Celebrate Antonia's PhD by supporting Bloei & Groei

Dear family, friends, and colleagues!

After years of scouring archives, deciphering illegible eighteenth-century handwriting and after countless drafts and edits, my PhD is finally done. I am grateful to everyone who cheered me on, supported me, distracted me, kept me sane, and helped me make it to the finish line.

Being able to do this research has been a major privilege. I have no wishes but am above all grateful that I got a chance to read, think, and write for such a prolonged period of time. So if you thought of gifting me something, here is my question to you: please would you instead contribute to a collective donation in my name to the Amsterdam nonprofit Bloei & Groei.

For more than ten years, Bloei & Groei has been running women community gardens in parts of the city where female residents are in need of extra support. To date, about 400 women have gardened with them. In addition to free gardening space, Bloei & Groei also offers practical coaching and courses, and mentors women who plan to start their own green projects. I first met Ama, the founder of Bloei & Groei, in the first year of my PhD and have drawn a lot of inspiration from her words and from the work she does with her team. My research puts a spotlight on women's contributions to the making of green space. Bloei & Groei empowers women today to continue this historic legacy and to shape the city they live in. If you'd like to know more about them, take a look at their website or watch this documentary .

Thanks in advance for your support! Antonia