At the opening of the 2025 academic year, Ralph Ivar Berkman, a master student in Media Studies – Media & Creative Industries at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC), was awarded the Student Societal Impact Award. With his foundation L’Oiseau Bleu, Ralph supports young people from special secondary education in making the transition to further education.
From Special Secondary Education to Three Master’s Degrees
Ralph knows from personal experience how challenging that transition can be. “During special secondary education pupils are often taught in small groups where every teacher knows your name and takes the time to understand how you learn best. But once you move into mainstream education, you suddenly find yourself in an environment where independence is key, where you’re expected to quickly learn how to manage everything on your own if you want to succeed.”
He explains that while it is possible, it requires extra effort: “When you begin this transition, you quickly realise how much more you still need to learn and the extra work required to keep up. Often you lag behind socially and emotionally. As a young person you’re expected to adapt fast in order to take part fully in society. It’s not easy, and many struggle with this challenge.”
Founding L’Oiseau Bleu
Wanting to use his own experience to support others, Ralph co-founded L’Oiseau Bleu. “It’s important to turn the lessons and skills you’ve gained into something that can help others facing the same challenges. That’s why, together with my team, I founded L’Oiseau Bleu – to guide young people who are able to, towards active participation in society and the chance to pursue further education.”
More Than an ‘Expert by Experience’
While Ralph’s background as an ‘expert by experience’ is invaluable, he stresses that this is not his only role.
“My primary role is as the founder, to lead the organisation towards greater visibility so that we can support even more young people. That involves management skills – keeping the team motivated, finding speakers and locations, and representing the foundation in presentations at universities, the Ministry of Education, and debate platforms like De Balie.”
Choosing Media & Creative Industries
His choice for the master in Media & Creative Industries at ESHCC was no coincidence. “I chose Media and Creative Industries because it’s essential for a foundation to understand how media works, and how to use it to share your message in a broad and engaging way.”
The media, Ralph says, are key in spreading L’Oiseau Bleu’s message:“Our message is that young people from special education are capable of much more than society often assumes. Because of their challenges, they can transform their experiences into resilience, and that resilience allows them to contribute strongly to a better society.”
Inspiration at ESHCC
Ralph also found inspiration in his studies. “I would like to highlight three lecturers in particular: Matthijs Leendertse, Etienne Augé, and Izabela Derda. Matthijs offered support on questions about growing the foundation; thanks to Etienne’s Consortium I learned about Scenario Planning, which I later applied to my organisation; and Izabela taught me how to use transmedia storytelling to expand the foundation.”
That storytelling approach is visible in new projects: alongside the foundation, a documentary has been made, a book is in the works, and a theatre production is planned for the coming years.
"Not everyone will appreciate or understand you, but if you keep going, you’ll meet people who do."
-Ralph Ivar Berkman, Founder of L’Oiseau Bleu
A Varied Programme
The first edition of L’Oiseau Bleu ran for eight weeks and offered participants an inspiring and varied programme.
“We were able to bring in a videogame champion, a creative writer, a veteran from former Yugoslavia, professors from Erasmus University, and even a Member of the European Parliament. The goal was to offer a fun programme that also gave participants the confidence to make a smooth landing into higher education.”
Recognition and Future Plans
For Ralph, winning the Student Societal Impact Award is both recognition and motivation. “I started out as an insecure and nervous boy just out of special education. Now I’m studying three master’s programmes, I have a strong group of friends, a great internship, and a foundation that is gaining more recognition for the impact we’re making.”
The coming years will see further growth: “Next year we’ll run two editions of L’Oiseau Bleu – continuing in Rotterdam and expanding to Tilburg. We’ll also be working on a book and a theatre production to spread the message of accessible education even further.”
A Message to Fellow Students
Finally, Ralph shares a message for students who may doubt their own abilities: “If you’d told me five years ago what I would achieve, I would never have believed it. What has always helped me is openness and kindness. Not everyone will appreciate or understand you, but if you keep going you’ll meet people who do. When you find those people, life becomes truly rich.”
- More information
Read more about L'Oiseau Bleu on their website.
