About Us – Right2Education

Meet the team of 2023-2024

We are a non-profit organization and all members of Right2Education are volunteers. Together, we are working towards building a community and bridging the gap between outsiders and insiders.

Hanna Berndt

Internal communications

Growing up my parents always emphasized the importance of education to opening all sorts of opportunities. When I first heard of Rigth2Education as an organization I knew I wanted to become involved and so I started out as a teacher in the Fall of 2022. Teaching was amazing. I got to meet so many friendly people and enjoyed the conversations with students after class and during the weekly events. Because teaching was such a positive experience I knew I wanted to continue participating in R2E and so I became a substitute teacher and then applied to be on the board.

This year I will be responsible for coordinating the board and ensuring communication between all positions. I organize weekly board meetings to bring the board together and make sure we are on track with all the opportunities we offer. As a board we are working hard on offering free English and Dutch classes as well as an extensive social side with lots of fun events to meet and get to know each other better.

I look forward to the coming year with this new and committed board and I am excited to see how Right2Education continues to grow and develop this year!

Alice Noirot

Treasurer and Acquisitions

I first became involved in R2E through the buddy system and the events. I loved the atmosphere and met very interesting people. So when the applications for the board opened, I figured it made sense for me to get involved in the organisational part of R2E.

I have never worked in an NGO before, and the financial aspect interested me because it’s one of the hidden parts of how organisations work. I both hope to learn the realities of working with finances and be able to provide a stable basis for R2E to develop all the projects it is aiming for.

Tosia Nowicka

External communications

Being a part of many organisations advocating migrant’s rights has made me aware of the situation in which we live in and the lack of respect to their human rights that refugees have to face. Last year I was an English teacher at Right2Education and it made me realise how important education is, how much opportunities it gives and that it should be a right for everyone, not a privilege.

The narrative around refugees and migration in many countries nowadays is becoming more and more harmful towards people escaping war or unhabitable circumstances. The politicians are trying to manipulate the society’s attitude by fueling the fear of unknown and foreign. We, as Right2Education believe that migrants are people, who have just found themselves in a very unfortunate situation and who want to have a better future. I am aware of my privileged position – as a white, European, middle-class woman – and I believe that it is my duty to make little change and try to make the world a better place for minorities.

As External Communications Coordinator I will be responsible for spreading out our message and encouraging people in power to implement policies that will take into consideration that education should be a right to everyone, regardless of their nationality, origin or economic status.

Shree Dubey

Student coordinator

Education has always been a huge part of my life. My parents like to remind their children of its importance and the necessity of sharing knowledge and experiences in general. I grew up with stories of how learning has been a privilege to obtain in my family, and I have come to appreciate how accessing knowledge should be a basic right for people of all backgrounds. I was thus inspired to join an initiative like R2E, a community that encourages students and teachers to learn from each other while providing essential language lessons as a stepping stone for individuals to integrate well into Dutch (and other) societies.

As a Student Coordinator, I help students enter the programme and keep track of applications. I hope to add on to the inviting, kind and organised environment where everyone feels comfortable in expressing themselves and what they want from Right2Education.

Chynna Bong A Jan

Student coordinator

I love learning new languages and was very lucky to have always had the opportunities to do so. At some point I became aware of the fact that language is not just about being able to communicate: it is about culture, making connections and creating friendships. When I was a buddy for Right2Education, I developed many close relationships and learned a lot about other cultures and perspectives. I realized that R2E is not just an organization, but a community. It is a community in which humans help other humans; a safe environment where people learn and grow together. Joining R2E gave me the opportunity to be part of a community that I really love and that values equality, education and connecting with one another.

My position in the board is student coordinator, which means that I will be working together with Diana and Shree to handle the student applications, to be a first point of contact and to create a welcoming and inclusive learning environment. I am looking forward to meeting all the students and I am very excited to be working together with all our lovely board members!

Diana Radovanovici

Student coordinator

A sense of community can make learning both inside and outside the classroom so much easier. That is what I loved about Right2Education before joining the board, and that is what I strive to keep going this following year. All the people on the board are brought together by the belief that education should be accessible to as many people as possible, and we will work hard this year to make that true!

There are so many types of people that we get in touch with as an organization, and I feel like the role of Student Coordinator gives me the opportunity to interact with a lot of them! I am excited to help people feel like they belong, both in the city by offering language classes, and in our community by making sure they feel safe and listening to their feedback. Chynna, Shree, and I will do our best to be the contact point for students and we will work with the board to create a space that tackles the needs of those interested in Right2Education.

Kyra Kruijt

Academic and teacher coordinator

Hi everyone! Last year I joined Right2Education as a Dutch teacher. By the end of the semester I knew for sure that I wanted to stay involved and decided to join the board. As a teacher, not only do you have the opportunity to help students build up their language skills, but also their confidence. Right2Education really taught me how a little can go a long way and how much it means for students that you take the time to help them and show mutual interest. The part of teaching that I enjoyed most was building a genuine connection with your students, both inside the classroom and during some of the events that R2E organizes. Both me and Ola, as Teacher and Academic coordinators, are very excited to support our motivated teaching team, and most importantly watch them enjoy this experience.

Ola Krawczyk

Academic and teacher coordinator

I believe that education should be a basic human right, available to all, not a privilege. This is why when I first learned about Right2Education, I felt a strong connection to its mission and wanted to become part of the organization.

This year, I will be managing the teaching team together with Kyra. I’m very excited to join the Right2Education board and to contribute to this special community!

Anna Paoli

Events co-coordinator

I became interested in Right2Education last year, when I joined the organisation as a buddy. I really enjoyed meeting new people through the buddy system and through R2E’s weekly events, as it has allowed me to learn a lot from the people I have met. I believe this to have made me want to join this NGO and be a part of the organising team as co-coordinator of events, alongside Sophie and Camille.

I believe education to be a right that everyone should have equal access to, as without this right, I would not have been able to join AUC or hear about this NGO. I think that Right2Education is the perfect space to make education possible for people with a refugee background, by learning from and with one another through both the classes we offer and the events we organise. This is what I want to be doing this year: I wish to make it possible for others to enjoy the same experience as I have by meeting new people, discovering different cultures and acquiring new knowledge.

As an event co-coordinator, I hope to organise fun and interactive events. Creating an inclusive environment where every student feels welcome and has the opportunity to form new friendships is important, as it will allow us to establish an R2E community beyond the classroom.

Sophie Bruins

Events co-cordinator

In 2022, I was introduced to Right2Education when I became involved in the buddy system. I immediately resonated with R2E’s mission, as I believe that language is everything. It goes far beyond communicating, as language enables us to connect, share experiences, and build genuine bonds. Therefore, I feel very privileged to be part of this beautiful mission. This year, along with my amazing partners Anna and Camille, I will be responsible for hosting weekly events for everybody involved. We will try our very best to make these events as enjoyable as possible for everyone.

I am so excited to meet all students, teachers, and buddies and I hope to see many of you at our events!

Camille De Ripainsel

Events co- coordinator

At the age of 10, a significant turning point emerged in my life due to the migration crisis in Europe, as my parents decided to open our home to refugees. This experience really shaped my perspective on the privileges that I was enjoying at the time. This experience made me realised of the importance of language diversity, not just as a means of communication, but also a wonderful way of learning more about people’s stories and culture. All this naturally led me towards to Right2Education while studying in Amsterdam.

Indeed, R2E reasonates as an evidence regarding my values and beliefs in equitable access to education. Furthermore, I will be this year event co-coordinator alongside Anna and Sophie. Our role will be to go beyond the conventional classrooms by organising event to come together, build bridges and create meaningful connections within an inclusive communities.

Sharwari Khare

Buddy system co- coordinator

Throughout my first year at AUC, I heard amazing things about R2E and the connections with people that the board made, which I saw the culmination of at the graduation ceremony! I have also always been involved in bringing community together and advocating for important causes like education, diversity, and inclusion. R2E is a heartfelt organization that brings these together, especially because learning is always most effective and meaningful through social connection.

As buddy system co-coordinator, I’m looking forward to making R2E a welcoming and fun place. The learning experience is not only what happens within classes, but extends to making friendships, engaging activities, fun events, and placing the knowledge you learn in a broader context—both socially and culturally! I am very excited to work with my co-coordinator and see what we can do as part of the board!

NV Venkatesh

Buddy co-cordinator

I have always known growing up that I was privileged by something that intuitively seems like a basic right: education. I made it here to Amsterdam because I had this privilege which gave me endless opportunities. Thus, I understand that I have a greater responsibility to use them and stand up for people from similar communities who weren’t given the same chance.

With Right2Education, it feels like even an ordinary student like myself can make a tangible difference. As buddy co-coordinator, I will work with Sharwari to facilitate connections and friendships between students that will help better their language skills and also allow them to share and listen to different cultural experiences.

I am looking forward to fostering a safe, inclusive space for all our students–and I sincerely hope we are able to make their integration into the community a tiny bit easier. Thankfully, we have a wonderful board filled with passionate people, and I’m excited to work with them!I am so excited to meet all students, teachers, and buddies and I hope to see many of you at our events!