Are you looking for… coming home? A peace of mind? A safe space to reflect? Your roots? Belonging? A community you can relate to? If this applies to you, meet Rooted! Rooted is an organization in The Netherlands that supports people with a migratory background in rooting. At Rooted we believe rooting goes beyond finding a job, learning a language and joining a community. Rooting is about living as your authentic self, integrating your memories of the past and dreams for the future in the present. It is about accepting that you have multiple identities, multiple homes and that there is a place for all of that in the present moment. At Rooted we provide a safe space, increased consciousness and concrete tools to be your true and wholesome self.

Participants may apply by filling in a form on the Rooted website, following which they will be contacted by Rooted for an intake conversation to explore if their expectations and desires align with what Rooted can offer.

What are the costs?
We ask all participants to contribute on a donation basis. Through subsidies Rooted will cover the outstanding budget. You decide how much this investment in yourself is worth and what you are able to contribute. We count on everybody to pay what they can, so that we can offer Rooted to as many people as possible. Together, we pay it forward.

Who will be the other participants?
Based on the applications, we will form a group that is diverse but also has the capacity to form a community that can relate to one another. We take all applications into consideration. We trust that applicants know best if they are in need of rooting, regardless of their nationality or residence status. This means that former participants of Rooted include people who have fled their home country, people who have come to the Netherlands for work or love, people who were born in the Netherlands and have lived abroad for a longer period of time, people who were adopted or people whose (grand)parents are from different countries, etc. The desire and need for rooting is universal. We currently only accept applications from people above the age of 21.

What language will we speak?
The main language during the weekends will be English and a basic level will be required. At Rooted we do encourage the expression as your full self and thus in your native language. There will be time and space in the program to express yourself in your own language. There will be Dutch, English, French, Spanish and Arabic-speaking facilitators present.

Who will be facilitating the weekends?
The weekend will be facilitated by a group of people who have experience and expertise in coaching, psychology, soft skill building, voice liberation, wilderness and nature experiences amongst others things. Almost all Rooted facilitators are experts by experience.

What will we be doing?
We will be engaging with different dimensions of ‘rootedness’ through a range of methods, including workshops and storytelling. During the intake conversation we can provide you with more information.

What about food and housing?
You will sleep in a comfortable bedroom in a beautiful and peaceful location close to Hilversum, surrounded by nature. Vegetarian meals will be provided. We can accommodate your dietary preferences upon request.

Noor Cornelissen was born in the Netherlands. She lived across the world, mostly working with communities on issues related to migration and displacement. Whether it was in Libya, Palestine or the Democratic Republic of Congo, she often crossed paths with people who felt uprooted. After ten years of living abroad, she came home to the Netherlands and was faced with her own ‘uprootedness’. Noor holds the strong belief that everybody has the right to not only have a home, but to also feel at home. She observes this remains untouched in the current Dutch integration system. Thus, in 2023 she founded Rooted in co-creation with a group of people who have walked their own paths towards rootedness. Through research, reading and in-depth conversations with people with and without a migratory background, Noor developed the Rooted framework. The Rooted framework explores rootedness along eight dimensions: temporal, spatial, physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and intergenerational. During the weekend, rootedness will be strengthened along all six dimensions.

Together with founder and facilitator Noor, Rooted programming is led by an interdisciplinary group of professionals that all walk their own path of rooting.

Sacha Post is a wilderness guide, facilitator, and philosopher who facilitates wilderness journeys and courses that enable an authentic and embodied connection with nature and the wilderness. He aims to inspire people to live deeply rooted, aligned with the cyclical flow of nature.

Wick Lichtveld is co-owner of Veldsterkte, a center for personal development. His activities as trainer and development-coach are based on positive psychology, the principles of Zen and Non-Duality as well as Buddhist psychology. Wick is also a photographer, making portraits of people around the globe.

Hester Dam is a singing teacher, workshop leader and voice liberation facilitator. After her studies and career in classical singing she decided to dedicate her time to letting other people’s voices and hearts sing too. She coaches people in finding their inner voice and the expression thereof.

Charo Durán is a singer, singing teacher, voice liberation facilitator and breathwork coach. As a child of two worlds, with a Bolivian father and a Dutch mother, she is continuously exploring: what does it mean to be home? Through her lived experience and with her expertise of the voice, breath and music, her mission is to create a space where you experience a sense of belonging – in the world and in yourself.

Sandra Nauta- van der Rijst is a systemic coach and NLP practitioner for individuals, teams and organizations. Her aim is to inspire people to find and recognize their roots and make them their strength to build up on. “To know who you are, you may have to return to those roots to retrieve what you have forgotten. With my Surinamese-Dutch roots, I know this journey of discovery.”