01
Body
Functional sport, dance, yoga and mobility, team challenges and healthy food. Moving without a threshold, whatever your level.
Home/In the Netherlands too
Second pillar · first project chosen
Body, Mind & Beats: stronger together in The Hague
Fofie Foundation builds schools in Ghana and also works for young people in the Netherlands. The first Dutch project has been chosen: Body, Mind & Beats brings residents of The Hague together around sport, mental health, music and meeting.
Status
Project chosen, being built up
Where
The Hague
Main project remains
The school in Daban, Ghana
Why the Netherlands
Giving chances, there and here
Dennis and Brian grew up in the Netherlands, with roots in the Ashanti Region. The lesson from Dennis' father Nana Fofie, that whoever has built something gives something back, applies to them in two places at once: in the country their family comes from and in the country where they grew up themselves.
That is why the foundation has two pillars under one idea. In Ghana we finish the school in Daban. In The Hague we bring together people who would otherwise never meet, around health, talent and connection.
A strong community grows when people are not only physically active, but also feel seen mentally, can develop themselves and meet each other in a safe environment. That is the thought behind Body, Mind & Beats.
What is Body, Mind & Beats?
An accessible programme where movement, mental health, creativity and meeting come together. Every edition has four parts that flow into each other.
02
Mind
Workshops on mental health, dealing with stress and self-confidence. Alongside that, personal development, financial awareness and entrepreneurship.
03
Beats
Live DJs, an open stage and local artists. Music as the connecting factor, with creative workshops and spoken word.
04
Community
A shared lunch, volunteering, meeting local organisations, a buddy system and joint challenges.
Together with
OnLuck Events
We set up Body, Mind & Beats together with OnLuck Events from The Hague. OnLuck brings art, knowledge and personal growth together in events for young people and young adults. That experience with programming, stage and audience is exactly what this project needs.
What we want to achieve
The programme works towards six goals that reinforce each other.
- +Reduce loneliness
- +Strengthen mental resilience
- +Encourage a healthy lifestyle
- +Meeting between cultures and generations
- +Discover and develop talent
- +Increase social involvement
Who it is for
Body, Mind & Beats is for anyone who wants to work on health and connection. In particular for:
- +Young people aged 16 to 30 and young adults
- +Families and new residents of The Hague
- +People who feel lonely or find it hard to connect
What we want to achieve in the first year
As you are used to from the building work in Daban: concrete goals you may hold us to.
| Goal | What it means | Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | People taking part in an edition or workshop | 300 | Being built up |
| Editions | Large Body, Mind & Beats gatherings | 6 | Being built up |
| Workshops | In-depth sessions on mind, entrepreneurship and creativity | 12 | Being built up |
| Volunteers and partners | A network of volunteers and cooperating local organisations | 30 and 15 | Being built up |
We measure whether it works: we aim for at least eighty percent of participants to feel more connected to others, and three quarters to experience an improvement in wellbeing or self-confidence.
Our principles for the Netherlands
What we learned in Ghana, we take with us to The Hague.
Small and concrete
No promises, but results
We start with a programme we can oversee and finish, just as in Daban we first complete the school before starting something new. Six editions in the first year, not thirty.
Direct
Money goes to participants, not to overhead
The board remains unpaid and we rent no office. What is spent on Body, Mind & Beats reaches the participants and will be in the annual accounts.
Open
The same accountability as in Ghana
The work in The Hague also gets its own place in the annual accounts and its own updates on the news page, with real figures and dates, just like the status overview of Daban.
What is settled, and what is not
A foundation that promises transparency must do so even when not everything is final. Hence this overview.
This is settled
Decided- The programme: Body, Mind & Beats, with four parts per edition
- The city: The Hague, with residents from different neighbourhoods
- The partner: OnLuck Events, who set up the editions with us
- The goals for the first year: six editions, twelve workshops, three hundred participants
- The accountability: own place in the annual accounts and public updates
This we do not know yet
Open- The date and location of the first edition
- Which other local partners will join alongside OnLuck Events
- Whether the programme is funded by subsidy, sponsorship or gifts
- Whether there will be a separate way to donate for The Hague
Take part or work together
We set up Body, Mind & Beats together with OnLuck Events. Around that we are now building the network: volunteers, trainers, DJs, speakers and local organisations.
For volunteers and makers
Would you like to take part?
Trainers, DJs, speakers, cooks and people who simply want to help: we are looking for thirty volunteers to build this programme with us.
Sign upFor organisations and municipalities
Working with Fofie Foundation
We are glad to work with community centres, youth work, sports providers, education and cultural organisations in The Hague. Fifteen local partners is the goal for the first year.
Get in touchMore than an event
Body, Mind & Beats is a movement in which residents of The Hague meet each other, grow together and build a healthier and more connected city. Meanwhile we keep building in Ghana.