How do you build a future and save for a home of your own when you pay €1,500 a month for a 30m² studio? How do you allow yourself to dream about starting a family when you can barely afford your groceries?

My favorite fairy tale is Huisje Boompje Beestje (a story about having a place of your own).

My name is Sara Roos. I am a photographer and visual artist. In August 2023, I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Utrecht School of the Arts (with a significant student debt, like so many of my generation). For me, art is a way to start conversations, to connect people, and to create mutual understanding.

Huisje Boompje Beestje is a photographic series about the so-called “pechgeneratie”. A generation that is not only facing a severe housing crisis affecting large parts of the Netherlands, but also carries an average student debt of € 22,900. What once felt natural and attainable to older generations now often feels like an unreachable dream to us.

With this project, I want to start an honest conversation between generations. I want to show older generations that we are not “lazy” but navigating circumstances that are deeply frustrating and discouraging.

The photo series will be exhibited in an empty house in Bussum. For the opening, we will invite politicians, the NOS News, several national newspapers, and other influential guests. An expert will also be asked to give a lecture to provide context and perspective. Through this project, I want young people from the “pechgeneratie” to feel seen and heard. Not only by older generations, but also by policymakers and the government.

Why this GoFundMe? To make this project possible, financial support is essential. The funds raised will be used for the production of the photo series and the exhibition, including photography production, hair and makeup, styling, printed works, and exhibition materials. And promotion to reach the national media.

Without your support, this project remains just an idea. With your help, we can give our generation a voice and show that change is urgently needed.

Huisje Boompje Beestje should not be a fairy tale. It should be a basic right.