Connecting Women
Arnhem Together is an English-speaking non-profit organisation that consists of a diverse and talented network of women. We inspire dialogue, create support, and build motivation in a space that is nurturing and empowering.
While there are extensive support networks for non-Dutch nationals in the West of the Netherlands, the East felt somewhat neglected despite many people creating their homes here and facing the same struggles to integrate into Dutch life.
As a result, we set about offering a solution to our community and launched Arnhem Together in 2018.
Our mission is to be the best inclusive support network in the East of the Netherlands.
Our Community
Our members are of diverse backgrounds and our demographic is rich with diversity. Due to our open and “come as you are” philosophy, we have attracted the entire spectrum of dynamic women. We are proud of the inclusive ideology we have built organically and authentically.
Our community is both international and local women who have either relocated within the Netherlands or have moved back after an international experience.
We are women who are looking to develop ourselves – our identity, our strengths, our dreams.
We are vastly different, yet we all share the common vision to help each other reach our full potential.
Ultimately, we share common experiences and stories, and embrace our differences to grow together.
What We Do
Coffee Mornings
Coffee Mornings
We host 10 Coffee Mornings a year (excluding August and December). These are easy events to participate in – you are welcomed by the host and invited to sit at one of the reserved tables. The combination between new and regular faces ensures that the conversation always flows easily. Traditionally we used to move around cafés to give our community the chance to explore Arnhem, but as we have become such a large group we now stick to Focus Restaurant unless otherwise advertised.
WineNot?!
WineNot?!
A girls night out – what is not to love? These events are organised approximately every two months at different locations throughout Arnhem. We organise a venue to meet at, and you are responsible for where the evening takes you! They are a great way to just enjoy being out with others who understand your perspective and can empathise with either your need to let of steam or to dance the night away.
Collaborations
Collaborations
We often work with local entrepreneurial or established businesses to curate events for our community to enjoy. For example, we hold film evenings with Focus Cinema or we arrange Walking Tours with Arnhem Life. Arnhem itself has so much to offer, we enjoy working to make opportunities more accessible to the multicultural English-speaking community.
Workshops
Workshops
Over the years we have hosted many workshops run by members of our community and we look forward to doing many more! We have had Indian Cooking, Pottery, Sustainable Living, Inspirational Leadership, Brazilian Night, Business Development and Intercultural Training to name a few! These are always such a joy to take part in and we look forward to planning many more.
Knowledge & Growth
Knowledge & Growth
After hearing so many women talk about how they were missing out on training opportunities only provided in Dutch, or that they were frustrated and unsure about which direction to go in, we designed and gave Personal and Professional Development workshops that were really successful. We look forward to running these again shortly.
Playgroup
Tots & Teas
Tots & Teas is an International Playgroup that meet twice a week – Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning in or around Arnhem. This is a group for parents from pregnancy and beyond. It is a closed group as personal details are shared, but they have a Facebook page or contact us directly.
Family Picnic
Family Picnic
Once a year we organise a Family Picnic near the end of the Summer. These are always relaxed events filled with a sharing of blankets, food and games – an informal way to meet one another. The Picnic usually takes place in the beautiful Sonsbeek Park and is perfect for both families with or without children.
Come To Our Events
Arnhem Together organises many different events, all of them designed to bring people together to share their story, learn something new and to make beautiful connections with other women. We have our regular and extremely popular Coffee Morning’s and WineNot?!, but we also listen to requests from within the group and give people within our community a chance to shine and share their own expertise.
Unless otherwise specified, these events are for Women Only as we strive to create a safe and un-judgemental environment for one another. We do however host several events throughout the year that friends and family are also welcome to such as varied Workshops, Collaborations and the Family Picnic. Our strength is in live events where we bring people together, but we have also designed and created numerous online alternatives that proved to be essential to so many during the more challenging recent years.
As with all the events, we ask people to let us know beforehand if you are planning to attend so we can calculate the numbers for the event and make the appropriate arrangements. Ultimately, we provide the event and you make it a success.
We are powerful when we empower each other
Testimonial about our Coffee Mornings:
“I know how it feels…
I am new, I don’t know anyone, do I go to this coffee morning for expats?
But, I don’t know anyone. I hope I meet someone.
Coffee morning for Arnhem Together is very welcoming and great place to meet people, hear amazing stories. The even basically runs on its own, literally no efforts needed. Just bring yourself. Returning people, new people, they all share a table and share their stories. Ladies makes new friends, exchange phone numbers to meet again or soon. I often go to coffee morning after shuffling my motherly duties schedule and show up 5 min late. All the tables are full, lot of new faces and of course familiar faces.
Ghanaan and Sophie has this incredible energy to make anyone new welcomed and they make sure they meet them in person. At the table, you tell your story. This is a place where you are yourself, you introduce yourself as XXXX. Not, I am his partner or so and so’s mom. The time I am sitting at the table, I feel so liberated, so unreal that serotonin and estrogen is dancing through my brain and I smile, happy dose. No filter, not censored. All the ladies are engaged in conversations, new conversations, new connections, we are feed off of our each other’s amazing stories. Once I am finished with my second cup of tea, I look at my watch and it’s time to turn into a pumpkin.
Why did it take me so much effort to come here, yet I don’t want to leave??” (Yuka)
Our Arnhem Together Family
Ghanaan Edwards & Sophie Kollewijn-Hopkins
Founders Arnhem Together
Founding members Sophie Kollewijn-Hopkins and Ghanaan Edwards are responsible for strategic decisions regarding the future and direction of Arnhem Together. These decisions are overseen and put into practice by the Steering Committee.
The same women are also divided into smaller groups – Events Crew, Networking and Growth Crew, and Social Media/PR Crew. These groups take the lead on activities and decisions made within their scope. They are also contact points for community members who have ideas to share. When needed, we bring on board Guest Committee Members who can share any expertise or skills that we are missing.
Thus, we use members from our own community to strengthen our core, and enabling us to give back to the community in a neat circle of empowerment.
Ambar Bronmans
PR/Social Media, Network & Growth
Renée Shortz
PR/Social Media, Events
Francesca Giaccherini
Events
