Young people from Rotterdam, age 17-24 have the opportunity to work and learn as part of Witte de With’s collective learning effort. The program sees youngsters work at the institution while at the same time learning and acquiring tools, skills and inspiration to grow as individuals.

The first edition of this program took place from September 2018 to February 2019. It involved nine participants who worked with Witte de With’s Curator Collective Learning on hosting and creating programming, combined with learning during a series of workshops centered on identity issues, art and entrepreneurship.

As part of the program, the participants were tasked to propose a new identity for the ground-floor gallery of Witte de With. They proposed naming it MELLY, towards creating a more welcoming environment and conversation-based program.

The goal of this edition is to collectively articulate a vision for culture, and to develop a policy plan in order to materialize that vision at MELLY, located at Witte de With in Rotterdam.