Challenges of being a social impact researcher

Resilient Cities and Citizens, what is this theme about according to you?  

For me, this theme is about building more vital citizens to deal with future struggles, but then building them in an evidence-based way to create and get the highest level of autonomy and empowerment in that development. So, for me, the endpoint is being able to view the world in a certain way or to be able to react optimistically. 

Why are you so interested in this theme?

It's such a shame when I look at all the potential that we sometimes are losing because of the experiences kids aren't getting or all the experiences that parents are missing. Because I do believe every kid can develop much further than where they are at this point. 
I also see this in my first-year students. It is always a shame that we will lose about 30 per cent in the first year, even though everybody in the first block is fully qualified to sit there. Somehow it does not work, and I see that with kids as well. If we can empower them, they can better create their future. And then to use football or other sports to help kids develop themselves is just the icing on the cake for me.  

When did you get interested in resiliency?  

For me, it is a natural extension of being interested in teaching. Because I am a teacher in heart and soul and good education helps develop kids in a very healthy way.  I studied gifted students, and they often struggle because they are not getting the correct type of curriculum, so there is a mismatch there. With resiliency, it is the same thing; what tools do these kids need, and how can we go further?

What are your goals within Vital Cities and Citizens? 

My first goal is to get the topic of resiliency more out there. The hours I get from VCC have allowed me to explore my literature and my research, and it has allowed me to do the citizen science project with the Wetenschapsknooppunt.

And how do you try to make societal impact? 

I always think I have a privileged position because I'm an academic, and people pay me to read, learn and explore new things. But I also believe that because of that, I should give back to society. As a social impact researcher, you need to be totally different; you're not looking at subsidies for three years, and it is not paper-driven.

In my type of research, the participants we are talking about should always be included. It is about developing people on both sides. The FAIRPLAY project, for example, is pretty unique. We had a training session with all the participating football clubs, which was about coping and emotional regulation. Now their trainers and coaches are doing some of these exercises in Hungary and Uganda, teaching kids how to recognize emotions. And this sounds so simple, but even as adults, we still have developmental issues or attachment issues. So can you imagine what these kids in challenging situations are going through? But to see those kids learning this way is pretty amazing.

How important is interdisciplinarity in your studies? 

It is crucial. If we are going to deal with wicked problems, we have to look at them in different ways to attacking them. In the FAIRPLAY project, we also have researchers from all kinds of backgrounds. However, it is an inherent struggle because as a project leader, you have to speak all these different languages. It is really a meta-skill for somebody to be able to jump around. I tried to read clinical literature, so I understand what they are saying and to bring them in. 

Is there a discipline you would like to know more about? 

Yes, I would like to learn more about economics. There is a new movement emerging which tries to quantify the actual social impact. When I quantify my social impact, I'm always looking at differences between psychological indicators, are they happier, how is their well-being, but this new movement is actually saying 'if we know these kids will stop smoking, that will save 10% of healthcare'. A club in England that is also part of the FAIRPLAY project quantify their impact as well. They once gave a presentation and said: 'we created 34 million pounds in impact last year'. How can you argue with that?

And I enjoy working with my fellow theme lead Jan Fransen, who is working a little bit above me in society. Where I am at the organizational level and below, he is at the municipality level and a little bit higher. So, there is a nice connection point there. Now we are actually going to have an intern helping one of our clubs. Looking at how the local level can better connect with the municipality.

Can it be challenging to collaborate with practitioners?  

I think I have more problems connecting the city with science than the science with the city. But I think that's also one of my strengths. When I go to Feyenoord, I can't talk about self-advocacy or self-esteem; you definitely need to translate your goals. Einstein actually said this years ago: “If you cannot explain your research in 30 seconds, you don't understand your research.” So when I am at Feyenoord I talk about kids becoming the captain of their ship, that a nice way of translating those big academic concepts.

Why is the urban element important for your studies?  

The issues are usually more significant in an urban environment than in rural areas. There is considerable potential in cities for problems to arise. Of course, you need resilience everywhere, and problems also emerge in small towns. However, in cities, parents generally have less to give, and different mechanisms are at play. 

How would you like to connect education to research and practice? 

It would be great to develop a minor program or a joint master's program with my fellow theme lead Jan Fransen and with other universities. So far, I connected education and practice by linking master's students to the Feyenoord project, which is a part of the FAIRPLAY project. However, this also needs translation since it was eight or nine different majors with their own criteria.

What is a vital city according to you? 

A vital city makes its inhabitants strong enough to get the best out of themselves. And that is possible in education, in finance, in creating green spaces, and so forth. It is a constantly renewing city without losing its core qualities. I don't want to see a new reimagining of Rotterdam every year. There is a core principle in it, but we also have to constantly look at how we can move forward. That is a complex discussion that continually takes place about what we actually want to achieve. So if we want more equality, for example, you have to ask yourself what exactly that is and how you can achieve it.