Future For Nature Volunteers

My name is Mathijs Megens and since I was little I’ve been passionate about all that’s living on our beautiful planet. The fact that the vast majority of natural wonders are threatened by irresponsible human activity breaks my heart and my life wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t get involved with nature conservation one way or another. I am a recent BSc graduate of Forest- and Nature Management & Tropical Forestry at HVHL and will continue studying the MSc Forest and Nature Conservation at WUR to learn more about ecology and protecting biodiversity. My first introduction to conservation was in 2016, when I had the opportunity to get a short internship at FFN as part of my bilingual studies. It was my first real experience with the conservation world and from that moment on I knew what I would become: a conservationist! So here I am, a proud volunteer of the Future For Nature Foundation! I keep FFN’s social media channels up-to-date and design engaging posts and infographics to spread awareness about nature conservation. During the annual award events, my work also includes portrait- and behind-the-scenes photography as well as merchandise design.

My name is Mira Meijer and ever since I can remember I’ve been an animal lover. As a little girl I would go around the neighbourhood collecting money for nature conservation projects. I studied Media, Information and Communication. I support Future For Nature by designing visual communication and video’s through my internship and now as a volunteer. I’m happy that I can combine my love for photography and video with promoting amazing conservation projects. I first heard about Future For Nature, when I was working at Burgers’ Zoo. There I had the chance to meet one of the winners of the Future For Nature Award (Trang) and was inspired by her and the other winners. I’m excited to be a part of the Future For Nature team and ready to be inspired by the winners of this years Future For Nature Award once more.

I am Françoise Winkels, and I just finished obtaining my Masters degree in Communication Science. My ambition for the future is to help make global companies and organisations more aware of their ecological footprint and help them realise the importance of conserving nature. I performed my internship at Future For Nature because I believe the work they do is very important for the preservation of our planet. As an FFN volunteer I write updates and articles for the website.

Growing up on the Dutch coast, my love for nature was formed. Being outdoors still makes me calm and happy. I find other countries, customs and landscapes immensely fascinating. My studies were focused on Eastern Europe and after graduating I travelled in Asia where I visited a project for orangutans in Indonesia, among other inspiring places. For my work at Askja Reizen I am occupied with Nordic nature destinations and Iceland has even become sort of my second home country.

That our beautiful world is seriously threatened has long been clear to me. I try to do as much good as I can. When I came into contact with Future For Nature, through Askja Reizen, I knew immediately that I wanted to get involved with the organisation. With great pleasure, I am now part of this beautiful community.

I’m Linda Bloch. For over 20 years, I have watched documentaries about nature made by the BBC, and they increased my appreciation of nature, animals and plants tremendously. This made me realize I wanted one dream to become true: to visit Zimbabwe once in my life! I found a non-governmental game park, where I could contribute to protecting elephants and other animals. The Jane Goodall Institute  Netherlands (JGI NL), supported me in discovering this game park. That is why I wanted to be a volunteer for JGI NL at Burgers’ Zoo. In my second year at JGI NL, I attended the Future For Nature Awards event: that was the moment I was lost. It gives me huge fulfilment to be a small part of this great foundation!

My name is Dieuwerke van de Ven. Since I’ve been little I’ve been passionate about animals. I would volunteer at our nearest petfarm and later on I started the study Animalbehaviour. During this study my interests grew to a point where I wanted to inspire and pass on the knowledge I gained onto others. That’s why I started a study to become a teacher specialist in nature-related topics. Currently I am working at Ecomare as an educational officer where I can inspire people with the beauty that nature has to offer.

I am happy to volunteer at the Future For Nature Foundation! I’m responsible for the updates and posts on social media.

Ever since attending my first Future For Nature Award Event in 2018, I have been motivated to support this beautiful organisation. Over the past few years I have worked with FFN in different roles. Currently as a volunteer I help out with communication and graphic design, and other tasks if needed. Through my academic background in biology, and experience with communication and organisation, I aim to contribute to FFN and nature conservation as a whole.

My love for exploring new places, learning about and protecting nature, and connecting with animals and people, is what drives me. My passion for nature (conservation) was sparked by watching the beautiful documentaries narrated by David Attenborough, and fueled by travelling to wonderfully wild places around the world, such as the Galapagos islands and Borneo. Unfortunately these types of natural places and the species within them are often under threat and in need of our help. Luckily that is exactly what the amazing Future For Nature Family of winners does! The FFN Award winners continue to inspire me, and I hope to be able to visit them and their projects some day.