Amsterdam is working on democratic innovation based on the conviction that residents themselves know the most about their neighbourhood and the issues at stake there. We carried out research into neighbourhood budgets, a process of ownership, control, trust and co-creation that led to a great deal of frustration, but also some valuable lessons. For example, we discovered the importance of involving residents from the start, rather than waiting until the process and framework have already been defined. Read more about what we learned about successful citizen participation from the neighbourhood budgets process (in Dutch only)

The pandemic came. Schools closed their doors and teachers and pupils spent months at home. This unintentionally created a space where teachers and school leaders, parents and children could approach education from another perspective. Despite all the hardships this crisis has caused, one thing has become clear: not knowing what to do straight away can lead to important new insights and skills, because it activates our capacity for research and innovation. Read why it would be an enormous blunder if teachers and pupils had to wait for the next pandemic before they are given this space again (in Dutch only)

The corona crisis forced schools to organise distance learning very rapidly. The education system proved itself capable of unprecedented flexibility, agility and innovation. Emergency solutions and improvised classes have led to surprising insights about what works well and what doesn’t, for example about the acceptance of change among professionals and dealing with teacher shortages. While many schools are facing the same type of problems, they rarely share what they have learned about obstacles and opportunities. Read how we are working to promote knowledge sharing between schools and how we are working on innovation in education for newcomers (in Dutch only)

What does it really mean to grow old well? What can be done better in our society? How can you continue to play a meaningful role as an older person and how can you maintain your social life? Let’s start by asking the people who know most about it: older people themselves. Read why Hans (84) hates the phrase “daytime activities” and his own remarkable approach to growing old (in Dutch only)

Why is there a “glass ceiling” holding back creative solutions to social problems? Which mechanisms play a role and what is needed to break through that ceiling? In a research project focused on developing new solutions, we discovered that resources dry up as soon as “third parties” must adopt new approaches. In addition, the public domain continues to be organised on a strongly sectoral basis and sees end users not as co-owners, but as “consumers” or “clients”. Read more about how we believe brainpower and proactivity can be combined in an in-between space (in Dutch only)

We have 160,000 nursing home places in the Netherlands. Due to our ageing population, this number must double in the coming two decades to continue delivering care in the same way. However, it is unlikely that these extra places and care workers will be realised. Instead we need something else: innovation. There are plenty of wild and wonderful ideas about what good care is. Unfortunately, these ideas seem to be competing against one another. KL strives to help all these innovative islands learn about and support one another, so they can collectively win a place at the “care table” and (social) innovation is given a fighting chance. Read why Prof. Dr. Robbert Huijsman argues for innovation together with nursing homes (in Dutch only)

For many years, the Kolenkit district in Amsterdam-West was known as “the Netherlands’ worst neighbourhood”. But the area is changing rapidly. What effect does urban regeneration have on a traditionally working class, multicultural neighbourhood in Amsterdam? What constitutes successful integration? And what can the Kolenkit tell us about how residents, the municipality, housing corporations and other stakeholders can work together even more effectively to regenerate neighbourhoods? Read more (in Dutch only)

A good example of this is debt assistance. There are many different providers and the barrier to asking for help is high. Many parties are wrestling with the gap between “what has to be done” and supporting those in debt and responding to what they really need. Existing legislation and regulations also make it harder for them to deliver adequate made-to-measure solutions. Kennisland is working to transform the debt assistance chain into a learning organisation based on the idea that it is not the system that should control the process, but the people it is intended to help. Together with those who work in practice, we are learning what can be done better and immediately implementing it. Read more about how we are making debt assistance more effective (in Dutch only)

The wrong care is still given in the wrong place too often. This is due in part to the dominance of existing structures focused on efficiency in the care sector, instead of patients’ and residents’ individual needs. While people are motivated to work in care by a sense of humanity, the system revolves around the process, not the person. Not every solution has to serve everyone: but there must be a solution for everyone. Read how Mantelaar, a platform that brings together care students and older people for care and companionship, proves that it can be done differently (in Dutch only)

With Living a Whole Life, we have initiated a positive movement around growing old better. We are proud of the many heart-warming ideas submitted to Living a Whole Life – despite corona – and the twelve pioneers who will develop their ideas further in our pioneers’ programme! It is no coincidence that the innovative initiatives are often based around connection, dialogue, the power of stories and being and staying happy. During one of the sessions, it became clear that innovation demands seeking out and embracing the uncomfortable. Read more and meet the pioneers (in Dutch only)

In many cultures, your status increases as you grow older. But in the Netherlands, it seems as if your value diminishes. This is perhaps even more evident to older people with a non-Western background who suddenly find themselves in the alienating surroundings of a traditional Dutch nursing home with its ‘piepers’ and ‘boerenkool’. Read the experiences and recommendations of the writer, journalist and sociologist Mohammed Benzakour (in Dutch only)

What makes a community? How does the history of a place determine the present and also the future? We developed a listening exercise to analyse stories from the community in Bilbao and learned how family histories contain stories of changes both large and small. We subsequently investigated what these local insights can tell us about the well-being of a society and how to transform them into promising practices for communities across the globe. Read more

By giving teachers co-ownership of the educational process – rather than simply having them implement policy – they devise better solutions to complex educational problems that also command broader support. It also increases their sense of pride in their work. For the first time, a municipality has decided to promote grassroots educational innovation in this way. This is the first step towards a sustainable movement that makes learning to innovate a permanent cornerstone of our educational culture. Read more about this “R&D department” for innovative teachers (in Dutch only)

During our Out of Office, the sociologist Rineke van Daalen pointed out structures in society that do not help some people but actually hold them back. This includes the use of terms such as highly-skilled and low-skilled people and praising high scores and marks. In doing so, we implicitly say that the top is the most important. This neglects the wide variety of talents and personalities in society. In the battle against inequality of opportunities, we are all responsible for ensuring that where people start from does not determine their futures. Read more about our Out of Office on inequality of opportunity in education (in Dutch only)

Research by the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) has shown that three quarters of the four million informal carers in our country do not see themselves as such. First and foremost, they are friends, family members, acquaintances, neighbours or loved ones. The care they give those loved ones is motivated by love and humanity, it is given without question. What can this tell us about how we should organise informal care? How can we ensure they are not overburdened? During the Social Grow Sessions, we work alongside social entrepreneurs to investigate how problems related to informal care can be tackled to make informal care sustainable in the long term. Read more (in Dutch only)

During one of the Living a Whole Life sessions, we and the pioneers learned that the end user must always be at the heart of innovations in care. After all, they are hands-on experts, and if you make it clear that you want to learn from them, they will be happy to help you. And you shouldn’t hesitate to involve them with difficult problems. By starting small, many people will be more willing to answer larger or more sensitive questions. Read more about the important insights discovered by the pioneers (in Dutch only)

The rising costs of care workers and the possible negative impact on quality of deploying more independent contractors are a cause of great concern among politicians. We learned that space is required for flexible contracts, that many improvements can be made to legislation and policy, and also that care institutions themselves can still do a great deal to involve their (flexible and permanent) staff in the decision-making process and respond to their needs as regards workload and future perspectives etc. Read more in our action research (in Dutch only)

It quickly became clear that the European Social Innovation Competition would be different this year. We had to pull out all the stops to give the thirty participants from numerous countries a programme that was just as valuable as in previous years. The participants were primarily interested in practical tools and means to take their project on the topic of “Reimagining Fashion” further, and to measure and define its impact. Read the Social Innovation Playbook that we prepared for the participants and all those who want to put a social innovation idea into practice.

Across the globe, teachers must now teach online. Despite the differences in context, it turns out that the problems they face are very similar. How can we continue to reach our pupils, to involve them and motivate them? How can you keep your finger on the pulse and assess what they already understand and where they need extra help? What can we learn from online education about differentiation and the role to be played by digital tools? Read more about the programme for innovative teachers in Hong Kong (in Dutch only)

A year ago, KL was still based at Spring House. We then temporarily moved to Diemen, at a location where (performing) arts, music and artists meet and inspire one another. In late 2020, we were given the opportunity to relocate our offices to the Marineterrein (a former naval base in Amsterdam). As a think tank and do tank focused on social progress, we are right at home among the other innovative companies, universities and other higher education institutions working on new technology, climate change, the liveable city and other social issues. Read more about our fantastic new location

Since 1999, KL has specialised in researching and designing social progress. We deploy various instruments, methodologies and change strategies to appeal more effectively to the collective intelligence of society. These include action research, challenges, incubators, pioneer programmes, leadership programmes and learning communities. Each problem is unique, and thus also our approach. Read what we can do for you