Opening of the green recovery space in Curaçao marks a new step in recovery-oriented care
On 1 May, the Green Recovery Space(opens in new tab) officially opened in Curaçao. The professorship of Mental Health Care and Society played an important role in developing this recovery centre. The group trained the first cohort of peer support professionals and helped establish the new recovery space. Students and researchers also continue to support the initiative’s further development.
The Green Recovery Space was founded by Zaira Barriento. It marks an important step in the international collaboration on lived experience expertise and mental health between the Caribbean region and the Netherlands. It is the first independent cross-sector recovery centre in the Dutch Caribbean. The centre offers a place for learning and connection for professionals and experts by experience from sectors such as mental health care, addiction services, the police, defence, and youth care. Residents who want to improve their mental wellbeing or recover from mental health challenges are also welcome. The Green Recovery Space is accessible and informal. Much is possible, but nothing is required.
Training professionals
Zaira Barriento laid the foundations for this development several years ago. The initiative gained momentum in 2023, when she started a training programme in lived experience expertise. Windesheim University of Applied Sciences delivered the programme. Around twenty certified peer support professionals are now active across the Caribbean region. Several have become co-trainers and facilitators. They play an important role in embedding experiential knowledge across different sectors and in shaping the Green Recovery Space.
Living Lab
The Green Recovery Space is part of an international living lab. Windesheim is closely involved as a knowledge partner through practice development and research. Local professionals work together within the lab. Knowledge is not only shared, but also developed and applied together in practice. Windesheim students also complete placements there.
Culturally sensitive practice
A key strength of this collaboration is its focus on reciprocity and culturally sensitive practice. Professor Alie Weerman explains: “We learn from each other about recovery and mental health, but also about the important role culture plays in these processes. This exchange enriches practice both in the Caribbean region and in the Netherlands.”
The Green Recovery Space brings together several important elements. These include the training and deployment of peer support professionals, long-term international collaboration, practice development across sectors, and the connection between education, research, and practice. In this way, Windesheim contributes to a broader movement in which mental health is viewed differently. The focus shifts away from illness and towards recovery, meaning, and experiential knowledge.
The collaboration also requires intensive work. Alie says: “From a Dutch perspective, people may think of sunshine, sea, and beaches. In reality, intensive work is taking place here. It requires coordination between cultures, trust, and shared development.”
The opening of the Green Recovery Space marks another step in an international movement in which experiential knowledge is gaining a stronger place in mental health care.