Ruben has been vegan since 2020, but he wasn't an activist when he joined We The Free. He came on as a developer, and working with the team got him out on the streets. He tried different kinds of activism and eventually started his own WTF team in Germany, where he lives.
As Technology Lead, Ruben looks after the platforms activists use to organise events, track their impact and follow up with the people they talk to. He works with the Global Support Team to find the tasks that eat up their time, then writes the tools that take them off their plate. That leaves them more time to support the teams doing outreach on the ground.
He started his career at a small digital agency in the Netherlands, where he learned most of what he knows as a developer. After that he spent a year travelling, then joined WTF.
Ruben sees himself as a multiplier. He gets more out of helping other people do their jobs well than out of anything he could achieve on his own.
Interests
Co-workers
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Lori
Rescue pigeon
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Oreo
Rescue pigeon
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Nugget
Rescue pigeon
I came to We The Free to write code and ended up on the streets with a team of my own. The people here are the reason. They're some of the most supportive and open people I know, and that kindness carries into how we do outreach, which is why I actually look forward to going out. And the rest of the time, I get to build tools for the colleagues and activists I care about.
Ruben van Erk
Technology Lead
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