HopeAruba Movement

This Christmas, we move forward guided by HOPE.

With gratitude for the people who are here,
with belief in what we are building together,
and with HOPE as our guide:
Honor in how we treat one another,
Opportunity for all,
Progress made together,
and Excellence as our shared commitment.

May this season bring warmth, trust, and renewed energy.
And may the year ahead be shaped by courage, care, and HOPE.

Merry Christmas from all of us at HOPE Aruba.

From Human Rights Day to real progress

December 10 marks International Human Rights Day, a moment to reflect on rights not just as ideals, but as lived realities.

The Aruba Youth Monitor shows us where those realities need attention: young people report challenges related to mental health, well-being at school, safety, and being heard. These insights are not conclusions: they are calls to action.

If 2026 is to be a year of moving forward, it must be the year we shift from acknowledging issues to actively seeking solutions, together with youth. Data helps us understand what is happening; young people help us design what comes next. Human rights gain meaning when young voices help shape the future.
Let December 10 be more than a date, let it be a starting point.

When we move forward together, guided by youth voices, HOPE becomes something we build, every day.

You are cordially invited to this symposium on Tuesday November 25 from 5.30 to 8 PM. Please confirm by filling in the Google Form.

🤓𝐀 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐮𝐩 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫📚

This post-COVID follow-up aims to provide a picture and insight into the quality of life of Aruban youth aged 10 to 14 during and after the pandemic. The research team for this post-COVID follow-up research project is multidisciplinary, multicultural, and multi-ethnic in design and nature, affiliated with both the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)/NSCR and the Instituto Pedagogico Arubano (I.P.A.). The goal is to implement these findings to ensure and implement a sustainable, evidence-based policy plan for healthy and safe life paths for young people.

During this symposium the results of this research will be presented, followed by a panel discussion with different stakeholders that have expertise and background in several areas such as social wellbeing and education.

The research project was initiated and coordinated by Dr. Paula Kibbelaar, Dr. Anne-Marie Slotboom, Prof. Dr. Jan Hendriks, and Prof. Dr. Catrien Bijleveld of the VU/NSCR in Amsterdam.

📆25 November 2025
🕛5.30 - 8.00 P.M.
📍MC Chapel, University of Aruba

Click here to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegMbbTpKuPVfNdzEbp39-30K8g7i_wlx83u-N-EDcGZQu8lA/viewform?usp=dialog❗