The Young Minds Network brings together the best and brightest by connecting young thinkers and professionals. Are you interested in the United States, big ideas, or simply eager to meet like-minded people? Then the Young Minds network is the perfect fit for you, and there are a variety of ways to get involved.
Young Minds Ambassadors & Members
Do you bore your friends at parties with your in-depth knowledge on American politics? Can you not stop talking about that one book you read a few weeks ago? Do you stay up to date with news from the US on an obsessive level? Are you under the age of 35? Then you are the perfect candidate to join us.
We are excited to expand our community of students and young professionals. Our world knows both immense challenges and great opportunities, and the John Adams is determined to bring young minds in touch with some of the most important ideas of our time while connecting likeminded individuals with each other. Young Minds also organizes the yearly Beyond Academia essay contest (more information below).
Through the Young Minds Network, the John Adams offers a line-up of additional events involving a variety of themes and topics related to the United States as a supplement to our regular programming. These are of smaller scale and aimed at interaction and community-building. Hereunder, you can find a selection of upcoming events, with specific dates to be announced:
- January: Freedom on Tap: An Informal Discussion over Drinks in advance of John Adams event with Timothy Snyder
- March: Storytelling Masterclass
- April: History of Amsterdam Tour
- June: American Trivia Night
Our members also have the opportunity to write blogs and essays, shedding light on topics and ideas that discuss the U.S. of today, the past, and the future.
Have an idea or burning desire to get a project off the ground? Take the next step and get become an ambassador, helping us plan exclusive programming and taking part in charting our course for the coming years.
As a member or an ambassador, you can join our community for only €25,- per year, receive a free ticket to all John Adams events, as well as invitations to special gatherings and social events.
Interested? Contact us via youngminds@john-adams.nl
Beyond Academia Contest 2025
Calling all university students! The Beyond Academic contest sheds light on important topics of American concern for the general public. Students are encouraged to submit essays that are don’t require expert knowledge to read and help explain important topics and trends.
Requirements:
- Your work is original and entirely your own. The United States—or an American—must play a central role in your essay. This could be historical or present day, and could be about a wide range of topics in the arts and social sciences.
- Your work has previously been submitted for a course, or as a thesis for a university degree program and has been checked for plagiarism with a recognized software.
- Your work is accessible for the general public, who are unlikely to be experts in your subject matter, and you’ve written (or re-worked) your essay with this in mind.
- Your work must be submitted by the appropriate date (earlier submissions are accepted) in PDF format and include a short biography of yourself.
Prize:
- An education grant worth €500
- A year-long Friends Membership to the John Adams Institute, valued at €1000. This includes invitations to exclusive events with our community as well as speakers from the United States, and two free tickets to any event organized by our organization.
Deadlines:
- Applications (including the PDF submission between 2500-4000 words, as well as the short biography) are due by midnight on 14 August 2025.
- Submissions will be read shortly thereafter by a panel of academics and America-experts. The shortlist will be announced in November, and the prize will be awarded later in the year.
If you have any questions, please contact the John Adams Institute at youngminds@john-adams.nl.
Looking for inspiration? Read the essays of the 2024 finalists and 2023 top-3 and winner below.
2024
Emma C. Riquet: Take It Down: The Confederate Flag After the Shooting at Mother Emanuel
Kirsten Soer: Heeding the Local Women’s Warning: Expansive Subalternity in Kristiana Kahakauwila’s ‘This Is Paradise’
Elisabeth Hoekstra: Sourdough Bread and A-line Dresses: How “Implicit” Tradwives Communicate Far-Right Ideologies
2023
Rajae el Morabet Belhaj: Let Black be synonymous with Glory: Pan-Africanism in ‘Black is King’ (winner)
Maaike Siemes: Environmental Activism in and through Imbolo Mbue’s ‘How Beautiful We Were’
Marco Segantini: The Inextinguishable Legacy of Patrice Lumamba
The Young Minds Network is made possible in part by the U.S. Embassy The Hague
