Meet Bas Oeijen,

Project manager & communications officer

🕵‍♂𝐈𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐣𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐤...

I work for the Dutch Probation Service as a probation officer and policy officer on innovative policy projects. I also regularly teach as a guest lecturer in secondary and vocational education (MBO) settings.

🌏𝐈𝐤 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐤 𝐛𝐢𝐣 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐦𝐝𝐚𝐭…

Every project trip is special. I have the honor of meeting so many wonderful people. Participants all have their own story and purpose within a project trip. You see the participants, the group, and the actual work on the project grow. During a project trip, you truly do it together, and all for the benefit of the local people, who, in turn, are incredibly grateful.

✈𝐄𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐣 𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐚𝐠𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐬…

Participants go home with a wealth of life experience. It's fantastic to see how participants grow individually, but also how the group process grows. Wherever possible, I try to tailor the trip to the participants' needs. For example, I once visited a veteran from Assen with him at his former base during the civil war in 1993—a special moment for both the veteran and the group! Emotion and experience are usually central to our trips. At the end of a project trip, for example, there's always a lot of emotion and release. For a week, they've worked hard to help the locals in the country. When you see the gratitude of the locals: the laughter and the tears of joy, which our participants, in turn, respond to. That's invaluable.

📸𝐃𝐞𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞…

A special moment with the chef at Zavod Drin. This wonderful man prepares our lunch every day, while also cooking for hundreds of clients. Despite his busy schedule, he's always there for our participants and is happy to make his kitchen available to them. During a project, I'm often busy organizing and arranging things. This photo was a small moment of joy when I was able to teach this wonderful man to play the drums. It proves that happiness and attention don't have to be large-scale. I still get a big smile when I see him.

💭𝐌𝐢𝐣𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬…

I travel to Bosnia primarily with healthcare training programs. Last year, I was with a school from Ede at a healthcare facility. They functioned as professionals for a week. Every client received attention, even the complex clients who are less inviting to interact with. You saw the participants consult with each other and consciously ensure everyone received attention. That was very special. For example, they baked hundreds of pancakes, one for each client. Each one was personally delivered with love and personal attention.