What does freedom mean to you? Freedom can mean the freedom to act, speak, and live authentically... The freedom from oppression, fear, and need... The freedom with others in our community, where coexistence and shared responsibility shape our daily lives... And freedom beyond ourselves — extending to future generations, ecosystems, and non-human life.

These dimensions of freedom are deeply connected but sometimes come into tension. How do we balance individual rights with collective well-being? How can we protect and expand freedom for all?

At Freedom Tours Wageningen, we explore these questions through interactive, co-created walking tours and workshops. Led by Wageningen residents from diverse backgrounds, our tours connect local histories and experiences with global struggles for freedom. They invite participants — residents, visitors, and school groups — to reflect on what freedom means in different contexts.

Building on Wageningen’s World War II legacy as a city of liberation, we explore the evolving meaning of freedom today. We highlight both the challenges and the community-led initiatives that strive to uphold rights and inclusion in the city.

At a time when freedoms are under threat globally and locally, Freedom Tours Wageningen offers an opportunity to learn, reflect, and discover ways to take action. Join us in rethinking and reclaiming freedom, together.

What does freedom look like when viewed through feminist and queer lenses? 

In our first Freedom Tours Wageningen route, we walk through the city’s streets to uncover stories — hidden, personal, and political — that explore how freedom is shaped by our identities, our bodies, and the spaces we move through. From classrooms to shop windows, statues to safe spaces, we invite you to reflect on whose stories are visible, whose are missing, and how norms around gender, sexuality, and belonging impact daily life. Together, we explore freedoms of identity, expression, belief, movement, privacy, and joy — and what it takes to protect them for all. 

During this interactive walking tour, we explore freedom through the experiences of queer and gender-diverse communities. We highlight personal stories, historical developments, and contemporary challenges related to rights, identity, and inclusion. As we walk through Wageningen, we stop at locations that symbolize the fight for equal rights and the visibility of gender and sexual diversity.

This 2-hour tour invites participants to reflect on how freedom is constantly fought for, challenged, and redefined. Through thought-provoking questions and open discussions, we explore how we can contribute to a society where everyone is free to be themselves.

👉 Interested in this tour for your group? Get in touch with us!

How do different people understand freedom, and what happens when those understandings clash?

In this 2.5-hour interactive workshop, participants explore real-world dilemmas related to freedom, human rights, and inclusion through a structured role-play exercise. Rather than discussing these issues in the abstract, participants actively step into the perspectives of different societal actors and work through a complex, contemporary scenario.

What we do

Participants are introduced to a fictional but highly recognisable case (e.g. debates around LGBTQIA+ inclusion in schools). They are then assigned roles such as policymakers, school leaders, parents, religious institutions, media, or grassroots activists.

Working first in role-specific groups and then in mixed groups, participants:

• identify which freedoms and rights are at stake

• consider how these are interpreted and prioritised differently

• engage in facilitated dialogue and debate with others holding contrasting positions

The workshop is guided by trained facilitators who support respectful exchange, critical reflection, and inclusive participation.

What participants learn

This workshop is designed to help participants:

• understand that freedoms are not fixed, but interpreted differently across contexts

• recognise how power, culture, and lived experience shape perspectives

• practise empathy and perspective-taking

• develop skills in respectful dialogue and constructive disagreement

• reflect on the complexity of decision-making in plural societies

Why this approach works

By combining role-play with facilitated reflection, participants move beyond opinion-sharing to experiencing the tensions and trade-offs involved in real-life societal debates.

This often leads to deeper insights, such as:

• increased awareness of multiple perspectives

• greater appreciation for the challenges of policymaking

• stronger intercultural understanding

• a sense of being heard and recognised

Format

• Duration: 2-2.5 hours (can be combined with a 2-hour guided tour for a full-day programme)

• Group size: flexible (ideal for 15–60 participants)

• Suitable for: secondary schools, universities, and international groups

👉 Interested in this workshop for your group? Get in touch to co-design a programme that fits your group's learning goals.

Visit our blog to hear more from tour co-creators about the process, week by week!

At Freedom Tours Wageningen, Wageningen residents co-create our tour routes and lead our tours. Inspired by the methodology behind the Migrantour Utrecht interactive guided walking tour, each tour route reflects on the complexity of freedom through the rich diversity of stories, experiences and perspectives found in our town. 

Here's how the 4-month tour co-creation process unfolds: 

• Step 1 - Reflect: The journey begins with participants reflecting—both individually and collectively—on their own freedoms. They consider: what freedoms they value most; the constraints or barriers they face; and the responsibilities that come with the freedoms they have. This step sets the stage for deeper personal and group exploration.

• Step 2 - Explore Historical & Social Contexts: Through a series of talks, workshops, and excursions, participants explore freedom in both historical and contemporary contexts. By connecting this learning with their own lived experiences, they collectively identify key themes and stops that will shape the tour route.

• Step 3 - Dig Deeper: Participants dive deeper into the themes and stops identified in Step 2. They gather diverse local stories—interviewing residents, researching archives, and uncovering hidden narratives. These stories enrich the tour, strengthening connections to Wageningen’s people, history, and environment.

• Step 4 - Guide Training & Practice: Participants are trained in key skills, including effective communication, group engagement, and interactive storytelling. Afterward, they practice leading the tour, gaining confidence by guiding different groups and refining the route based on feedback.

• Step 5 - Let's Walk!  You can book our tours throughout the year. Join us on this journey to explore freedom—what it means, how it’s lived, and how it connects us all.