At MasterPeace NL, creativity is not an extra. It is the starting point.
Across our projects in the Netherlands, we work with young people who are often overlooked or underestimated. Through photography, graffiti, art, music, and sports, we give them space to explore their talents, build confidence, and take action for others. What begins as creativity often becomes something deeper: a sense of belonging and belief.
Our approach is simple, and intentional.
Engage. Connect. Empower.
We engage young people through creative expression. Art allows them to speak without needing the right words. Confidence grows as they discover their strengths and develop leadership, curiosity, and a growth mindset.
We connect them with peers, communities, and policymakers, creating conversations around themes like freedom, identity, and wellbeing — not as abstract ideas, but as lived experiences.
We empower them to act. Young people present their ideas, create initiatives, and step into spaces where their voices are heard and taken seriously.
At MasterPeace NL, creativity is not an extra. It is the starting point.
Across our projects in the Netherlands, we work with young people who are often overlooked or underestimated. Through photography, graffiti, art, music, and sports, we give them space to explore their talents, build confidence, and take action for others. What begins as creativity often becomes something deeper: a sense of belonging and belief.
Our approach is simple, and intentional.
Engage. Connect. Empower.
We engage young people through creative expression. Art allows them to speak without needing the right words. Confidence grows as they discover their strengths and develop leadership, curiosity, and a growth mindset.
We connect them with peers, communities, and policymakers, creating conversations around themes like freedom, identity, and wellbeing — not as abstract ideas, but as lived experiences.
We empower them to act. Young people present their ideas, create initiatives, and step into spaces where their voices are heard and taken seriously.
At St. Bonifatius College, these three steps came together powerfully. A group of students who barely knew each other — many struggling with low self-esteem — created an exhibition of self-portraits. Each image told a story of identity, happiness, and their vision of a better world. What started as a creative exercise became visible confidence.
Another moment stays with us.
In The Hague, we worked with ISK students — newly arrived young people, some of them refugees — on a project about health. As part of the process, they connected with elderly residents from a local care home. In the final step, the students created something for them: portraits presented in handmade frames.
The room was quiet. Emotional. Human.
Young people carrying experiences of displacement met seniors with a lifetime of memories. Through creativity, they saw each other — not as labels or generations, but as people. For us as project managers, it was a reminder that connection can happen when space is created for it.
Our work in the Netherlands is local, but it is part of something bigger. Together with MasterPeace Global, we believe everyone has a talent — and that talent can contribute to a more peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable society. This is why we focus on young people with fewer opportunities. Not because they need fixing, but because the world needs their creativity.
Looking ahead, our ambition is clear: more projects led by young people, for young people. In close collaboration with youth workers, we want to design initiatives that respond to real needs and create real agency.
Because when a young person realizes “I matter, and I can contribute,”
change has already begun.
This is part of the MasterPeace Impact Series —
where we share the stories behind the impact, and why this work matters.