The Owl’s Nest

About the workshop

The Owl’s Nest is the community workshop of IRADIS Foundation / ASK-Solutions in Haarlem North. It is a place where you can tinker, build and repair, but also simply take a moment to land with a cup of coffee or tea. We combine technology and creativity with attention for people: from local residents who want to learn something new to people who, after stress, illness or a difficult work experience, carefully want to rebuild.

In the workshop you will meet all kinds of people: young people and adults, volunteers, people in a reintegration programme, visitors who “just want to have a look” and familiar faces from the neighbourhood. One person comes for a woodworking or soldering workshop, another for a conversation at the coffee corner or to slowly get going again together with a coach. You do not need any prior experience; we start from where you are now.

Would you like to visit us yourself? Have a look at our projects and workshops, take a look at the coffee corner or make an appointment to get to know us in a calm way.

What we do

The Owl’s Nest works at the intersection of technology, reintegration and local community work. In practice, we are a technical workshop, but at the same time also a place for support, learning and participation in the neighbourhood. A few key pillars:

• Technology & making

  We do technical research and development in a broad sense: from repairing equipment and vehicles to building prototypes and trying out new methods. This includes electronics, 3D printing, wood- and metalworking, software and combinations of these.

• Work & reintegration

  In cooperation with, among others, coaches and care organisations, we offer a calm workplace where people in reintegration or career orientation can rebuild rhythm and self-confidence. This happens through practical projects, suitable tasks and realistic expectations, not through production pressure.

• Prevention & recovery

  We are not a medical or mental health practice, but we contribute to preventive health care by providing a safe, manageable environment where you can step out of stress for a while, do something with your hands and build up positive experiences again.

• Youth & neighbourhood

  We work with young people and young adults who want to discover where their interests lie, but also with residents who feel lonely or who want to contribute to the neighbourhood. The coffee corner and the shared worktable play a central role in this.

Who is The Owl’s Nest for?

The Owl’s Nest is for people who want to make something, learn something, or gently get moving again: local residents, students, young people and adults in recovery or reintegration.

Would you like to know whether your situation fits this? Then read more on the page Who is The Owl’s Nest for?.

Working with professionals and organisations

We regularly work together with coaches, care and welfare organisations, schools and reintegration partners. They provide the treatment, guidance or programme; we provide a practical, technical workplace alongside.

Are you a professional? Would you like to know how we can connect to your programmes or target groups? Then read more at For professionals & organisations

For funds, sponsors and other partners

The Owl’s Nest runs on a combination of donations, project funding, small assignments and a lot of volunteer work. We do not use extra support to “polish” the workshop, but to offer more people a stable and safe place: by maintaining tools, purchasing materials, making extra guidance hours possible or developing new workshops.

Our activities fall under the broader mission of IRADIS Foundation / ASK-Solutions: sharing knowledge, right to repair and digital self-reliance, in combination with occupational guidance, prevention and local community work. We are happy to explain how The Owl’s Nest fits into that and what impact we see in the neighbourhood.

Would you like to think along with us or support us? Then feel free to contact us via the contact page. If you would like to contribute something concrete to the workshop or the foundation, have a look at the options on the Support us page. For a broader overview of our projects and activities, you can visit the website of IRADIS Foundation / ASK-Solutions.