“I dare to dream again”

Several hundred people work at Utrecht University under the Participation Act. Among them Jesper Winkel, administrative assistant at the Faculty of Geosciences. He started at the Research Support Office team three years ago. How is he doing now? Faculty director Liduine Bremer put Jesper and his fear of public speaking to the test. She interviewed him and his supervisor Mirjam van Kan in front of a large audience of his colleagues.

Jesper, what is it like standing here in front of some 80 people from the faculty office?

“To be honest, it is terrible. I find it very difficult to talk in front of a group, so this setting is a big step for me right away. But I also think my story about my recovery is very important, and hopefully gives people the motivation to keep working on themselves.”

How did you end up at the Faculty of Geosciences?

“I grew up in a fairly unsafe environment, and I suffered PTSD and an anxiety disorder as a result. Until I was 18, I worked and studied, but the problems piled up and I unfortunately had to quit both.

As a result, I fell into mental isolation for three years. I no longer saw a way out, I no longer had any dreams, I no longer had any hope. In 2013, I found the strength to start again, and from that point on, a long trajectory with psychological help and a work-study programme began.

I slowly but surely built up that programme from one hour to 24 hours a week. Then it was time for the next step: a real job. Via UWV, I ended up in the participation trajectory. Participation jobs are tailor-made regular jobs: fewer responsibilities but more space to learn and practice.

That appealed to me, and in 2020 I started at the Faculty of Social Sciences as a research assistant. After one month, the corona pandemic started, so I worked solely at home for a year and a half. After that, my position was terminated, and I had to find another job. A vacancy came along for a position in Mirjam’s team, I was invited for an interview, was hired and I have been working here ever since.”

It feels good to be able to help colleagues and researchers.

“At Geo, I have a diverse work package where I help with the pre-award process. This means filing projects in our project management system, or preparing institution letters for applying for personal scholarships.

When that went well, my work package expanded. Now, for instance, I also help with outreach and maintaining the website of the Delta-ENIGMA research project. And I assist our legal team with processing feedback on contracts and collecting signatures. We are constantly looking at what suits me and my skills, and what I am good at. My range of tasks is still growing.

I enjoy going to work, and I feel like I’m worth something again. For years, I felt that I contributed nothing, like I was worthless and stuck. It feels good to be able to help colleagues and researchers here. I take weight off colleagues’ shoulders, and relieve a lot of stress in the process.”

Jesper is a committed colleague who takes many jobs off of his colleagues’ plates.

Mirjam, how did you come to the idea of putting out a participation function?

“A few years ago, I first heard about the possibility of appointing participation officers to positions at UU. I did that then, with great success. That person has since found another permanent job within UU. In 2022, based on the administrative tasks that employees in our department were doing, we looked at which tasks we could create a participation function from. In doing so, we hired Jesper. He is a committed colleague who takes many jobs off the plates of his colleagues.”

Jesper, what would you like people to know about participation functions?

“Participation workers and jobs like mine are important. There are a lot of people who are stuck or see no way out, and everyone walks their own path in life and has their own reasons why they can’t get into the regular job market. Even if someone doesn’t quite fit the bill because of their qualifications, work experience or background, give someone a chance. It can change someone’s life. From my own experience I can say: your mindset changes, and your motivation comes back. I dare to dream again.”

Nobody has a perfect life, and by talking about it you can find mutual acceptance.

“I now dare to do more things and push my boundaries. It started with giving a presentation to my team, and now I am in front of a big audience telling my story. It feels great to go through a development like that.

I also have a message for people outside participation roles: dare to fail. You cannot learn from your mistakes if you always want perfect results. By making mistakes, you learn to accept that sometimes things don’t go perfectly, as long as you dare to get back up again. You also become stronger by being open about what's bothering you. Nobody has a perfect life, and by talking about it you can find mutual acceptance and ways to be mindful of each other.”