, especially those pushed to the margins, we can reimagine solutions and spark new possibilities.

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

  • Bas Breman

    Researcher and teacher

    Bas Breman is a researcher and teacher at Wageningen University and Research. Most of his projects are future-oriented. Working on new (nature-inclusive) future scenarios, exploring new nature narratives, and developing educational activities that also offer younger generations the knowledge and skills to make a meaningful contribution to a greener future.

  • Daan Buijs

    Researcher and teacher

    Daan has found his calling in creating the space for young people to live their existential questions within educational settings. Starting his PhD on this subject in 2019, was the first step in starting a movement. Since the start of his career as a trainer and coach in 2000, Daan has always been engaged with the genuine development of his students. By now, he carries a wealth of experience with him, that enables him to take all aspects of education into account, thereby combining the cognitive, emotional, and more embodied ways of learning.

  • Eva Thuijsman

    Community builder and researcher

    Eva Thuijsman has been following her curiosity across academia, art, and the broad Wageningen community! She recently completed her PhD research, “Agricultural Research for Development: Grappling with Social Equity”. Alongside this, she has explored the magical world of participatory puppetry, using play to spark connection and dialogue. Now, she is a community builder at Thuis Wageningen: the city’s common living room, where different worlds meet and take action for the city together.

  • Farai Maphosa

    Food Safety Director and pastor

    Farai Maphosa is a dynamic leader passionate about people development and inspirational leadership. He is Food Safety Director at Danone, and holds a PhD in Microbial Ecogenomics. He is married to Busi and have three children. Farai also serves as pastor at Amazing Grace Parish in Wageningen, blending professional excellence with purpose and faith.

  • Jilde Garst

    Assistant Professor

    Jilde Garst is an Assistant Professor at the Business Management and Organisation group of Wageningen University & Research. Her research is divided into two streams: 1) the role of organizational values and norms in response to societal grand challenges; 2) the ability of standards to diffuse new norms for corporate behavior in a society in transition. She applies these lenses to several contexts: sustainability accounting & reporting, sustainable product development, and transformative academia. Her work on "values-sensitive absorptive capacity" and "double materiality" has been published in, amongst others, California Management Review, Business & Society, and Journal of Responsible Innovation. Her article on double materiality and sustainability reporting was nominated for the best paper award 2023 by California Management Review.

  • Schelto Kruijff

    Surgical oncologist and chief green officer

    Dr. Schelto Kruijff is a surgical oncologist and Chief Green Officer at the University Medical Center Groningen, where he leads efforts to make healthcare more sustainable. He combines clinical work in endocrine and oncologic surgery with national leadership roles in innovation, collaboration, and environmental responsibility. Through his research, teaching, and public speaking, he advocates for a healthcare system that heals patients without harming the planet.

  • Somi Lynda

    Writer and content creator

    Somi Lynda, known online as Driplist, is a writer and content creator from Nigeria, now based in the Netherlands. What started as sharing her life and culture online during university and her career working in marketing has grown into a full creative career and her own published book. Somi’s work inspires because she’s real, passionate, and proof that showing up as yourself can take you far.

  • Yvonne Knap

    CEO of StarKid Universe

    Yvonne Knap is devoted to bringing ancient meditative wisdom into the hands of children and their families. Combining biology, science-based insights, and over 2,000 hours of meditation and a decade of training with Buddhist monks, she translates timeless teachings into simple tools for modern life. As CEO and co-founder of StarKid Universe, she speaks about the future of our world one that is quietly being shaped by the emotional resilience of the next generation.

Organizing team