Annent Bakker from the Netherlands took part in an EPEA conference for the first time and was the first to receive the Niek Willems scholarship. Annet was asked to answer two questions for us:

Question 1: Who are you and how did you come here.
Question 2: What is the most important for you that you bring back from the conference?

 Annet answered

Answer 1:  My name is Annet Bakker. Teacher in an Amsterdam prison for drug addicted prisoners with very often also psychiatric or other problems.

In august of 2009 I came to be the National Contact Person. (I would say: Liaison Person, but that is too confusing) This is a new function in the Dutch Prison System. There is also a Contact Person for Sports, one for Librarians and for Arts.

The Dutch Prison Service had stopped all foreign trips because of the economical crisis, which made it impossible for us to participate in conferences such as the EPEA conference in Cyprus. Luckily this year, the first Niek Willems Scholarship was awarded to a Dutch candidate. This meant for me the possibility to take part in the very stimulating, inspirational meeting.

Answer 2:  A feeling of wide spread effort to cope with the same problems we, as teachers, meet in Holland. But most important, a long list of very creative ideas. And I wanted to find reasons for us to form a branch of the EPEA here in Holland. Reasons with which I could convince my colleagues at home. I found plenty of them.

Thank you Annet