The SIFE VU year 2010-2011 has come to an end which means that for some members their SIFE experience has also come to an end. After a year of lessons learned in setting up a project, socializing with people with the same mindset (A head for business. A heart for the World.) and networking with people from the business world, you – as a member – might be having a hard time in letting go of SIFE. But the credo of the National Alumni Association says it all: “There is life after SIFE!”

Although your life as a SIFE member has ended, you still can actively participate as an alumni for the SIFE VU team and/or for the National Alumni Association. I think that you would have to agree with me that the SIFE mindset has become part of your life which means that SIFE will live on in all the things you will do for the rest of your life. Therefore, your SIFE experience is never over. SIFE is like The Never Ending Story. And the fun part is: you’re the writer!

So, to come to the conclusion: although your SIFE year may be over, your life as a SIFE’r has only just begun!

Check out this video to get in The Never Ending Story mood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3khTntOxX-k

SIFE VU has shown this year that it is on the right track. At the national competition the SIFE VU team was awarded with the spirit award because of the good progress en projects the team has made happen this year. Next year we will make even more impact with even more dedicated members.

  For more photo's check our facebook group. 

At my former education I learned that if you want to create an experience, you need to be aware of stimulating all senses. What do people hear? What do people see? What do they smell, feel and taste? If you analyze famous experiences, you will realize that the creators have thought of every single aspect to get you excited about their experience.  

Think about the Heineken Experience which consists of an attraction in which you can experience what it’s like to be brewed and bottled. Think about shopping at IKEA who offers you nice Swedish meatballs at the right moment in your shopping route – just when you’re about to get hungry! Think about Albert Heijn and how they arranged the products in their stores – not to forget that they blow the smell of fresh baked bread outside the store so you just can’t control yourself of walking in.  

Since SIFE is an experience which is difficult to describe in words, I was wondering what words would be used to describe the SIFE experience as if it was one of the experiences in the examples above. What do you hear when you join SIFE? What do you see? And what do you smell, feel and taste?  This is my attempt in describing the SIFE experience according to our five senses. 

Hear
Before joining SIFE, you hear that it’s about entrepreneurship and leadership. And that helping other people and your personal development are the main focus. When you join SIFE, you finally understand these abstract descriptions. When you would join SIFE with your eyes closed, you would hear project members talking about how to implement a business concept that meets the need of the target group. You hear business advisors asking the right questions to stimulate the project teams in thinking in the right direction. You hear team leaders motivate their project members to do what is necessary to help the people in need.   

See
When you carefully open your eyes, you see ambitious people translating their ideas into action. You see them sharing their passion for entrepreneurship and leadership. You see them helping people in need while they fluently develop themselves into highly professionals.  

Smell
When you take a deep breath, you smell the lively team spirit of which you want to be part of. It smells so attractive that it makes your nose automatically breath in more to memorize the scent of being part of a worldwide community.  

Feel
When you consciously start to think of your emotions from the moment you joined SIFE, you realize that a warm feeling inside you is causing your new found internal happiness. It is the result of helping people in need with the knowledge and tools you and your team members have collected.  

Taste
Since tastes differ, it is up to you to decide what the SIFE experience tastes like. Getting a taste of SIFE VU is possible when you join our Facebook group or visit one of our upcoming events. But beware: As often is the case when you’ve tasted something good, you simply can’t get enough!

I’ve heard this story some time ago and came across it again in a book I was reading. Just can’t resist to share this with you since it has such a powerful message.

“Gillian was just about eight years old, but her future was already in danger. Her school results were a disaster, at least that was what most teachers were thinking. She handed in her papers way past the deadline, her handwriting was awful and her grades were less than average.  Above all that she was very restless in class. One moment she was very noisy and moving all around while the other moment she was staring out the window, so the teacher had to interrupt her class to get her attention one way or another which was disturbing to the other children in the classroom. For Gillian it was all normal business. She was used to being corrected by teachers or her parents and she didn’t really saw herself as a problem child, even though the teachers were worried. So they wrote a letter to Gillian’s parents.

The school thought that Gillian had a learning disorder and that a special school would be more appropriate for children like Gillian. This story takes place around the ’30. Nowadays people might speak about ADHD and Gillian would have got some Ritalin to calm herself down. But the ADHD epidemic wasn’t invented yet. People didn’t know you could have a condition like that. Gillian’s parents were very worried about the school letter and took action. Gillian’s mother put on her best cloths and took Gillian to see a psychologist, prepared for the worst.

Gillian and her mother walked into a big oak room with walls full with leather books. Next to the big desk was a imposing man with a tweed jacket.  Gillian was very nervous and was told to sad down on the big sofa. Her feet couldn’t even though the ground. She sad on her hands because she didn’t know where to leave them elsewhere and was afraid to make a wrong impression on the big man if she was fidgeting.

The psychologist talked for 20 minutes with Gillian’s mother about the problems at school. He didn’t directed his questions directly to Gillian herself, but was keeping a very close eye on her. Gillian felt very uncomfortable and confused. Even though she was very young, she knew that this man would play a big role in her life. She didn’t want to go to a special school! She was convinced she didn’t really had a problem but everyone around her seem to think so.

After a while Gillian’s mother and the psychologist stopped talking . The man walked towards the sofa and sad down, next to Gillian. “Gillian, you have been very patient and I thank you for that. But I’m afraid that you have to wait a little longer, I have to talk to your mother in private. We’re going to leave the room for a few minutes, don’t worry, it won’t be long”.

Gillian nodded and the two grownups left the room. But before he left the room, the psychologist turned on the radio for some music. The moment they walked in the hallway and closed the door, he said to Gillian’s mother: “Just wait and see what she does”.  There was a window in the corner of the room where they could see Gillian, but Gillian could hardly see them. Immediately Gillian stood up from the sofa and started to move on the music. Her mother and the psychologist looked at her, amazed by her elegance and natural way of moving on the music. You could just see a sense of happiness and pleasure in her movements.

The psychologist turned to Gillian’s mothers and said: “Madam, Gillian is not sick, she is a dancer. I would recommend you’d send her to a dance-school”.  

Her mother did exactly that. After some years Gillian did auditions for the Royal Ballet School in London and got accepted. Later she joined the Royal Ballet Company where she became a soloist and gave shows all around the world. She created her own music theater where she produced some of the most successful shows ever: Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.

Little Gillian, the girl with a uncertain future, became world famous as Gillian Lynne, one of the most talented choreographers of her time, someone who gave pleasure to millions and became a multi millionaire.

This was possible because someone recognized her potential. Somebody else would have given her pills and told her to keep it down.”

What this story illustrates is the importance of finding not only your own potential but also to see it in others. At SIFE you have a opportunity to discover those potentials and to use them in social business  projects. Learn to see what no one else sees, that’s the start of becoming a great entrepreneur.

Just as life, SIFE is what you make of it. Possibilities are endless. Just this week I had an interview with a youngster willing to join the young-and-passionate project. As I told him, the more you put in, the more you get out. With SIFE you get a unique experience; you are growing personally, gaining more perspectives and get to know some very interesting people in business and students.


The whole concept of SIFE can be hard to grasp. SIFE is not tangible and does not need to be tangible.
We struggled with access to our office but because of that I've seen you do not need an office to be a team, a SIFE team. The feeling of unity, the feeling of having the same goals is far more important than any tangible object can provide. The office is just a means to a much greater end.

When it’s almost the end of the year, many people start brainstorming about their New Year’s resolutions. As we all know, NY resolutions mean changing our bad habits to better ones, and most of the times, the commitments are personal, such as: quit smoking, save money, don’t procrastinate, become more organized, lose some weights, and do more voluntary activities. To be honest, I was quite surprised that many people put voluntary activities in their NY resolutions and it’s even in the top 10. Basically, it is good to know that we are no longer busy with ourselves but are also concerned with other’s well-being. 

Anyway, do you still remember what SIFE VU has been always up to? Let me remind you: Helping others while developing our (read: students) skills and discovering our leadership and entrepreneurial talents. And hey … you know what? This is not only a just one-time NY resolution for SIFE VU. SIFE VU members have been constantly doing these resolutions throughout the years and you should be really proud of yourself, SIFE VU’ers! J and for those who are not SIFE VU’er yet, you’re more than welcome to join our ride!

Anyway, for the sake of joining the NY’s feeling, let’s make NY resolutions for SIFE VU (even though we’ve already been busy doing these activities all along). And I guess … this postcard (from 1915) below says it all: 

• Resolve to renew all your old resolves (which is helping other) … checked, 
  

• Add a few that are new (realizing the projects) … checked,

• Resolve to keep them as long as you can (ensuring that all projects are also sustainable in the future) … checked 

·         What more can a poor man do?  A loooot with the help of SIFE VU. After all, this is what SIFE VU always stands for: giving students opportunities to explore their talents and to help others so that they have a better quality of life. 

Have a good New Year celebration and let’s make these resolutions real!

In a search to act on inspiration I stumbled on this amazing TEDtalk from Emily Pilloton, who is using design and creative capital to change a community in one of the poorest places in North Carolina (US), Bertie County.

Using six design-directives, She's teaching a design-build class called Studio H that engages high schoolers' minds and bodies while bringing smart design and new opportunities to the poorest county in the state.  

Studio H Design:

1. 1. Design through action.
2. 2. Design with, not for.
3. 3. Design systems, not stuff.
4. 4. Document, share and measure.
5. 5. Start locally, scale globally.
6. 6. Build.

SIFE is all about designing and realizing business projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living of those less fortunate. Emily Pilloton gives an inspiring example on how to use not only your own creativity, but especially the creativity of others to design projects with them, and not for them.

Get inspired, Get SIFED!

Check out the video 

What if the world you see, is not the world others see? This question came up in my head when I watched the movie about Temple Grandin. An autistic professor, who didn’t talk until the age of four,  was always bullied at school, yet who became the number one authority in the animal industry on  livestock behaviour. Who became a much sought-after speaker in the autism community, being an inspiration for many, including SIFE VU.

Temple Grandin is a person who sees the world differently. She claims that she is a primarily visual thinker and that words are her second language. Grandin compares her memory to full-length movies in her head that can be replayed at will, allowing her to notice incredibly small details. Some would bully her for this, calling her “tape recorder” whenever she would repeat these mental-movies out loud.  Others saw her unique talent, encouraged her to develop it, making her become proud of the fact that she owns this talent. They empowered her, and she flourished.

So what does Temple Grandin have to do with SIFE VU? Well, at SIFE VU we believe that everybody, like Temple,  has a unique talent that may just have to be discovered. We believe in the unique talents of students to make a positive impact on other peoples lives, whatever their talent may be. We believe in the unique talents of these impacted people to realize their full potential, whatever their talent may be.

So the lessons we can learn from Temple Grandin is that we should look at what someone cán do, instead of what not. We should embrace diversity, encourage development, and let people flourish... Thanks Temple.

Anne Walraven founded SIFE VU, the student organization for sustainable and social entrepreneurship. As a UN youth representative, she let the voice of the youth be heard at the  UN. She has shown to have a broad view on the consequences of climate change. The jury encourages Anne Walraven to continue her support for projects about adaptation to climate change with the enthusiasm and commitment she has shown before. Her personal project bigmamma can become an inspiration and example for the next generation. Anne has shown work with heart and soul for sustainability. Despite her young age, the jury proudly decorates her with a Sustainable Award.

Source (in Dutch): http://international.vrom.nl/pagina.html?id=48826

Monday the 23^rd of August. On this day the ‘IDEE-markt’ is the place to be for first year students at the VU. It’s the place where they can orientate to find the most interesting student organization they would like to join someday in the upcoming weeks, or next month, or next year… 

This orientation process is one of the biggest challenges for SIFE VU. How can we tell first year students what SIFE VU is all about while blowing their minds but not scare them off, and just in a couple of minutes? Let’s say: two minutes tops!  

When I was a first year student, I found it interesting to know that SIFE VU could give me the opportunity to bring theory into practice. After a couple of months of studying, I was one of the many students who got bored by all the theoretical stuff and wanted to discover new challenges and test my theoretical knowledge. How can I ever be good in what I do if I’ve never experienced one of the many theoretical examples by myself? 

Next to that, I was thrilled by the SIFE concept: Helping other people while developing your own skills and discovering your leadership and entrepreneurial talents.  If you just think about it, your future looks very bright since you’re studying at the university. By the time you have your diploma, you know that it’s only a matter of time before you’re going to get a full month salary.  

But what about the people who have the ambition to, let’s say: ‘start their own business’ but never got the opportunity to start one since they couldn’t afford to study and don’t know where to start? Would you see it as a great opportunity to help someone like this by simply offering your knowledge? Would it actually be ‘selfish’ if you use your entire study time just for yourself? 

I’ve answered these questions for myself and here I am: I got SIFE’d! From that moment I finally understood what they mean with: “Once you go SIFE, you go SIFE for life!” It’s a wonderful feeling to help a person, knowing that you both feel satisfied after the cooperation, and that you have contributed in making the world a better place. But then again: How can we explain this wonderful feeling to the first year students in just two minutes? 

I don’t believe that the SIFE concept can be fully understood by just ‘hearing’ or ‘reading’ about it. It’s something you need to experience. To get a taste of this experience, I advise you to ‘join to orientate’ or to join our Facebook group so you can get a glimpse of the impact of our projects. But for the 23^rd, I will do my best to bring this message across in just two minutes. It’s a challenge I’m willing to take!