Dekeyser&Friends Foundation

Dekeyser&Friends Foundation
Formation 2009
Founders Robert Dekeyser, Florian Hoffmann
Type Educational foundation
Focus Education, Development Projects
Headquarters Avenue de Champel 64, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
Method Donations, Grants, Volunteering
Website www.dekeyserandfriends.org

The Dekeyser&Friends Foundation is an educational foundation, founded by Robert Dekeyser and Florian Hoffmann in 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland, that finances projects worldwide.[1][2][3]

The Dekeyser & Friends Foundation promotes and supports various different projects around the world. In particular, the foundation is engaged in actively supporting The DO School - an educational organization which offers programs for young social entrepreneurs. [4][5]

The DO School brings together one mentor, organization or company (Challenger) and up to 20 students (Fellows) per one year program in experiential educational programs. Challengers are leading experts or organizations in different areas such as sustainability, arts and culture, sports, business, and politics, who want to give back and pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation. In addition, they lead the students whilst finding solutions to challenges the world faces today. The Fellows are young people aged 18 to 28 from around the world. Usually the School organizes three programs per year.[6][7][8]

The Dekeyser&Friends Foundation works also within a private-public coalition in the Philippines on re-housing scavenger families into the new Compostela village.[9][10][11]

Mission

The stated mission of the Dekeyser & Friends Foundation is to ‘inspire young people worldwide to believe in themselves and contribute to positive social change. We work to offer young people opportunities to lead positive and fulfilled lives’.[1][2][3][9][10][12] [13][13]

History

In 2009, the Dekeyser & Friends Foundation was registered in Geneva, Switzerland and officially launched at the Swiss Economic Forum. The foundation developed and set up the D&F Academy in 2009, which later emerged as an independent organization - The DO School in 2013. In 2009 the first D&F program started, the 'Museum Project' with former ski racer Markus Wasmeier in Germany, where they restored an old bavarian farmhouse [14][15][16] The next project was a dance project with the general art director at Fire of Anatolia and choreographer Mustafa Erdogan in Turkey.[3][17]

In 2010, seventeen participants started to support the creation of a new village, Compostella, for families living on a garbage dump in Cebu, Philippines.[1][2] The Rehousing Project with social-worker Heinz Kulücke laid the foundation for the new village for scavenger families. Ten families who had been living at the dump side by the collected wastes were resettled.[9][18]

In 2011, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) granted the necessary resources to proceed with the rehousing efforts in Cebu, Philippines. The Rehousing Project was the cornerstone of the foundation’s ongoing engagement in the Philippines.

In 2011, the first fixed campus was opened in Hamburg, Germany. Projects took place with Challenger Tim Mälzer in Hamburg, as well as with Challenger Dr. Samuel Ross in New York.

Challengers in 2012 included primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, former soccer player Jens Lehmann, and conductor Christoph Poppen.[19]

In 2013, projects took place based on the themes of theater and peace. In mid-2013, the DO School was founded, succeeding the D&F Academy. The DO School has since established itself as an independent educational institution offering one-year programs to emerging entrepreneurs from around the world.[20]

In Cebu, Philippines the foundation enabled a total of 50 families - 500 people - to build new houses and start a new life away from the garbage dump in the Compostella village by spring 2013.[17]

Financing

Robert Dekeyser has provided the foundation with five million euros.[1][2][3][9][13]

Activities

The DO School

Launched by the Foundation in 2009, the D&F Academy was an educational institution which offered one-year educational programs in the areas of global issues, arts & culture and sports to young adults from around the globe between 18 and 28.[21]

The DO School emerged in 2013 as an independent successor of the D&F Academy. The DO School is an educational institution, with its main offices located in Hamburg, Germany, which offers one-year educational programs in the area of social entrepreneurship.[21][22]

Jumpsmart.tv

Launched in early 2012, it is a video learning platform of the Dekeyser&Friends Foundation. They focus on two main video formats: the "How-To" video, which will give access to the skills and know-how the foundationers learn during their projects; and the "Inspiring Interview", which aims to connect young people with experts around the world.[23]

Philanthropy

The Foundation manages one major development project, namely the construction of a village on the Philippine island of Cebu that offers scavengers from a local dumpsite a new perspective. The Compostela village project is being implemented in collaboration with JPIC-IDC (a local NGO), the German Karl-Kübel Foundation, DEDON Philippines and through the support of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the BMZ. The Compostela village project was started in 2010 and is currently under construction. In 2012, the first ten families moved into their new village.[24]

Founders

Robert Dekeyser

Robert Dekeyser is a Belgian-German founder of the outdoor furniture manufacturer DEDON, former football goalkeeper of FC Bayern Munich and founder of the Dekeyser&Friends Foundation.[3][18][25]

Florian Hoffmann

Florian Hoffmann is the founding CEO of the Dekeyser & Friends Foundation [13][15][25] He is the President of the DO School.[26]

Partners

[27]

Advising Board

[3][28]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Tönnesmann, Jens: 'Gefühl statt Kalkül' ('Sensation instead of Calculation'). In: Die Zeit, February 14, 2012
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tönnesmann, Jens: 'Gefühl statt Kalkül' ('Furniture-maker Bobby Dekeyser: Sensation instead of Calculation'). In: Die Zeit, February 14, 2012
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brenner, Beatrice: 'Ich habe weder ein eigenes Büro, noch eine Sekretärin' ('I have neither a own office, nor a secretary') (Interview with Robert Dekeyser)". In: io new management, February 19, 2010
  4. ↑ http://thedoschool.org Accessed on 27.09.13
  5. ↑ http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/what-we-do/df-academy/ Accessed on 27.09.13
  6. ↑ http://thedoschool.org/program/overview/ Accessed on 12.09.13
  7. ↑ http://thedoschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TheDOSchool_Program.pdf Accessed on 12.09.13
  8. ↑ http://thedoschool.org/program/instructors/instructors-overview/ Accessed on 12.09.13
  9. 1 2 3 4 Emich, Robert: 'Der menschliche Faktor' ('The Human Factor'). In: VOGUE Deutschland, June 2012, p. 206-219
  10. 1 2 http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/about/mission/
  11. ↑ http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/what-we-do/philantropy/ Accessed on 28.10.13
  12. ↑ http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/about/mission/ Accessed on 27.09.13
  13. 1 2 3 4 Rammin, Claudia: 'Seine beste Parade' ('His Best Parade'). In: Enorm. 2012.
  14. ↑ Krücken, Stefan: 'Kindheit im Dreck'. (Report) In: Sonntagsblick Magazin Deutschland, p. 28-36
  15. 1 2 Sonnet, Carola: 'Die Angst des Tormanns vor der Langeweile'. In: Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt Deutschland.
  16. ↑ Lutz, Juliane: 'Zieh dein Ding durch' ('Do your thing'). (Interview with Robert Dekeyser) In: Süddeutsche Zeitung Deutschland, July 31, 2010, p. V2/11.
  17. 1 2 http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/about/history/
  18. 1 2 Schmitt, Peter-Philipp: 'Er kann nur angreifen' ('He only can attack'). In: 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung', December 8, 2011.
  19. ↑ http://thedoschool.org/program/instructors/challengers/ Accessed on 12.09.13
  20. ↑ http://thedoschool.org/about/history/ Accessed on 12.09.13
  21. 1 2 http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/what-we-do/df-academy/
  22. ↑ http://thedoschool.org/about/history/ Accessed on 13.09.13
  23. ↑ http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/what-we-do/jumpsmart/
  24. ↑ http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/what-we-do/philanthropy/
  25. 1 2 http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/about/people/
  26. ↑ http://thedoschool.org/people/florian-hoffmann/ Accessed on 27.09.13
  27. ↑ http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/about/supporters/
  28. ↑ http://www.dekeyserandfriends.org/about/council/
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