Roos Sohier

Change Agent, Concerned citizen, Connector, Explorer, Idea generator, Parent, Public servant

At the moment I work as a Policy Advisor at the Healthcounsil of the Province Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. I studied psychology at the University of Tilbury (1986-1991). Before, I've worked in the Mental Health Care, the Public (Mental) Health Care and in Youthcare. Mainly as a process supervisor, policy advisor and innovator. My main themes are: sustainable care, big transformations in cure and care. I believe in selfmanagement, empowerment, the power of vulnerability, consumers as partners in Youth- and Healthcare, cocreation with consumers, the civil society, value-based care and health 2.0 My starting-point is always the real life, the real people, and I’m trying to build bridges between the daily practice and the policy.

The power of individuals, their capabilities, their talents and the strength of communities, of people working together to make their dreams come true. Especially the so called vulnerable people

In healthcare: Take the time to really listen to what consumers have to say. Make them co-creators of innovation. Their ideas and experiences are a source of knowledge. I think consumers and their families have the solution of a better health- and youthcare care. Children, young people especially: their ideas are often better than ours. Their view is not clouded. Kids have wonderful dreams and excellent solutions

Organizing TEDxYouth is a big adventure! I have met a lot of young people that used their talents and made their dreams reality. They pushed through, even if at times it was hard and they didn’t feel understood. It is to those kids we want to give a stage. To show that kids can make dreams come true. To show young people they are capable of much more than they think. They inspire us and we believe they can inspire others, their own generation as well as older ones. TEDxYouth@Brabantlaan happened in 2012, in 2013 and in 2014. All editions where magical! Young people inspired each other, shared ideas and built connections. Visitors went home full of energy to work on their dreams. The TEDxYouth conference however for us is not the end goal. It is all about the process of connecting people and sharing social capital. That is why our journey continues in 2015.

I am good in connecting people and bringing them together. I use this in my work and to realise my dream of organizing a TEDxYouth event in Brabant (in the Netherlands)