It-Can-Also-Be-Different!

So do you want to help but don’t know where to start? Just follow the next few steps and start making a difference!

  1. Analyse: What seems to be problem?
  2. What exactly is your goal?
  3. Is there enough focus? Is it ‘special’ enough?
  4. Is it sustainable? Can it be reused?
  5. What are the costs?
  6. Is it focussed on strengths? I
  7. Is it fun? Festive? Challenging? Pure? Yes?

This may sound familiar... Someone asks you to come up with a solution for a certain problem. Well, that’s obviously something that you can do, so you immediately start to think about your available resources. The can and can’t do’s. And with that in mind, you make the assessment if your idea is feasible. If it really can offer a solution.

But what if the problem is homelessness? Or loneliness? Addiction? Grief? What if the challenge seems to big,

what will you do then? Many will assume that they’re not fit to solve the problem. That they are to small and/or lack the resources. And honestly, that’s totally understable. We are used to judge our capabilities based on our resources. Secondly, most of us aren’t trained professionals. So no, clearly it’s not possible.

Could it also be different? YES, IT CAN ALSO BE DIFFERENT.

We can (or should) change our mindset. Think of something that we CAN do. How we can contribute to better a certain situation. Because you know, just a little bit of change can make a world of difference. A little bit of effort vs. a mountain of appreciation. Because we are all worth it. Curious about what they are? Read all about it on the next page And that is exactly why at Discus, we work with the It-Can-Also-Be-Different methodology.

With It-Can-Also-Be-Different we strive to help homeless people who have psychiatric illnesses (like addiction). At the same time, we’re are fighting homelessness. How we do that? Easy, by giving homes to the homeless.

We firmly believe that having a solid foundation helps our clients with taking back control over their lives. And we will do everything we can in helping them achieve that. With conventional methods, or creative and out-of-the-box ones. As long as it works. That’s the whole thing. Doing something that cán be done.

Doing something that is different. This website is here to inspire and be inspired. With beautiful real life stories. Stories about how It-Can-Also-Be-Different made a difference. Stories about how you can make a difference. Just inspiring stories about doing stuff. Differently.

So do you want to help but don’t know where to start? Just follow the next few steps and start making a difference!

Analyse: What seems to be problem?

What exactly is your goal?

Is there enough focus? Is it ‘special’ enough?

Is it sustainable? Can it be reused?

What are the costs?

Is it focussed on strengths?

Is it fun? Festive? Challenging? Pure? Yes?

our approach

80-20

The 80/20-principle is a useful tool to work goal oriented. The FUZZY-method shows that HVO-Querido occasionally works with targets that might seem out-of-the-box.

Read more

Erasmus+ project

Erasmus +, the subsidy program of the European Commission, offers people of all ages the opportunity to share their knowledge and / or learn from (other) professionals from another country.

Read more

Fuzzy

The FUZZY methodology (Peter Makensteijn) works differently. Goals are set on the fly and thus a flexible mindset concerning the usage of time (and finances).

Read more

Housing First

The concept of Housing First came over from the United States in 2006. It’s based on the idea that homeless people with an addiction (or other mental illness) would primarily benefit from having their own home.

Read more

Inspire by sharing

Inspire by sharing The centre of expertise is the place where everything comes together.

Read more

Restoring dreams to tackle loneliness

Did you know that more than 46% of Amsterdammers sometimes feel lonely and more than 13% even extremely lonely? During the K1 project (job shadowing), we did a study that showed some confrontational results.

Read more

The profiles

We are all different. Even though our social workers work according to the principles of Housing First, they are not the same.

Read more