ONE

In ONE, 21 children from De IJsbreker primary school had the opportunity to depict their dreams and ideas about the world in the form of world flags. The children, around 10 years old, are in an important phase of their lives, where they are increasingly thinking about their place in the world. Flags are powerful symbols: they express who we are and connect people, but they also set boundaries. ONE is an educational project led by artist Valerie van Leersum, in collaboration with De IJsbreker in Amsterdam-Noord. Van Leersum invited the children to create their own vision of the world with these symbols.

The question “What does your world flag look like?” formed the starting point for their flag. The children first worked one-on-one with Valerie van Leersum. After that, they further developed their ideas in groups under her guidance. Resulting in 21 flags that say something about who they are, what they care about and how they see the world in front of them.

The students learned from each other and shared their ideas. ONE is a celebration of the children's imagination and their unique ideas. It reminds us that, young and old, we can build tomorrow's world together. Visitors can discover the stories behind the flags online via the QR code. You can also read quotes from the conversations with the children. ONE shows that children are not just spectators, but actively contribute to the future and the coming together of people in it. The NDSM-werf Foundation wants to create a place where people can meet, inspire and dream about the future together, because children are the future!

A project by artist Valerie van Leersum, in collaboration with the NDSM-werf Foundation. On display from 4 July to 3 September 2025 at the NDSM shipyard (Noorderlicht lawn location).