The annual EWUU Conference once again brought together researchers, professionals, and societal partners for a day of inspiration, exchange, and collaboration. This year’s theme, “Driving Transitions, in Society, with Society,” was not only discussed but actively experienced throughout the programme.
Rather than focusing solely on dialogue, participants were invited to step beyond their own disciplines and perspectives, engaging in interactive breakout sessions designed to explore what real change can look like in practice.
Rethinking Prevention from the Future
In his keynote, our scientic director Roel Vermeulen challenged participants to shift their perspective on prevention by imagining themselves in the future, looking back at 2026 with curiosity and even a sense of mild astonishment. By questioning today’s routines and assumptions from this future vantage point, he opened up space to envision fundamentally different approaches to health and wellbeing.
This forward-looking mindset was brought to life in the interactive serious game “Saving the Wellbeing Utopia,” facilitated by Mahdi Abdelwahab from Being Well Catalysts. Participants took on the roles of different societal stakeholders, experiencing firsthand the complexity of health systems and the interconnected decisions that shape them. The exercise highlighted not only the challenges but also the possibilities of collaborative action.
Co-Creating Research with Youth
A second workshop, led by Madelief Engels and Daniëlla van Uden, offered a hands-on exploration of what it truly means to co-create research with young people. Drawing on insights from the LIFTS project, participants engaged in a photovoice exercise a method in which adolescents document their lived experiences and actively contribute to analysing them.
By stepping into this process themselves, participants discovered how involving youth in data interpretation leads to richer outcomes: insights that are more contextual, grounded, and nuanced than those derived from traditional research approaches alone. The session underscored the value of shared ownership in research and the importance of including diverse perspectives in knowledge creation.
Learning With and From Each Other
Across both sessions, one aspect stood out: the depth of engagement. Conversations were thoughtful and exploratory, yet firmly rooted in real-world practice. Participants demonstrated a strong willingness to learn not only from experts, but from each other, reflecting the very essence of the conference theme.
A Collective Effort
The success of the day was made possible by the contributions of inspiring speakers and the dedicated efforts of the EWUU alliance conference team. With partners from TU/e, WUR, Utrecht University, and UMC Utrecht, the event once again demonstrated the power of collaboration in addressing complex societal challenges.
Want to know more about the day? Read the full recap here.