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Embassy of Safety

Kun je dit maken?!

25 civil servants of Rijkswaterstaat, social designers and artists explored social security in a changing organisation. Their motto: Do you dare?!

Rijksmakerstaat expositie — © Thijs van der Meijden

Rijkswaterstaat has kept the Dutch safe with engineering marvels. That responsibility is unwavering yet its approach is fluid. What organizatio­nal culture does it require to keep us safe in the future? How safe does it need to be inside of an organization when creating safety outside?

Rijksmakerstaat

Would you dare?! Cutting up a government logo officially is not allowed. Nevertheless, a Rijkswaterstaat colleague turned their existing logo into a new flag. It symbolises the way in which Rijkswaterstaat is willing to explore, stretch and adapt their ways of working together with creative makers. After all, being reliable as a government organisation does not just mean being able to execute large scale projects. It also means being able to deal with change and uncertainty. It means investing in relationships, with partners, citizens, and with each other. We shape or “make” new alliances together, hence Rijksmakerstaat. The first themes participants of Rijksmakerstaat explored with artists were related to social security at work. What topic should follow, if it was up to you?

Vulnerability advocate

Every major government organisation employs legal practitioners. Lawyers at Rijkswaterstaat explored how they can contribute to a work culture of well being and security. When it comes to social security in organisations, we often use legal language. Perpetrator. Victim. Bystander. But in reality, social security most of the time is about seeing and supporting someone in a vulnerable position, without there ever being a legal dispute. Rijkswaterstaat lawyers and designer Myrthe Veeneman created a new perspective, introducing the Vulnerability advocate. Their experiences​ showed that when you dare to show up with vulnerability in a conversation, you open up that possibility to the other person too. Not everyone is an advocate in legal terms, but we could all be a Vulnerability advocate. How about you? Try on the gown and experience how it feels.

The Traditions club

When you address the themes of social well being and security, interestingly, feelings of unsafety or insecurity can arise. That may seem paradoxical and slightly daunting, but it also is an opening to a place of sincerity. Creating a safe and secure work environment invites you to feel more deeply: how are you really doing? Feelings of discomfort may come up. So what are they really telling you?

Rijkswaterstaat employees work both offline and online, across the country and out at sea. They intensively collaborate in teams with different social partners and organisations. How do employees stay connected and look after each other? And what shared traditions do you need for that? Artist Martijn Engelbregt and a team from the Opwek van Energie Programme at Rijksvastgoed explored these questions. In the Traditions club, you can experience and create new traditions. What tradition would you like to develop?​

About Rijksmakerstaat

A collaboration of Rijkswaterstaat with creators Wieteke Vrouwe and Felicity van Oort and designers Marjolein Vermeulen and Jaap Warmenhoven.

Advocaat in Kwetsbaarheid — © Marjolein Vermeulen

De Rituelenclub - Marijn Engelbregt — © Wieteke Vrouwe

Rijksmakerstaatvlag — © Felicity van Oort

Rijksmakerstaat expo — © Marjolein Vermeulen

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