Challenge Laaggeletterdheid · Province of Overijssel · 2023–2024

When the Province of Overijssel launched a challenge to raise awareness of low literacy among empoyers in four key industries, most proposals focused on communication campaigns. I took a different route.

Instead of pitching a product, I proposed a participatory action-research approach: a process that would connect existing initiatives—libraries, learning centres, employers, and social partners—into a shared programme. Low literacy, after all, isn’t a branding issue but a systemic one.

Through dialogue and design, we reframed the province’s question from “How do we tell the story?” to “How do we strengthen what already works?” That shift laid the groundwork for a collaborative, evidence-informed strategy now visible in the province’s ongoing “Basisvaardigheden” programmes.

This project reflects my broader philosophy as a boundary-crosser: building bridges between communication, research, and policy to create lasting social impact—beyond campaigns, toward capacity.