The National Foundation for the Promotion of Happiness (abbreviated “Happiness”) is a multicultural, not-for-profit network of artists, play writers, actors, musicians and volunteers who invest in children and teenagers in asylum-seekers centers. Happiness organizes creative activities on a regular basis in 30 asylum-seekers centers in the Netherlands.
Creativity provides space. Art challenges, but doesn’t force. For children and teenagers it is of great importance to be able to demonstrate during their development who they are and who they can be. This can be done through music, sculpture, theatre, play and game, in brief, during creative activities.
(Sorry, no subtitles, we hope the film speaks for itself)
Our target group was, and still is a blind spot for public and private institutions both in terms of refugee-policies and in terms of working for asylum-seekers or children and teenagers. While the children and teenagers of Happiness are mentioned in the International Covenant for the Rights of Children, they do not ‘fit’ into any mandate of the Dutch government. Happiness has a unique role through the diversity of its flexible regional network; a large amount of the projects is implemented by employees with a refugee background. Happiness is an independent organization supported by individuals and private funding.
