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Archive of posts tagged Amsterdam
This is a guestblog by Thijs van Bemmel. He is a super enthusiastic volunteer at 1%CLUB and is partly responsible for the success of 1%EVENT 2012!
Last Thursday and Friday 13 and 14 Septemer are two days that will always stick in my memory as two of the most intense and inspiring days of 2012. I have never before been in contact with so many nationalities at the same time, never experienced a cooperation that was so powerful and had never co-produced a livestream before.
It all started three weeks before the 1%EVENT, when I first got in contact with some of the labs. I was assigned the task to prepare the labs that joined the international co-creation for the livestream, so I had to communicate with a dozen enthusiastic young professionals from eight different countries. From the very first email I send I felt the energy bubbling, and that only grew with the facebook connections and multiple skype calls.
Two days before the event the energy almost made me loose it. We still had to test the Internet connections, set up livestream channels, prepare videos and schedule all the interviews. The teams were starting up and with that the stress kicked in, leading to some miscommunication. One time I was chatting with Sudan about the songs that they wanted us to play, at least, that was what I thought. After some hints and a few minutes I was reminded that I was chatting with Lamees from Palestine, who just wanted to ask me on what website she could check out the live-stream.
These preparations forced me to learn all the first names, surnames and nicknames of every contactperson of every lab, since I did not want this kind of miscommunication during the event itself. What I remember of the following two days of the 1%EVENT is one big rush of multiple skype conversations at the same time, the opening and closing on google hangout with all the labs, the wonderful reactions of the online viewers but most of all the energy boost I got from the combination of all this!
I was asked how long it took me to recover after the event, but the real question was how long it took me to rehab. The adrenaline that I felt was addictive and I cannot wait to feel it again. 
Let’s build a school. And decide afterwards how we will get people to actually visit it and learn something. That’s of course not what the students of the Delft University thought when they decided that they want to use their expertise to aid a Ghanian village in building a school.
But still the thought crossed my mind when I was sitting in on a brainstorm to help them come up with ideas to make sure the school will be put to good use. I was thinking that they surely started this project the wrong way around. But they are still in time to get their steps right: the school is not build yet! So we, the brainstormers, advised them to just go back some steps, get educated on the needs of the village and build from there.
Hope they succeed! Because there can’t never be enough schools!
Posted by nancy on 14 September 2012, 5:04 pm
For every task that is completed, a green ball is added. For every blow me away-experience, a pink one is added. But let’s face the popcorn: pink or green, they’re both plain AWESOME of course. Just five hours ago, the glass container was empty. Look at it now!
In any other circumstance green balls ain’t a pretty sight. But here at the 1%EVENT they’re very much appreciated. Heck. They’re celebrated! Michiel Terwindt and Jorick Vliegenberg helped out Jahanzeb Asif from Pakistan today with his website for the empowerment of disabled women and girls in Pakistan. Michiel helped him with the translation of the website from English to Dutch and Jorick advised him how to optimize the content and how to implement social media.
A job well done, guys! Let’s have your balls please!
 Michiel Terwindt
 Jorick Vliegenberg
Posted by nancy on 14 September 2012, 4:12 pm
Check out the Marketplace at 1%PERCENTEVENT. An entire wall filled with challenging projects all over the world that could use some Dutch expertise.
Projects that could use some help with design, social media, structural issues and so on. Ready to be picked and waiting for a face-to-face or skype session.
Take Hans and Peter-Ernst for instance. They were one of the first to reach out and share their expertise with this great project for the distribution of solar lights that help kids in Kenya so they can also read at night. Hans and Peter-Ernst entered the Marketplace at 1%PERCENTEVENT, took one look at the wall and decided to help out. “Can we go now? We are ready to get to work!”
That’s how we roll here, people! Join the movement.
 Hans (L) and Peter-Ernst
Posted by nancy on 14 September 2012, 3:44 pm
According to inspirational coach Sigrid Boelens we’re all brilliant at something. A lot of us just don’t know what we’re brilliant at. “Why don’t you join my workshop?” And so I did…
It’s not everyday that someone tells me I’m brilliant. It’s very cool to hear though. I mean, come on! But what exactly am I brilliant at? Yesterday I quit my life as a freelance writer to find my new bliss, so Sigrid’s workshop certainly came as a blessing I was willing to grab.
It all came down to an exercise:
Pick a person you admire. What? Right now? Damn. I can’t think of anyone right off the bat… Think, Nancy… THINK! Any name that pops into your head…. Oh for crying out loud! PICK ANYONE! Alrighty… Let’s pick Beyoncé. Ha! Brilliant!
Write down six characteristics you associate with that person. Phew! That’s easy: freedom, passion, creativity, love, joy and compassion.
Okay. Here’s the deal: the things you admire in that person, are also part of you. Beyoncé and I. Feel that connection, people!
Now put them in order. Which of those six words means the most to you? Freedom.
Which two you wish you had more? Love and passion.
So you’re brilliant at being free. Structure, patterns, long term and short term plans: they all make you feel you’re held back. And the love you wish you had more, is the love that you need to give yourself. Don’t feel bad because you love your freedom so much and because you’re so tremendous at it. Embrace it and all will fall into place. The other three – creativity, joy and compassion – those are your basis.
Damn. Sigrid is brilliant. Now excuse me, I’m busy being free. And remind me later to call her for another session.
 Sigrid Boelens, coach at Bureau Boel. www.bureauboel.nl
Filed under 1%EVENT.
Tagged 1%CLUB, 1%EVENT, 1pce, Amsterdam, Beyonce, coaching, freedom, inspiration, love, onepercentclub, onepercentevent, passion
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