Your student life: it’s quite something. It’s a time in which you can explore new things, learn more about yourself and choose your own way. At SG, we find that taking a moment to talk about this – about identity – can help you to better understand who you are. It may even help you to better understand how and why others might be different from you.

SG in Conversation brings these moments of conversation to you. In this series we invite young people who – by their own volition, or forced by social pressures – swim against the current. People who are just like you and me, except for the fact that they are breaking ground, each in their own way. This makes them inspirational examples to reflect on modern life.

Led by our talented hosts Roeland Wendel and Merel Wielaert, we’ll go into conversation with these pioneers. Together with them, we will explore the realm of identity in this day and age. Using their personal stories as a common thread, we will reflect with the guests on themes that play(ed) an important role in their lives. Let’s listen to their stories and find out what they can mean for us.

Guest of the night: Maarten Hurkmans

Our third guest in the series is Maarten Hurkmans (1997). Maarten started his rowing career as a ‘little’ kid years ago, back in 2009. Over the years, Maarten participated in many rowing competitions, both in the Netherlands and abroad. These days, you can no longer ignore Maarten. As a current member of the Dutch national rowing team (Holland Acht), he participated in rowing competitions all over the world, including the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. Also beyond the realm of sports he has become a role model, by publicly coming out as bisexual in the summer of 2020. Tonight, we go into conversation with this multifaceted role model. Expect a night filled with topics such as sports, queerness, performance pressure, living abroad and much more, all from the perspective of identity.

Overview of the night

The night starts with a walk-in at 8:00 PM, allowing enough time for everyone to get comfortable. When we’re all ready at 8:30 PM, the conversation with the guest will start. During the conversation, we will have time for a couple of questions. In case you’ve already got one in mind, make sure to submit it when ordering the ticket. After an hour or so, we will conclude the evening with a more informal drink. In case your question didn’t come up during the conversation yet, you might be able to ask it afterwards whilst enjoying your drink!

In order to create a safe space for open conversation, the evening won’t be recorded for public use. This means that you can only experience the event by showing up in person. There are limited seats available, so please make sure to reserve a ticket only if you intend to show up. If you have a ticket but are unable to attend the event, please make sure to cancel your ticket as soon as possible. Thanks a lot in advance.

Warning: During the event you might learn a thing or two about yourself (and others), so be prepared.

Interested in more conversations? Check out the other upcoming events in the SG in Conversation series.