dialogue

Mission, Projects and Activities

  • The QfWf-Mission: the Intercultural Art of Living in a Global World!

    The Quest for Wisdom foundation was founded in 2016 by Heidi Muijen. With an intercultural community (the Soul Circle — Quest for Wisdom Circle), the QfWf organizes activities to promote a culture of openness and plurality: necessary ingredients for inclusion as world citizens. Each year, the Soul Circle develops a programme during Seasonal Meetings to be presented at the Annual Meeting Day. Through these activities, the Quest for Wisdom Circle spreads cosmopolitan values into our branching networks as Soul Circle — using playful artistic materials and our World Citizenship programme. In doing so, the QfWf aims to strenghten the connections between people and their cultural heritage. Thereby, contributing to an open and plural culture of world citizenship (inter-esse for cultural diversity) by tapping into one’s own and shared historical (inter)cultural roots and wisdom traditions — highlighting the underlying transcultural values of humanity, compassion and hospitality.

    Cultural ANBI status

    The QfWf is acknowledged as organization with an culturele ANBI status (NL).

    The programs in the Quest for Wisdom-Brochure have been honored twice by cultural funding:

    Storytelling programma Animal Wisdom in 2020-2021

    With a subsidy from Prins Bernard Cultuurfonds i.s.m. Fonds zuidoost, awarded in 2020, the QfWf has developed a storytelling-Project- around animal wisdom in storytelling traditions from all four corners of the world. The purpose of this programme is to bring ancient wisdom into new forms for contemporary ears, resulting in stories on Animal Wisdom, the Animal Wisdom Collection and an Intercultural lesson for elementary education.

  • The “Global Citizenship of the streets” project in 2023-2024

    Start of the project with world cafe dialogues – photo Marc Broens

    With a subsidy from the Cultural Participation Fund, the QfWf has realized the “World Citizenship of the Street”-project in 2023-2024 in the form of a triptych in 3 phases. Reflecting on the history of slavery (phase 1); then, collecting intercultural ingredients of collective and individueal dreams of global citizenship in images, music, dance, stories and other expressions of (inter)cultural heritage (phase 2); culminating in a social experiment with collaborating partner organizations (phase 3) for global citizenship. The result is an intercultural programme with wisdom and beauty from the four corners of the world.

    The QfWf method is using Art as magic and collecting inter-cultural ingredients as fuel, to be presented in meetings as well as in books: (Post)Koloniale Waarden, Amor Fati and Amor Mundi. As spinn-off, the digital platform The Golden Ratio was launched to present the World Citizenship programme; developed in collaboration with social partners: Culturele Droomwevers and Curinesa Foundation, independent artists, Robin Stemerding, Nour Kayali en Louis van Marissing, and the Wehpokamanong Cultural Group, who preserves the cultural heritage of indigenous Caraibs from Suriname in the Netherlands and passes it on to young generations. This project started in the fall 2023 with a meeting in Bussum, culminating in several meetings during the year 2024 and ended with the presentation of the books and an migrants exhibition.

    These books and the exhibition were presented in the Public Library of Amsterdam (OBA) in Weesp on the 28th of September 2024, and on the 19th of October 2024 together with the residents of the Regenbooggroep, the organisation that gives shelter to migrants, refugies, homeless and people in need: exchanging cultural ingredients with music, dance and sharing food from each others cultural kitches. A ceramic statue, made by Camile Smeets was presented: this Rainbow Paradise Bird with Cosmic Egg incorporates the world dreams of the intercultural project group. On the 25th of Januari 2025 in the OBA Reigersbos, the exhibition Amor Mundi was reopened, together with the presentation of the book Amor Fati, sharing an intercultural programme with music and spoken word by Angela Gilds review on the project meetings.

    The need for an intercultural art of living

    Being able to deal in a human way with differences is a delicate matter in our current times. The QfWf calls for an intercultural art of living, visualised with the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living.

    The QfWf sees World Citizenship as the human answer facing the collective fear for migrants as ‘the strange others’. Tilting tendencies of hatred and agression towards a path of openness and inclusion.

  • The intercultural art of living is the ability to move nomadic between cultures and to be able to see the beauty of cultural differences. To enhance the art of living as world citizens the QfWf-Soul Circle organises every year around a social relevant theme an intercultural programme and presents this on its digital platform de gulden snede as well as by living encounters such as the yearly QfWf-Meeting Day.
  • Just like the beauty of the Golden Ratio in natural forms such as the rhythmical growth of leaves and snail shells, as well as in cultural expressions such as the principles how cathedrals are built and the musical harmony in chords.This QfWf-vision and mission to contribute to a cosmopolic world order and culture of inclusion is the core of the QfWf.

  • Quest for Wisdom, meandering along

How to deal with differences?

Dealing with differences has been raised as a social issue by Paul Scheffer, in his controversial article “Het multicultural drama” (2000). Then, calling the fact of living in a multicultural society a ‘drama’ raised debate, now it seems ‘the new normal’. Before that, the international debate had been heated up by Samuel P. Huntington’s terrifying perspective on the Clash of Civilizations (1996). Since then, the political debate on multicultural issues gets harder and harder, increasingly rude on the social media ….

The QfWf wants to play a role in tilting the debate

Diagram met de 17 duurzame ontwikkelingsdoelen door de V.N. op 25 September 2015 aangenomen als deel van de 2030 Agenda
Diagram met de 17 duurzame ontwikkelingsdoelen

The QfWf wants to turn the polarized debate about migration, refugees and religious fights from a problem for ‘political experts’, to a wake up-call for all of us. As world citizens, we hear in the cry for help an ethical appeal to us, to everyone, from the current administration to our neighbours in the street.

How do we deal with, and how do we want to deal with ‘the strange other’?
That strange other can be the foreigner, the outcast, the migrant, the refugee and if we are honest, the ‘other’ we are ourselves …

In order to tilt the debate, the QfWf urges for awareness of who ‘we’ are underneath identifications with our culture, nationality, ethnicity, religion and gender: we are citizens of the cosmopolis, nomads with inter-cultural identities:

Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto, Italië — foto Joke Koppius

The inter-cultural art of living means not to exclude the other as the ‘unwelcome stranger’, but to see behind our maskes ― the roles we play in society ― seeing our shared human nature, and recognizing ‘the strange other’ in ourselves! Thereby, we create space in-between us (which is in Hannah Arendts view confitional for preserving our humanity), inducing inter- and transcultural connections! This soft power, the fragility of goodness as Martha Nussbaum sees it, is our weapon of world citizenship to overcome the divide and rule power-politics, that we witness in the increasing aggression and hatred, greed and indifference, that we tolerate to rule in our world. 

Recognizing the beauty of cultural differences as well as shared human values, is stronger than the fear of ‘otherness’. The road towards this challenging goal is the world of the arts and (inter-)cultural expressions: by co-creating meaningful connections between people and their cultural heritage!

Creating inter- and transcultural connections

QfWf-event in the Library of Amterdam – photo Michel Odjo

The QfWf aims to develop artistic, philosophical, social and practical inter-cultural connections through the arts and wisdom from East and West, North and South. Thereby inspiring people for an intercultural art of living as world citizens: by interacting in respect and interest for each other’s differences. To preserve values of plurality for world citizenship, requires openness within ourselves as well as in-between people by keeping in touch with our human core values, like hospitality, empathy and happiness, which truly connect us as sisters and brothers ― keeping a common playing field open for all!

Update 2026-08

Mission, Projects and Activities Read More »

Workshops and Masterclasses

Meet — Meeting Day — Workshops en Masterclasses — QfWf-Soul-Circle — Video-channel and Newsletter

The Quintessence Game introducing Amor Fati — Art Dialogues around the Dialogue Table — Intercultural Communication, Adinkra Masterclass — Hybrid play forms with the game Quest for Wisdom — Golden Ratio Educational 

The Quest for Wisdom-Brochure contains our up to date offer!

The Board Game on Global Citizenship: Amor Fati

Addressing life themes with symbolism across the boundaries of cultures

A workshop under QfWf guidance

Art Dialogues around the board game Amor Fati

Amor Fati is a board game to enhance the intercultural art of living: you undertake a journey across a colourful landscape full of symbolism and along the way you pick up intercultural visions and mythical wisdom.

Around the Amor Fati game board, you travel through seven game rounds that address life themes and exchange associations and experience with your travel companions for a wise way of dealing with the questions life poses.

On the journey you explore the tension between amor fati as fate of your destiny and the freedom to shape life yourself:

  • In a workshop to get acquainted with the intercultural art of living.
  • In a master class to learn how to guide this game form yourself.
  • From one full day to 9 half days, suitable for individuals, groups and teams

The Quintessence Game

As an introduction to the cosmopolitan art of living of Amor Fati’s there is a shorter play mode can encompassing a (half) daily Quest through the Quintessence Game

This is a wisdom card game that introduces the art of living as a group of global citizen with three different layouts and conversation formats:

  • Quintessence: how to connect the wisdom of earth, of water, of air and of fire to the unsaid of the fifth element?
  • Your Quest? Explore an issue with each other by allowing chance or fate to play a role in your exploring the question behind the question!
  • Oracles: How to unlock ancient wisdom from the four corners of the world by being the oracle for each other?

Interested? Please, contact us : info@questforwisdom.org or order directly in our Wisdom Shop

Art Dialogues around the Play Table

From Drive to Resilience

A workshop under QfWf-guidance

Sitting around the Play Table with creative materials

Around the Amor Fati game board, full of mythical-philosophical symbolism, you explore the intercultural art of living, with the aim of promoting meaningful encounters and enriching conversations as global citizens.

The board game is developed by Heidi Muijen as Human, know yourself from 2006 onwards in her philosophical counselling practice Thymia, resulting in six game forms of playing around life-themes. These are still available as a workshop as a means for personal and professional growth.

The six mythical-philosophical workshop themes:

Whereas Amor Fati is a play for which you need up to 9 half days time, there are introductory forms to get acquainted with Amor Fati from half a day to 4 half days, suitable for individuals, groups and teams:

  • Elemental Wisdom — Gnosis game: a quest for wisdom!
  • The Art of Encountering — Mask game: the strange other!
  • Follow your ‘Hero’s Paths’ — Hero game: play yourself!
  • Elementary way’s of research — Compassion game: the good life!
  • The Art of Dreaming — Dream game: Follow your wish!
  • Envisioning your view of life — Vision game: attune to your inner compass!

More information, Requests and to Purchase: info@questforwisdom.org

Art Dialogues around the Dialogue Table

From Imagination to Vision

Workshop with the Playful Dialogue tablecloth

 

A workshop under QfWf-guidance

Around a colourful Dialogue Tablecloth full of transcultural symbolism ― around myths and philosophical and spiritual perspectives from all coners of the world. These aim to uncover the important questions behind opinions: Explore your differences in framing an issue on a quest towards the core of sense making with intercultural perspectives!

What is your Quest? is played in four rounds by means of symbolic objects and two sets of cards with Western and Intercultural perspectives from East, West, North, South.

By reflecting on the images and symbolism on the Dialogue Tablecloth, a delay of reaction is created and the conversation tilts from simply ventilating opinions, to questioning and hearing the polyphony and layering in different meanings.

Dialogues in personal and professional settings

Workshop on location

Around the playful dialogue tablecloth you engage in a dialogue, with a team, your family, a group of friends on a discovering journey. There are four dialogue rounds, with intercultural symbolism and perspectives, such as: elementary wisdom, the search in the labyrinth of life, meaningful encounters on the journey of life, how do you interpret signs as a language of the soul, listening to your moral compass.

  • In a workshop one becomes acquainted with a playful form of dialogue.
  • In a master class you learn to use a playful form around the dialogue tablecloth yourself as a professional.
  • From half a day to 4 half days, either in Dutch or in English
  • Suitable for individuals and groups: friends and family and (sports and working) teams.
  • You either explore a common issue or each participant explores their own question.

Through the QfWf-dialogue game The Four Winds an Educational Team of the University of Applied Sciences has explored the issue of “Inclusive Communication with our students and with each other, how?”.

Een teamdag rond het dialoogtafelkleed Vier Winden over het thema interculturele communicatie
With the team around the Dialogue Tablecloth Four Winds

One of the responses:

“Talking with images, or from images is sometimes easier, if you don’t know the meaning of symbols at first …. Beautiful work forms, special experiences, cheerful …. Staying with your feelings, not everything has to have a meaning in your head …. It brings you surprisingly close to the core. Norms, values, beliefs …. Free, playful, associative. Instructive how images can evoke so many different emotions.”

Requests: info@questforwisdom.org
Or purchase directly in our shop: Vier Winden of Four Winds

The Art of Dialogue

Playing materials of the Dialogue Four Winds

The Dialogue Table was developed by Heidi Muijen from 2010 onwards in her philosophical counselling practice Thymia, resulting in different forms of playful dialogues for the purpose of investigating personal, professional and social issues. The workshops around the Dialogue Tablecloth are designed to stimulate the imagination and with creative exercises, so that the participants are focussing on questioning their own frame of reference behind the issues at stake.

There are shorter (thematic) Dialogue forms, playfully tackling life themes, that are still available as a workshop as a means of personal and professional growth:

  • The Images in Dialogue  — in four dialogue rounds to the core of an issue.
  • The Quest —  dialogues around a triptych Past – Present – Future.
  • The Pythiagame — a creative oracle game to explore your own wisdom.
  • The Existential game — follow your own path to the good life according to ethical perspectives.

More information, Requests and to Purchase: info@questforwisdom.org

Intercultural Communication, Adinkra Masterclass

A contemplative game that is both challenging and fun

A workshop under QfWf-guidance

  • With Adinkra — an intercultural communication game in 2 rounds.
  • A workshop offers an exercise in an indirect form of communication and an introduction to traditional African wisdoms — in particular the symbols and proverbs of the Akan in Ghana.
  • In a masterclass one learns to use this form of play professionally
  • Lasts from 1 to 2 half-days, suitable for groups and teams.
  • Purchase and Request: info@questforwisdom.org

Together with your team, family or other network, you first follow an introduction given by Dr. Louise Müller — an expert in the field of African and intercultural philosophy — about the background of Adinkra, the Asante culture and various philosophies of Ghana.

Also, it is possible to play Adinkra online with each other.
You can see how this intercultural communication game can also work as a digitally powerful game, by connecting within your own network!
A few impressions from participants:

“Great to experience this and see what is possible digitally.”
“Nice and creative initiative. Beautiful things also arise to keep in touch with each other.”
“It’s great that we are not being fooled by the corona virus and still meet each other in this way.”
“Very inspiring and surprisingly fun!!!”

Klassiek Adinkra symbool — funtumfunafu-denkyemfunafu

Louise Müller on the game Adinkra:

“Adinkra, with image-rich proverbs and powerful symbols from Ghanaian culture, allows people to experience the wisdom of the Akan philosophy in a playful way”.

Workshops, guest lessons and master classes, also on location.

For teambuilding, company outings, masterclasses in cultural diversity, intercultural communication and high-context culture exercises using adinkra.

Dr. Louise F. Müller also gives workshops, guest lessons and masterclasses on location and tailored to the purpose of the meeting and the target group.

Including: an association, a club of friends, a family reunion, a cultural team outing, team training intercultural differences; guest lectures for students, teachers and other professionals, administrators and managers, who take inclusion to heart and want to further develop their skills in cultural diversity.

Workshops and masterclasses both live and online!
Requests and to Purchase: info@questforwisdom.org

Hybrid play with the Game for Wisdom

Find your course in life through the Art of Living

A workshop under QfWf-guidance

The Game for Wisdom can be combined with face to face meetings― as an activity introducting the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living!
Is suitable for individuals, groups and teams for the purpose of setting your course in life and career.

The game consists of seven rounds with questions based on intercultural symbols and stories from wisdom traditions from the East, West, North and South.

The Game for Wisdom can be combined:

  • Hybrid Game for Wisdom as a Pre-conference acticity

    On a Quest as team for a full day or as a pre-conference activity; also in a hybrid form of training in combination with a masterclass

  • In a workshop in order to become acquainted with dialogue and play as a means of developing the intercultural art of living. Using intercultural symbols and stories from wisdom traditions from the East, West, North and South.
  • In a masterclass one learns to use this form of play professionally.

Requiring at least ½ half a day;
Also it is possible to organise a meeting of up to 3 days if desired, suitable for individuals, groups and teams.

More information, Requests and to Purchase: info@questforwisdom.org

Golden Ratio Educational — Courses and Teaching Modules

Intercultural education, workshops on how to innovate the curriculum

With Ecological Wisdom, Global Citizenship and 21st Century Skills taken from Ancient Traditions:

  • For Basic education in primary and secondary education
  • For MBO and HBO
  • Further reading information.

Update 2026-08

Workshops and Masterclasses Read More »

The Organisation of the QfWf

The Board of the Quest for Wisdom foundation (QfWf)

bestuur@questforwisdom.org

The QfWf has laid down its mission in promoting an inclusive society in its practices and statutes of the Quest-for-Wisdom-Foundation.

The QfWf board is playing a leadership role in facilitating, organizing and realizing the QfWf-programmes on the intercultural art of living. From 2019 organized as the three Quests:

  • Quest 1 — Wisdom Web on which we collect wisdoms from all corners of the world;
  • Quest 2 — Developing a transcultural Golden Ratio of Play, Dialogue and Animal Wisdom storytelling;
  • Quest 3 — Living encounters to present our programmes and to develop the QfWf-goals.

Since the QfWf-project on Global Citizenship in 2024 the yearly QfWf-programmes around this goal are published on the digital platform for Global Citizenship Golden Ratio, integrating these quests.

The QfWf-Vision

is expressed in intercultural forms and artistic programmes enriching social themes for connecting people and their cultural heritage in an open cosmopolitan culture. The programmes are presented in living encounters and meetings of the QfWf, as well as in collaboration with social organizations, by means of publications, and through:

The QfWf websites:

  • The QfWf-website provides general information on the QfWf as a foundation with a Cultural ANBI status and how the QfWf circles are  co-creating around the three Quests, resulting in the (e)books, dialogue- and game-forms. These might be purchased in the webshop. The website is bilingual: in Dutch and English.
  • Within QfWf-website is the digital game Quest for Wisdom, launched in 2016, for which the Wheel for the Intercultural Art of Living was designed, ordering the 20 stories from the four corners of the world, including 80 transcultural symbols. This game gives consultation how to develop the art of living personally and as a community, family or team.
  • In 2017 the QfWf started the Wisdom Web, intended for the collecting (inter)cultural and artistic materials. The website is primarily Dutch language based, but also contains a substantial number of contributions in English.
  • The Animal Wisdom project has its own website that contains an intercultural storytelling programme — including a series of e-books: the Animal Wisdom Collection as well as an Intercultural Lesson to enhance an ethos for natural and narrative wisdom. This website is both in Dutch and English.

The Golden Ratio Quest

Since the project “World Citizenship of the Street” in 2024, which was honored by the Cultural Participation Fund, the QfWf has been focussing on different aspects of this urgent theme every year. In the intercultural language of the arts, the QfWf Soul Circle develops each year an artistic programme developed on the rhythm of the four seasons to be presented on the Annual Meeting Day. Hereby, the QfWf draws attention to the importance of World Citizenship for an inclusive and open cosmopolitan culture.

The Editorial Board, the QfWf-Council and Soul Circle

For the development of her programmes and the quality of her activities, as well as for the renewal and management of her websites, the QfWf has inaugurated an Editorial Board, a QfWf-Council and the Soul Circle.

QfWf-Editoral Board

The members of the QfWf-Board are:

Heidi Muijen and Ali Nejat Kanıyaş are the Editors-in-Chief. They organize the seasonal publication of the Newsletter Spinnend Web, as well as posts on the socials and the co-creation of content for the QfWf-websites, together with Yassine El Azabi (Drawings and Cartoons), Angela Gilds (Spoken Word), Greg Suffanti (Artistic contributions) and Ebrahim Sohrabi (Editorial support and translation). In collaboration with the Soul Circle they develop contributions for the World Citizenship programme on The Golden Ratio Platform — as well as for the Animal Wisdom programme and the development of the Intercultural Art of Living on the Wisdomweb.

Heidi Muijen together with Mitra Muijen and webdesigner Jimmy Dean developed the digital platform The Golden Ratio in 2024: on which the QfWf-Quests flow together around a yearly changing theme on World Citizenship — like “Practices of World Citizens” (in 2025) and “Inter-Cultural Rituals for World Citizenship” (in 2026) — building upon the older QfWf-programmes like the Wisomweb and the intercultural storytelling programme Animal Wisdom as expressions of the intercultural art of living.

We welcome your contributions and ideas for the Quest for Wisdom! Please, contact us: redactie@questforwisdom.org

The Editorial Charter

The QfWf-Editorial Charter aims to guarantee the independence of the journalistic and artistic content of the Quest for Wisdom websites.

To this end, it regulates the position and tasks of all those involved in these websites as publisher and as digital platforms.

Cyclical development

The Quest for Wisdom takes shape as a cyclical development through the collaboration of the Soul Circle, the QfWf-board, the Editorial Team, and the QfWf-Council. This results in philosophical, narrative and artistic programmes, connecting the intercultural art of living to social themes, in order to strengthen an open cosmopolitan culture. The inter-cultural axis of World Citizenschip is enrolled through living encounters of the Soul Circle, in collaboration with social organizations, through publications and in Seasonal Meetings and the Annual Meeting Day.

Editoral tasks

Members of the Editorial team take care of editorial tasks:

  1. develop text as well as illustrations in coordination with the QfWf Soul Circle and authors
  2. check the suitability of the offered material for the development of the QfWf
  3. acknowledge and check copyrights of the texts and illustrations[1]
  4. take care of the content and the maintenance of the QfWf-websites
  5. take care of digital communication via

The QfWf-Council

The QfWf-Council offers advice to enhance the quality of the QfWf-activities and her intercultural programmes. The members of QfWf-Council have a responsibility to keep an open eye on the QfWf-developments and will be consulted by the QfWf-Board and the Editors-in-Chiefs whenever necessary to assess the quality of the material offered by third parties for the QfWf-websites.
The members have a seat on the Council — because of their unique and diverse qualities.
They ensure quality by providing solicited and unsolicited advice and by contributing to the editorial pages of the Wisdomweb and the Animal-wisdom programme as well as on themes of Global Citizenship on the Golden Ratio.

The Members of the QfWf-Council

Angela Roothaan, Annelie van Steenbergen, Erik Hoogcarspel, Giovanni Rizzuto, Greg Suffanti, Harm Jaap Hartmans, Henry Muldrow, Johann Gomes, Louise Müller, Michael Susanto, Mitra Muijen, Nivedita Yohana, Rosalie de Wildt, Viola Talloway, Wim van de Laar  are — because of authentic qualities in their field — members of the QfWf-Council.

Soul Circle

with a keen eye and heart for the the Quest for Wisdom!

The QfWf strives to shape its activities in co-creation with the QfWf-Circles and in collaboration with affiliated organizations.
The Soul Circle is initiated to enhance as group the core values as world citizens that the QfWf is propagating as its mission for developing the intercultural art of living in communities. As the ambassadors of the QfWf they both develop the intercultural programmes as well as present the QfWf to the outside world in their own networks. They are the hands, hearts, heads and voices of the Quest for Wisdom, connecting people and their cultures in initiatives to let the Quest for Wisdom grow towards the future.

The Soul Circle

The members of the Soul Circle are

Members of Honour

Honorary members are people who have earned this special recognition due to their inspiring ideas and/or their special contributions to the QfWf.
Since December 2016, the QfWf has selected two honorary members.

The Honarary Members are

Dirk de Wachter – foto: ©Kristof Ghyselinck

Circle of Friends

Since the year of her foundation in 2016 the QfWf has grown thanks to the help of friends, who contributed to the three Quests in their own authentic way. For their dedication the QfWf pays credit to

The first Circle of QfWf Friends shaping the three Quests:

Update 2026-06

[1] QfWf authors are writers, actors and other muses, such as artists, designers, drafters, photographers, illustrators, video and film makers and other producers of text, images, sound, and stakeholders, who make the texts and other materials available to a of the QfWf-websites have stated.

The Organisation of the QfWf Read More »

QfWf: Cultural ANBI status

doneer aan de QFWF

The Quest for wisdom foundation (QfWf) has a cultural ANBI status.
What that means according to the Dutch administration is explained here:  Public Benefit Organizations / Culturele ANBI

It is financially attractive to donate to an organization with an ANBI-status!

 

Donate? Yes, please: thanks!

Every gift is welcome!

Please, donate via a bank transfer:

bankrekening IBAN: NL14TRIO0777827654

Cultural ANBI-Status Obligations

Below is the (annual) publication obligation on our website

State of affairs: end of 2025

Publication Obligation Regarding the Cultural ANBI status

1-3: Business data QfWf:

4: The QfWf Goals:

Intercultural Art of Living for Inclusion and Transcultural Connections

The objectives of the QfWf are based upon the statutes of the Quest for Wisdom foundation. As founded in 2016 statuten volgens de oprichtingsakte Stichting Quest for Wisdom foundation. 

5: The QfWf Policy plan: the intercultural art of living

The QfWf policy is planned in detailed multi-year plans, as documented in point 9: Beleidsplan-QfWf-2024-2026

Objectives and Policy Plans stem from the QfWf Mission and Vision:

The Quest for wisdom was founded on the 20th of September 2016 by Dr. Heidi S.C.A. Muijen with the mission of fostering a culture of openness towards inclusion and cultural diversity. This objective of the foundation according to the statuten calls for an intercultural art of living as response(ablility), given the fear of ‘the strange other’ in order to develop inter-cultural connections as ‘multicultural society’ by means of:

  • historical awareness of the (inter)cultural roots of wisdom traditions;
  • interest in other cultures and wisdom traditions and
  • engaging in inter-esse by living encouters and cross-pollination between cultures

To this end, the QfWf-programmes are cocreated by paying attention to the cultural-historical contexts of the collected stories, rituals and symbolism from wisdom traditions from North and South, East and West on the one hand; on the other hand, by highlighting transcultural values, like hospitality, empathy and humanity through music, visual arts and other intercultural expressions, that help to transform the globalizing society.

Being able to deal well with differences is a pressing as well as delicate issue of late modern times; a social question that sparks intolerant opinions and heated political and religious debates. To stay away from polarizing discussions, the QfWf focusses on inter-cultural connections, following a path of ‘glocalization’ ― a combined perspective of ‘the local’ with ‘the global’. In this way, the QfWf aims to contribute to a cosmopolitan mindset in growing Circles of Concern (Martha Nussbaum). This integrative approach was discussed by the late emeritus professor Couwenberg on the Wisdomweb.

Dealing with differences: World Citizenship!

The QfWf activities continue to take place together with a growing circle of stakeholders, who share the mission of the foundation – as visualized and expressed in the ‘Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living’.

Therefore, the QfWf focusses on creating awareness of who ‘we’ are as citizens of the cosmopolis: nomads with intercultural identities, transcending differences in culture, race, religion, ethnicity, gender,…

Diagram met de 17 duurzame ontwikkelingsdoelen door de V.N. op 25 September 2015 aangenomen als deel van de 2030 Agenda
Diagram with the 17 sustainable development goals

The QfWf-goal of world citizenship follows a path of developing inter-cultural artistic programmes both by tapping into the cultural and historical contexts of stories, art, music, rituals, and symbolism from various wisdom traditions, as well as creating in-between spaces through living encounters with music, visual arts, and dialogue, expressing values that connect cultures — like mercy, empathy, and humanity — to foster an ethos of world citizenship in the dynamic field of a globalizing society.

By stimulating the recognition of the beauty of our differences and shared commonality, instead of a fear of ‘otherness’, through artistic and (inter-)cultural expressions, the QfWf seeks to create space both in-between people for a human world (Hannah Arendt) and establish meaningful connections between cultures!

Hospitality, respect and inclusion and other shared values of humanity are what truly connect people as sisters and brothers ― opening a common playing field for all, established by the core value of reciprocity! Please, contact us on out vision and mission: bestuur@questforwisdom.org

6, 7: The Board of the QfWf

8: Remuneration policy for the QfWf Board

The members of the board do not receive any remuneration for their work. They are, however, entitled to reimbursement of costs incurred in the performance of their duties, such as, for example, a travel allowance.

Board members cannot dispose of the assets of the institution separately. There is a separate bank account in the name of the QfWf. In addition, an annual financial overview is drawn up by the treasurer of the QfWf. This overview is discussed and adopted during an annual board meeting (at which at least 3 members of the board are present).

9: Report of the Activities Performed

The Quest for Wisdom carries out its activities through the voluntary efforts of a Circle of dedicated artists, writers, and other volunteers. The occasionally awarded grants have given the QfWf-projects a boost.

The grant applied for in 2025 by an alliance of 8 organisations to the municipality of Amsterdam was unfortunately not awarded. However, this application did provide a spin-off for a new collaboration and for exposure, such as participating at the event in Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam on 19 March 2026 during the week celebrating 60 years of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, established by the UN after the Sharpeville massacre of 21 March 1960.

In 2021 as well as in 2024 the QfWf received funding, due to the cultural and social relevance of her activities. The first grant in 2021 was given for developing an intercultural storytelling programme during the Corona lockdown which was presented on a specially designed website Animal Wisdom including an educative offer with a series of ebooks.

The second grant in 2024 on Global Citizenship resulted in organizing several events around a visual exhibition with an intercultural program and the launching of a digital platform for the Golden Ratio Quest around a yearly theme of the intercultural art of living.

Hereby, the QfWf has integrated the three Quest for Wisdom to serve the shared goal of world citizenship: through the Wisdom Web; Quest 2 ― Golden Ratio of Educative Materials; and Quest 3 ― Meet, by means of Annual Meeting Days, Workshops, Masterclasses, Newsletter ‘Spinning web’ and the Video channel.

From 2024 onwards the three Quests are integrated focussing on the enhancement of world citizenship by developing every year an intercultural artistic and educative programme which is presented on the Yearly Meeting Day as well as on the digital platform The Golden Ratio.

Awarding Cultural ANBI-status
Toekenning Culturele ANBI-status

Since its foundation in 2016 the QfWf celebrated on 6 July 2018 that it has been recognized by the Tax Authorities as a Algemeen Nut Beogende Cultural Instelling (cultural ANBI-status) with its objective and activities in retrospect since 1 January 2018.

See below the reports of QfWf-policy for activities in chronological order:

Annual Reports of the QfWf

Update 2026-08

QfWf: Cultural ANBI status Read More »