About us
The place where you come home
At Stichting Talent East Academy we believe talent only truly flourishes when you feel safe and welcome. For us integration is not only learning a language or finding a job; it is finding a place where you really come home.
In our academy we create an environment where the pressure falls away and relaxation begins. Out of that calm comes the room to dream big. We help you turn those dreams into action.
Together we break the bubble and build a bridge to the world around you. Because when you feel connected to your world, we build a future in which everyone counts.
Our story
From student initiative to thriving academy
Our story began in 2023 under the wing of Humanitas, as a group of driven students with a mission. Today Stichting Talent East Academy has grown into a strong collective of highly educated volunteers — many of us started as newcomers in the Netherlands ourselves. That lived experience is what makes our approach effective: we know what it takes to find your way.
We are here for everyone who struggles with integrating or with making use of their talent. Through stimulating volunteer work and close cooperation we create a place where people can relax, find their place in society and unleash their full potential.
From our home base in the Performance Factory — in the beating heart of Enschede — we continue our journey at full strength. With a growing network and new partnerships we build every day towards a world where talent knows no borders.
Mission
What we do every day
To offer an inspiring place where people from diverse backgrounds feel at home and welcome, break out of their bubble and build their dreams and a shared future together.
We believe growth starts with connection. Our team consists of driven professionals and people with lived experience, many of whom arrived as newcomers themselves. That creates an environment where everyone feels seen, understood and challenged.
Vision
The world we have in mind
A society where talent knows no borders and where everyone, regardless of origin or background, has the space and the confidence to contribute meaningfully to the world around them.
We believe in a Netherlands where mutual understanding, respect and connectedness are central, and where everyone, regardless of origin or background, gets an equal chance to contribute to and benefit from society. By supporting people with a trauma background, we want to help build a society that is stronger through diversity, resilient through inclusion and socially and economically enriched through solidarity.
Our promises
Three goals for the community
Inclusive encounter
Building a bridge between all residents of Enschede. Although many of our participants are newcomers, our door is open to anyone who wants to grow and connect.
Talent development
Recognising and activating untapped potential through stimulating volunteer work and professional guidance.
Social calm
Offering a place, in the Performance Factory, where the pressure falls away, so that room appears for relaxation, reflection and new plans.
Our volunteers
The team behind the lessons
We work with a team of highly educated and dedicated volunteers. What makes our team special? Most of them started as newcomers themselves. That means you are not only helped, but truly seen and understood.
- ADAdnanChemistry teacher — VvW lesson coordinator
- CLClaraMaths teacher
- FAFatih O.English teacher — upper years
- GAGamzeDutch teacher (NT2)
- GUGulhanBiology teacher
- JOJohnEnglish teacher
- MEMelihMaths teacher — upper years
- NENesibePhysics teacher
- PIPinarMaths teacher — lower years
- SUSukruPhysics teacher
Board
Board composition
Under the articles of association the board consists of two to five members, appointed for an indefinite period. Board members are unpaid.
- Chair
- Ramazan Ari
- Secretary
- Osman Kasım Uzun
- Treasurer
- Nesibe Uzun
Board members and volunteers work unpaid; the foundation has no salaried staff.
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