The First 1000 Days

The foundations for a healthy and happy life are already laid in the period from twelve months before birth until two years afterwards. Yet one in six children in the Netherlands has a vulnerable start, while Youth Health Care mainly focuses on the period after birth. Families in vulnerable circumstances also do not always find their way to the existing care and support available to them. Through the regional programme Generatie Gezond Brabant, the Brabant GGDs are therefore exploring how these families can be reached and supported earlier and more effectively.

How can (future) families in vulnerable circumstances be better reached and supported during the first 1000 days of a new life? Parents and families are not approached only as a target group, but as experts by experience with their own knowledge, resilience and solutions. The designers are exploring what families need, the challenges they face and the solutions they identify themselves.

Dutch Design Foundation and GGD Brabant selected artist Martijn Engelbregt, artist and co-initiator of the artists’ collective Circus Andersom, and theatre maker Rosanne Groenendijk. Through a design-led approach, they are exploring new perspectives on giving families the best possible start together with families themselves.

During Dutch Design Week, an interactive installation will be used to gather insights from visitors. The installation will then travel to several municipalities in Brabant, where further values-based research will be carried out with families, residents and local partners.