CityTalks: Hey, are you ok?

The popular programme WorldTalks Amsterdam is making its comeback this fall with a tiny twist: they are going back to their Amsterdam roots! CityTalks is ITA's sip & talk show, in which they focus on their city’s talented creatives and change makers. In each edition, they will connect one of their theatre plays to social topics, urban trends, and daily life. CityTalks invites you to grab a drink, join the conversation, and get inspired!

Hey, are you ok?

Living in the beautiful metropolis of Amsterdam is an inspiring and exciting experience, but it also brings pressure: to perform, to make ends meet, to look good, to live in a comfortable home, to have fun and to do lots of activities. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one in three Amsterdammers were experiencing psychosocial complaints, such as stress, anxiety, or loneliness.

How can we break taboos and overcome stigmas around these topics together? Come and join CityTalks' speakers and performers to delve into topics such as well-being, different approaches to healthcare and how to create a city where we can thrive and feel mentally well.

• What: CityTalks Amsterdam | Hey, are you ok?
• Date: Thursday, November 24
• Time: 6pm-7pm (Doors open from 5.30pm)
• Bites & music after. Find out more on the ITA website.

Register for free tickets and a free drink now!

Cherouq M’Jahad

Cherouq M’Jahad is the co-founder of Comfy Community, a collective for young creatives that pays attention to mental health and self-development. You could call them a nomadic community centre, organising workshops and events (like their popular Mental Health Walks) that are accessible to anyone.

Cherouq has a background in Developmental Psychology and a personal passion for community care. One of the inspirations behind Comfy Community is Ubuntu, the African philosophy that places emphasis on "being self through others", meaning "I am because you are": by helping each other we will also grow as individuals.

Marieke de Goeij

Marieke de Goeij - a marketing director turned illustrator - is optimistic, adventurous, ambitious, and creative. Up until the summer of 2015, she and her husband were living their dream life in Australia. That suddenly stopped when she fell into a pit of insomnia, fear, and panic and, eventually, had to emigrate back to The Netherlands. Was she ever going to feel ok again?

Gradually she did, and once recovered she made a book to remind herself of all the things that helped her through so she would never feel that bad again. Het Grote Depri Doe-Boek, in which Marieke guides herself (and also you!) through all steps of the healing process with her drawings, is now helping at least 15.000 others (and counting)! And great news: this fall, an English version of this best-seller will be published with the - quite coincidentally! - title "Hey Are You Okay?"

This edition’s theme is inspired by ITA-ensemble and Eline Arbo’s The Hours - covering topics such as mental illness and living up to society’s expectations. The Hours can be seen at ITA from 18-27 November.

City Talks is powered by Rabobank Metropoolregio Amsterdam and made possible by Pakhuis de Zwijger. A beverage will be provided courtesy of Grolsch.