{"id":26109,"date":"2025-03-11T10:20:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T10:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/?post_type=story&p=26109"},"modified":"2025-03-11T13:46:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T13:46:38","slug":"clasien-shelter-city-partner-sustainable-development","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/en\/stories\/clasien-shelter-city-partner-sustainable-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Clasien"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Written by Eva Schouten
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At the time of her retirement, Clasien Vermeer from Tilburg asked\u00a0her colleagues for a very special gift: a Human Rights Tattoo. One of the letters of the Declaration of Human Rights was tattooed on her arm.<\/h3>\n

\u201cI am absolutely not a fan of tattoos, to be honest, but I did it because this project is special to me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That makes her part of a worldwide movement of people who are passionate about human rights. It marked the end of her career in social work and her role as coordinator at Shelter City Tilburg. \u201cI thought about it for a long time but in the end, I am very grateful for the tattoo.\u201d She couldn\u2019t choose the particular letter but she could choose the font and the place of the tattoo. It became an elegant \u201cO\u201d on her lower arm. \u201cI want to be able to show it to people and tell a story about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a young girl<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s what she has done her whole career: telling stories to raise awareness and to advocate for human rights. \u201cAs a young girl, I wanted to be a teacher or a missionary because I wanted to do good things for other people. I didn\u2019t end up in a mission but I have been working on development aid and global issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

She is from a farmer family in Brabant and learned to take care of herself at a young age. \u201cMy mom died when I was still a little girl so I mostly looked after myself.\u201d At seventeen she moved out and lived on her own. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what to do, eventually I ended up studying Economics at the University of Tilburg.\u201d She didn\u2019t particularly like the study but she also didn\u2019t dare to quit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt only started to become interesting when I followed a course called “Economics of Developing Countries”. I chose this as my final research topic. It shows that I was already interested in the topic and wanted to be socially involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cI want to make people aware that many of the things that we take for granted are actually very special.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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On her leaving party, Clasien looked back at her career using this word cloud (NL).<\/p><\/div>\n

Bingo<\/h2>\n

After her Economics degree, she ended up working for the Center of Development Cooperation (COS) in Breda. \u201cIt was 1985 and it was just two men working there. That year, the World Conference on Women was being organized in Kenya. The men wanted a woman to pay attention to that for the organization, and to write about it.\u201d That is how Clasien was initially hired at COS.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never got bored of it. There were different projects every year, first I worked mostly on implementation, but later I could initiate projects myself.\u201d The work suited her. Clasien preferred to stay out of the spotlight. She never went to developing countries herself to deliver aid but she tried to build a bridge between there and here and raise awareness for global issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe organized activities that were focused on getting Dutch people involved with global issues and getting them to think about their impact. I want to make people aware that many of the things we take for granted are actually very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the first activities she organized during her career was a bingo, but not a regular one. It was called the \u201cThird World Bingo Game\u201d. She travelled across the region in West Brabant and visited different women\u2019s organizations.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBingo was very popular back then but in this special game of bingo prizes were distributed unequally to exacerbate the feeling of inequality between rich and poor.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The idea behind this was to exacerbate the feeling of inequality between rich and poor. \u201cPeople reacted immediately. Those who had to share one cookie became angry and thought it was unfair. This was interesting for the conversation afterwards. The game was an eye-opener for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Supermarket Safari. Photo credit: Venray Beweegt<\/p><\/div>\n

Supermarket Safari<\/h2>\n

Together with colleagues Clasien also organized an action week around World Food Day. \u201cWe organized fasting for 24 hours. Just to experience what it feels like to be hungry. This was a way to raise awareness and educate people about hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Food remained an interesting topic for Clasien. \u201cI love growing vegetables in my own garden, maybe because my dad was a farmer.\u201d One of the last projects she started, for which she is still involved as a volunteer, is the Supermarket Safari. \u201cWe take groups of people into the supermarket as if on safari, and we tell stories about the products. It can be about fair trade, how food is produced, about the environment, pesticides, biological and non-biological products.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project is a huge success. Many schools join the safaris and the organization has multiple partnerships. \u201cThis year we are part of a programme by Rabobank and Willem II football club. The programme is about food and our Supermarket Safari is a core part of the lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shelter City Tilburg<\/h2>\n

Strategic partnerships were an integral part of Clasien\u2019s work. That is how the collaboration arose between COS (ContourdeTwern nowadays) and the Shelter City initiative. \u201cI was a little nervous at first. It was completely new, I couldn\u2019t imagine what it would be like.\u201d Still, she continued. With support from the municipality and the university, Shelter City Tilburg was founded in 2016. Tilburg has been a safe space for almost ten human rights defenders from all over the world since then. Clasien is still involved as a volunteer at Shelter City Tilburg.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI am socially involved and I want to contribute, but rather in the background. I don\u2019t like to be in the spotlight.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\"\"\n

At the end of her career, Clasien can look back on many successful projects and campaigns that she initiated by herself or together with her team. However, as with her tattoo, she is no show-off. It doesn\u2019t make her impact any less.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot make big leaps when you are trying to tell a story. You have to do it in small steps. Otherwise, people feel powerless and helpless. But however small, there is always some step you can take.\u201d She is not the type to jump the barricades even though she sees value in that type of activism as well.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think it should coexist. I am a person who tries to change things with many small steps. Very personal, by trying to tell stories.\u00a0 Many small steps can make a big difference.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We thank Clasien for her story, dedication to equality, and care for sustainable development. We continue to stand side by side with individuals who inspire and facilitate important discussions.<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n\n Learn more about Shelter City<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Credits: Human Rights Tattoo<\/p><\/div>\n

Clasien Vermeer was the coordinator of Shelter City Tilburg between 2016 and 2023 and is now still involved as a volunteer. She is dedicated to sustainable development for communities facing barriers and to the support of human rights defenders at risk.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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