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Born on the Dutch countryside in a small village called Bathmen, Kirsten moved to Amsterdam as soon as she could to study Sovietology at Amsterdam University. She went on to work for several international NGO’s in the field of culture and human rights, working on youth participation, community art and women’s rights. Because she wanted to experience what it’s like on “The other side” Kirsten moved to North Africa where she studied Arabic and worked as a teacher. Kirsten now works as a change agent, active on the crossroads of culture, diversity and communication. She is currently setting up a platform for CSR and Community Investment for a foundation called Hart voor Amsterdam, where she tries to inspire, engage, support and challenge companies to improve the impact they have on society. She is also a performance poet and in the process of writing her first novel. Kirsten speaks 8 languages, including French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic. Her motto: “I am who I am because of who we all are.” (Desmond Tutu)
Updated February 2009