Lee esta entrada en español:
El bosque de esperanza en Eindhoven
The Forest of Hope germinated in Eindhoven in March 2023. Here is its story in the words of Karla and Greta.
Karla:
Educational perspective
Holistic, Belonging, Sustainability and Peace
I am a teacher. I love being a teacher, especially working with the International Baccalaureate programme because it gives me space and freedom to be creative and it fundamentally also emphasizes teaching critical thinking skills. These are instrumental for this project. It asks people to care, to think and as a beautiful extension of this to be creative.
Because I work full-time and have three wonderful children I often did not feel like I had enough time to be active with issues that matter: our nature, global solidarity, peace and so on. I also know that I am not the only one to feel like this. I love being creative but any creativity went into my lessons or activities with my children. However, I was missing something – where my individual ‘voice’ could be part of something bigger like a collaboration with other people, creating a small community.
FOTO: With colleagues and friends putting up the wall in our school
Like many of my students and their families I am also a ‘world citizen’. I was born in Sweden to my Chilean mum and Argentinean dad. When I was 20 I moved to England and stayed there for nine years. During this time I received my BA in Politics, MA in History and PGCE in teaching. For each degree I also had a child. My children have a Nigerian dad and so the family gained more roots around the world. We moved to the Netherlands, to Eindhoven, in 2009 and have been here ever since. It has at times been difficult to set down roots especially since we thought that we would only be here for a couple of years. The reason I am telling you this is because a project like this one also brings people together. I have found friends where we have the goals of the Stitching a Forest in common (Stubborn Optimism) with Greta, a retired teacher from the Netherlands, with Maria Esther from Bolivia and Nira from India and this creates a sense of belonging which is tremendously important for basic well-being.
This summer we delivered trees, animals and fungi to a Brazilian colleague in Paris who will deliver these to Dora who is attending the COP 30 in Brazil. We have now become part of something even bigger.
Read about the trip to Belem do Pará (link to automatic English translation of Spanish text)
We will continue to work and learn about sustainability and peace (because these two go hand in hand) and meet every other week in our neighborhood community centre.
In September we have been invited to collaborate with a Peace organisation at an event called ‘Peace in the Park’ . We are also actively looking for more walls and more people to join us in Eindhoven.
Greta
Unlike Karla, I have roots in The Netherlands, as I have never lived anywhere else. Having said that, I have travelled, mainly through literature. The tree I added was inspired by Richard Powers’ book The Overstory, which formed an antidote to Richard Dawkins’s presentation of trees as selfishly trying to get all the sun at the expense of trees below them.The Overstory taught me about the wood wide web, Suzanne Simard’s theory that yes, the tallest trees get the most sun, but through their root system they pass on nutrients to trees below them, and form a whole world that we cannot see of insects and worms and fungi together creating healthy soil. As this is the kind of world I would like to see for communities of trees and humans alike, this view attracts me more.
I grew up in a forest, I love the feeling of pine needles under the soles of my feet, and I love being part of a community of people who love the planet as much as I do. Creating something new from materials I already have, and sharing and exchanging materials, ideas and techniques with others has always been my preferred way of working. And not having cupboardsful of finished projects but giving a panel away to join the other panels means no clutter (well, less clutter) in the house and roots and branches reaching other trees. The Forest of Hope is the Wood Wide Web too.
Timeline – Events
2023 March – started stitching.
First exhibition in June 2023, 9 trees, BioArt, Eindhoven.
FOTO: First exhibition in BioArt June 2023 with Pernilla who made a tree out of odd socks
2024, June – second exhibition at the International School of Eindhoven at the International Fair – trees, animals and fungi
FOTO: The Forest of Hope – in our school International School of Eindhoven – made by Maria Esther
2024, October – workshops for Primary and Secondary teachers
FOTO: Teachers from our Primary and other sister schools trying this out during a study day.
2025, December – invitated to present at the Volt grassroot organisation session.
2025, April – participated and supported the Circuit of Commons in Eindhoven.
2025, May – got a permanent place to collaborate in the neighborhood communal place Trompestraat Eindhoven. Everybody is welcome.
2025, May – third exhibition at the Park theater during the Europa day
2025, June – fourth exhibition at the International School Eindhoven
2025, October – Workshop for ITESS (Teachers training inspiration day)
Articles –
All written by our Greta Timmers
(in reverse chronological order)
10 July 2025, Eindhoven News: Eindhoven forest on the way to Brazil
18 April 2025, Eindhoven News: Motley crowd come together to demand space
28 June 2023, Eindhoven News: Forest of hope spreads its branches
Active members and contributors to the forest (names and piece)
Maria Esther:
Greta and grandchildren:
Tree with its roots inspired by The Overstory by Richard Powers
Snake
Millipedes
Monster
Bee
Tree growing inside tree
Pernilla and mum: Tree made with odd socks
Karla: Birch trees, influenced by the Birch trees from Sweden and also my family.
Zoe: A spider in its web
Luna: A small snail
Sinclair: A peace hummingbird using the colours of Palestine
Nira: Autumn tree
Tracy: A lemon tree that she had to leave behind when she moved away from Spain
Katty: A jacaranda from Guatemala
Group 5 Students from the ISE 2024 and 2025
Chantalle: Humming bird and