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Rian Meerstra, researcher, is the linchpin between the Youth Care lectorate and the Welfare department, in particular the NHL University of Applied Sciences’ Pedagogy programme.
After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Cultural and Social Education, Rian Meerstra worked as a district coordinator in Vlijmen, where her work included setting up a project in collaboration with Stichting Experimentele Volkshuisvesting [Experimental Public Housing Foundation]. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Sociology at the University of Amsterdam, she began working as a community worker at the De Ploeg Foundation, the forerunner of Timpaan Welzijn, a welfare organization.
In addition, Rian has been working at the NHL as a lecturer, coach and trainer within the Welfare department since 2000. Rian graduated as a special education generalist in 2015, specializing in Youth Care and Learning Disabilities. She completed her final research project within the Neurocognitive Profiling of Children with Specific or Comorbid Reading Disabilities research group. Since July 2015, Rian has been the junior education team leader on the NHL’s Pedagogy programme.
As the linchpin between the Youth Care lectorate and the Welfare department, in particular the Pedagogy programme, she aims to connect students, lecturers, the world of research and the professional field with one another, thereby creating a dynamic co-creation of knowledge, attitude and skills in the social sector, in particular in youth care.