Roelof

1945 Groningen
Born.
1962 Duitsland
Dropped out of high school. Became an apprentice waiter in Harlingen, then in Munich (Germany was more fun than I thought, and above all, my parents did not live there).
1966 Amsterdam
Studied Psychology: I had wanted to when I was 14, but the traditional kind of psychology did not speak to me. Later on I took more training for personal growth.
1972 Amsterdam
Trainer at NVSH (Dutch Society for Sexual Reform) teaching themes of: sex education, contraception, abortion, relationships, emancipation; during that time I lived in communes.
1976 Amsterdam
Self-help therapy, co- counseling. At first I was a participant, but later I became a trainer in the Netherlands and Germany.
1985 Utrecht
Met Janine (whom I deeply and fully love to this day).
1986 Utrecht
Janine was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
2016 Amsterdam
I'm preparing a verbal self-defence training course.
Please note: all conversations will be assigned randomly

About
Ondergronds

Ondergronds is named for those exceptional conversations below the surface.

While travelling through Amsterdam on a daily basis, we pass by hundreds of strangers and rarely get a chance to connect. Ondergronds allows you to have a real conversation with one of those strangers – perhaps the connection will last, perhaps it may inspire other conversations on your daily travels.

About the team:

Julien Thomas developed urban interventions and creative civic engagement strategies in Vancouver, and graduated from the Sandberg Instituut in 2016.

Webdesign: Fabian Hijlkema

Photography: Coco Plooijer

Ondergronds is an initiative of the Knowledge Mile Coalition, a community of knowledge institutions, companies, organisations and residents working together along the Wibautstraat and Wesperstraat from Amstelplein to Nieuwmarkt.

Contact

Do you have questions, want to participate, or want to set up an Ondergronds project in your city? Feel free to contact us.

julienfthomas@gmail.com

We are
supported
by

  • Gemeente Amsterdam

  • Knowledge Mile Coalition

  • Amsterdam Boiling

  • GVB

  • Humans of Amsterdam