Chris and Christina on bottom-up change
From the university to your own neighborhood or city: if you want to change something, you soon find yourself up against existing rules, structures, and vested interests. But change can start with a small group of people and spread like wildfire. In the new episode of Changemakers, science philosopher Chris Julien and student and co-founder of De Pit, Christina van Beek, discuss what stands in the way of change and how to break through the status quo. Chris challenges the system through activism and protest; Christina builds an alternative from within.
If you want to make the world a better place, you have to take risks.
Christopher F. Julien
Chris is a science philosopher at Utrecht University and was a long-time spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion Netherlands. His work focuses on how we can work together to make the transition towards a liveable future. Alongside his academic publications, he has written the popular non-fiction books ‘Alledaags activisme’ (‘Everyday activism’) and ‘Toekomstdieren’ (‘Creatures of the Future’), on eco-populism.
Christina van Beek
Christina is a student at Utrecht University and co-founder of De Pit, a student-run food stall that makes affordable, plant-based food accessible on campus. By doing so alongside other students, she is not only creating a practical alternative within the existing catering offer at the university, but also a place for people to meet and connect.
About Changemakers
Changemakers is a video series produced by Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht to celebrate their joint 390th anniversary. In each video, a researcher and a practitioner engage in a dialogue about a topic they are both working on from different perspectives. Throughout the conversation, they discover how their insights complement one another and how, together, they can make a real difference.
More on bottom-up change
Centre for Living Labs
Centre for Living Labs Utrecht University (CLU) facilitates and stimulates the development of living labs on campus and is the front office for academic-operational-societal collaboration.
UU research on bottom-up change
The Platform for Bottom-Up Initiatives for Societal Change conducts interdisciplinary research at various levels. Get to know what they are working on!