economy

Yo was born in a small town in the Netherlands. She lost both her parents when she was very young. She grew up with different families, and later  in a house with other young people in similar circumstances. Yo has an older sister who started squatting houses when Yo was in her early teens. So collective ways of living and the unconventional is something Yo is very familiar with and comfortable with.

Andrew is English, but spent his youth with his parents in France. Growing up, he had some environmental awareness, but did not plan a career or a life in the field. After going to university, he kept in touch with his friends, and was impressed by their level of material success and interested in who had bought a new car. Until one day he wasn’t. Without realising it, he had shifted his value system, and was much more interested in quality of life, seeing if his friends were happy and having meaningful relationships. 

Steven grew up in a small village in Flanders in times where everything was possible and there were no limits. In his early teens he began questioning things, and he became more and more involved in North – South issues, human rights and justice. On a trip to Bolivia, at the age of 26, he was confronted with the reality of the situation for the first time, and seeing with his own eyes the disparity, he was determined to do something about it.

Carolien became passionate about nature and social equality at a young age. She was devastated watching the news about animal species getting extinct, and her empathy for people, other creatures and nature was awakened.