We believe that people want to be part of something meaningful

The Value Creators minor pushes students to explore uncertainty, complexity, and real-world impact. Global Project and Change Management-students Nora, Samira, Amelie (Germany) and Sara (The Netherlands) embarked on a journey that led them to the What If Street Festivals, an initiative that grew out of deep research, interviews, and a drive to foster imagination. 

Exploring the polycrisis

"Our semester was divided into four phases. We started by exploring the concept of the polycrisis. How multiple crises, like energy shortages, climate change, and social instability, are interconnected. It’s a daunting, massive issue, and at first, we struggled to narrow it down.

We interviewed experts, researchers, and professionals from diverse fields. Our goal was to understand the root causes of these crises, rather than just their symptoms. A recurring theme emerged from these conversations: a crisis of imagination. Many people struggle to envision positive futures, and without that vision, it's difficult to take meaningful action."

The power of interviews

"The interviews were a core part of our process. We spoke with over 15 experts in various fields, from polycrisis researchers to artists, and Indigenous leaders. At first, we thought it would be difficult to get responses from high-profile figures, but surprisingly, many were eager to talk to us.

One of our most exciting moments was meeting Minna Salami, social critic and author specializing in Black feminism and the polycrisis. She didn’t reply to our emails at first, so we took the step of physically visiting the New Institute in Hamburg, where she worked. After knocking on doors and explaining our project, our persistence paid off. She responded the same day.

These conversations reinforced our belief that people want to be part of something meaningful. Many experts told us they wished they had time to work on projects like ours, but their responsibilities kept them from doing so. That encouragement motivated us to push forward."

From research to action

"With so much input, we needed to make sense of all our insights. We mapped out everything on a giant sheet of paper, drawing connections between ideas. One thing became clear: people need spaces to reimagine the future. That’s when the idea of the What If Street Festivals was born.

A festival would allow us to bring ideas together. Instead of choosing just one solution, we could create a blueprint that anyone could use to organize their own event. The festival would transform public spaces for a day, encouraging people to interact, imagine, and discuss new possibilities for the future."

The final creation

"Since we had limited time, we couldn’t organize a full-scale festival ourselves. Instead, we designed a blueprint, a detailed guide that others can use to bring the festival to life. Alongside this, we created a video to communicate our vision in an engaging and accessible way.

Social media played a key role in spreading our message. When Rob Hopkins, a well-known author and thinker in this field, shared our project on LinkedIn, it opened new doors. People from around the world commented, showing interest in implementing the festival in their own communities."

Lessons and takeaways

"The Value Creators minor was unlike any other course we’ve taken. Unlike traditional project management, where you start with a clear end goal, this experience forced us to embrace uncertainty. We weren’t allowed to plan a final product from the start; instead, we had to let our research and interviews guide us.

We also learned the power of persistence. Cold emailing is one thing, but showing up in person, following up, and demonstrating genuine passion made the difference in getting experts to engage with us."

What we’re most proud of

"We’re most proud of this team. Every single one of us grew, both personally and professionally. From the way we see the world now to how we go about things, we have changed.

We also built a network. In our co-creation session, we connected people who had never met before. They discovered each other’s work, and new collaborations started because of it. That’s something we didn’t expect, but it was amazing to see.

And even though our festival hasn't been implemented yet, choosing to make a video and blueprint was a really smart move. The festival isn’t just an idea that disappears after the project ends. The video on YouTube(opens in new tab) makes it easier to share, and the festival blueprint(opens in new tab) makes it possible for anyone, anywhere, to bring it to life. We are continuing to explore opportunities to implement the festival. We are talking to the municipality of Zwolle to see if it could be taken on by future student groups.

We didn’t want to create something that would just sit on a shelf. We wanted something people could actually use. And we think we achieved that."

If you’d like to organize a festival of any size, get in touch with Nora, Samira, Amelie, and Sara at whatifstreetfestivals@gmail.com(opens in new tab).