The Network

Meet Gyonne

Gyonne is 

Co-Founder 

and Head of

Operations at 

Culturally*

Services.

She has almost a decade of experience working in the cultural and creative sector with creatives, organisations and institutions. Rooted in Aruba, she has been living the #BaiBin life for four years between NL & Aruba.

In her spare time she works on podcasts as a (co-)host or on Podcast editorial boards (including her own podcast Be Right Back | Bai Bin) and from time to time she curates exhibitions and live programmes. 

Her specialties in the consultancy field include: merging different projects together, finding content-related connections with different funding schemes that fit with your project, fostering collaboration for a bigger impact of your project, relational management and lobbying with the funds, integrating language that bridges creatives with the specific funds.

Some of her other work: 

www.counternarratives.nl

instagram.com/berightback.baibin

www.kreashonkonstante.com

Meet Rowena

As a Freelance Project Manager, Rowena specializes in helping organizations set up and launch impactful projects. With expertise spanning research, implementation, advising, and career coaching, she supports individuals and organizations in finding their place in society. Her focus is on creating the right impact and reaching the correct audience, with a particular emphasis on social issues in marketing and film.

Rowena's diverse portfolio includes managing projects for victims of the childcare benefits scandal, launching a video academy and events platform for parents and their children in collaboration with ouders.nl, and overseeing a film production that included cast members on the autism spectrum. This film project aimed to explore societal perceptions of what is considered "normal" between neurodiverse and neurotypical individuals. Additionally, she runs a Caribbean and Surinamese book club at the central library in The Hague, which seeks to raise awareness about the diverse communities within the region.

Rowena's life experiences, including seven formative years spent in Aruba and adventures across various Dutch cities, along with her partly Surinamese background, have fueled her deep empathy for the stories of others. These experiences inspire her commitment to fostering understanding, tolerance, and respect among different communities through her work.

By bridging cultural divides and highlighting underrepresented voices, Rowena strives to make a meaningful impact on society.

Meet Nagila

Nagila is a freelance project manager and event producer based in the Netherlands. Originally from Aruba, with roots in Bonaire, she has been living in the Netherlands since 2010. Although she has a background in biomedical sciences and cognitive neuroscience, Nagila found her passion in managing cultural projects and community organizing in 2020.

Her journey began with the co-founding of the Combined Impact podcast, which addressed taboo topics with humor and heart. This led to a series of cultural initiatives, including A Tapestry of a Diaspora, a conversation series centering on voices from diverse diasporas in the Netherlands, and Kulchurama, a three-day fundraiser supporting COVID relief across the ABCSSS islands.

Nagila also created Queer Dreams, a party dedicated to providing safer spaces for all, with a focus on Queer Caribbean communities. Her recent work includes producing the exhibition How Do We Remember? in Rotterdam and Aruba, where ABCSSS artists explored archival materials through art.

Currently, Nagila is working on the Archival Horizons project with Gyonne, a digital initiative mapping oral histories from the ABCSSS communities. Her work emphasizes collaboration, clear communication, and non-hierarchical environments, which she believes are vital for creativity and community growth.

Meet Mandy

Mandy is a dedicated researcher, her main area of expertise entails labor market research and analysis. Some of her experiences in this field consist of contextualizing international frameworks, providing training and support to research assistants, and conducting analyses for specific demographic groups.

Mandy's work is deeply influenced by her commitment to fostering a more equitable society. In addition to her focus on labor market research, she also has extensive experience with projects related to the protection and provision of children's rights. Her research initiatives are many times motivated by her dedication to feminism, workers' rights, children's rights, or sustainability.



With a strong academic background in social inequalities, Mandy has developed a robust skill set throughout her professional endeavors. She brings a unique perspective to cultural projects, effectively communicating complex ideas clearly and persuasively. This ensures that cultural initiatives are able to benefit from a nuanced understanding of the social fabrics they aim to represent. 

Whether through detailed reports, insightful articles,or comprehensive research projects, Mandy's expertise makes her a significant voice in her fields of engagement.