Hannie Schaft Award

The Hannie Schaft Award is aimed at students who have demonstrated their commitment to Hanze's social missions, students who are focused on improving human well-being in the broadest sense of the word and who distinguish themselves through a strong personal motivation. The first prize consists of a statuette and a cash prize of 2,000 euros. The statue is a replica of the Hannie Schaft monument in Haarlem. This is a work by Truus Menger-Oversteegen, an artist who, during the second world war, was involved in the resistance together with Hannie Schaft. The second and third prizes consist of a cash prize of 500 euros.

Works by Hanze students are eligible for nomination if they:

are aimed at improving human well-being in the broadest sense of the word.
distinguish themselves through a powerful personal motivation (comparison with Hannie Schaft as a 'resistance fighter'; daring to make a difference).
demonstrate commitment to Hanze's social missions.
are practical/applicable.
are linguistically correct and presented with attention to detail.
have a well-structured argument, sound reasoning and persuasiveness
have been assessed with at least a grade of 8 or equivalent.

Selection committee and jury

A selection committee, composed of colleagues from across Hanze, evaluates all nominations. This committee selects three works for the prize. From these nominated works, a winner will be chosen by a jury consisting of representatives of Hanze's four social missions, led by the chair of the Supervisory Board.

Winner Hannie Schaft Award 2024: Hedwig van Gennip and Derian Heerema

Social Work Associate Degree students, Hedwig van Gennip and Derian Heerema, researched and described the development of a prototype, ‘De Koffiekring’ (‘The Coffee Circle’): a social gathering where older people come together to drink coffee, chat, and spend time with each other. The aim of these gatherings is to promote social contact, reduce loneliness, create a pleasant atmosphere in which older people feel connected to others, and stimulate the memory of older people. The students reinitiated and reshaped the coffee circle, paying attention to both seniors living in an apartment building and WerkPro's ‘own target group’, namely people with a distance to the labour market. Both groups experienced problems, and the students succeeded in designing an innovation that offers a solution for both groups. The jury was impressed by how Hedwig and Derian have made a difficult subject discussable and have tested interventions in practice that led to a concrete final product/advice that has already proven its impact. The jury found it impressive that the students devised a solution for two different target groups that both groups can work with. Through their interdisciplinary approach in the fields of behavioural influence and care, the students show that they do not limit themselves to classical social thinking. The jury notes that the paper has a rich methodological foundation. The systematic approach to the implemented innovation assignment is described very clearly and is easy to follow. The reader is taken through the considerations and the choices that were made.

The jury was impressed by the winning project, the coffee circle. 'With their Coffee Circle, Hedwig and Derian have succeeded in creating a place for seniors in which they experience positivity, connection and co-reliance. With this project, they have made an impact on the living environment of the seniors and stretched the boundaries of care capacity by creating a win-win situation. The jury is of the opinion that this paper shows that an Associate Degree (Ad) at level 5 leads to a recognisable final level and could serve as an example in this respect. Share your talent, move the world.'

Watch the video below in which Derian and Hedwig explain more about the coffee circle:

Hannie Schaft Award

Selection committee and jury

Winner Hannie Schaft Award 2024: Hedwig van Gennip and Derian Heerema

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