Roots and Growth 2026

Raíces y Crecimiento – Roots and Growth is an initiative of Karina Damen Herrera, aimed at the Spanish-speaking community living in the Netherlands.

Raíces y Crecimiento is about finding your place, knowing your path and continuing to grow in the Netherlands. In 2026, this initiative will take on a new form: for the first time, it will be held as a face-to-face conference. A place where participants can find reliable information, ask questions and connect with professionals and organisations.

The conference is aimed at Spanish-speaking residents of the Netherlands who wish to become more familiar with Dutch society, its systems and services. Both those who have recently arrived in the Netherlands and those who have been living here for some time but are not yet fully familiar with certain forms of support, services or opportunities are very welcome.

The conference will cover a range of topics, including:

• mental health, migration, adaptation and emotional wellbeing;
• physical health, prevention and self-care;
• accessing and familiarising oneself with the Dutch healthcare system;
• labour rights and the protection of workers;
• taxation and entrepreneurship;
• career guidance and professional development.

The conference will be conducted entirely in Spanish and is not organised for commercial purposes.

Participants’ contributions are mainly used to cover the venue costs, and the speakers take part on a voluntary basis.