My connection with Perspectivity started when I arrived in Den Haag from New Zealand with my family because of my husband’s work in 2014. My background is in Public Health with an interest in physical activity and nutrition. In the maze of the web I came across a Perspectivity report completed for the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
Immediately I saw similarities between some theories and frameworks I have used and the philosophy of Perspectivity creating dialogue to solve complex social problems. Appreciative Inquiry and ‘Tales of Joy’ a method of creating positive change by Associate Professor Niki Harré from University of Auckland in New Zealand were examples.
The ‘light bulb’ moment
I tentatively attended an open Climate Challenge in Utrecht and this was the ‘light bulb’ moment. I saw that the leaning from this challenge could be applied to the Public Health sector. Voilà, 18 months later the inaugural Public Health challenge was launched at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Well not exactly, the challenge was co-created with Herman van der Meyden and Dalya Marks after a lot of consideration and thought.
This demonstrates the beauty of the Perspectivity network where you meet, share ideas and theories from a wide variety of sectors that you can apply to your professional and personal life. The journey is ongoing and there is always the possibility of looking at an issue from a new Perspective to help solve complex problems.