The power of inspiration

The Brunel Foundation believes in enthusing future generations. We aim to inspire them in their potential career choices, create awareness of the environment and help them unlock talents to their fullest potential. 

Over the past 10 years, a number of children have helped us as junior volunteers. One good example is 17-year-old Tim Kolijn. When he was only 10 years old, Tim came with his father to one of our programming workshops for the first time. His talent for programming soon became obvious. With infectious energy, he quickly turned out to be the ‘expert’, a source of information for the whole group.

Unlocking talent

When the Brunel Foundation planned a Minecraft programming workshop, it was immediately clear that Tim was the right person to help us. He understood the interests of the kids attending, so he was a perfect match.

 “I have happy memories of the Brunel Foundation workshop,” Tim says. “I really enjoyed doing it and wasn't nervous at all, even though I was standing in front of a group of my peers. This workshop left me wanting more. I continued giving a number of similar workshops at TechPlaygrounds.” TechPlaygrounds is a place where (neuro-divergent) teenagers and coaches outside the labour market come together, interact on a social level and create great things.

Entrepreneurship

During Covid, Tim started his own company which he now combines with school. He creates Minecraft solutions for municipalities, companies and events. He programs in Java and sets up servers. “My first projects came from family members,” he explains. “Later I received my first major assignment from the Dutch Technology Week and the Municipality of Eindhoven for ‘EindjeMinecraft’, a digital city where all the children and young people of Eindhoven can participate. It was the icing on the cake that I was asked to give a digital tour to the Dutch Royal family during their visit to Eindhoven on King's Day in 2021.