Being stuck does not mean you
Breakout Bandits at a glance
Young people and young adults
aged roughly 18 to 35
Real team-building games
develop and sell
Learn by creating
with real tasks and responsibility
Impact first
social impact comes first
A social enterprise who creates
Breakout Bandits develops and sells team-building games. We create some of these games with young people and young adults who are struggling to find their way into or back to education, employment or wider society. The games are sold and played by real customers, which means participants work on something that genuinely matters. They are not standing on the sidelines: they are makers in development.
Take a lookBreakout Bandits
In one minute, you will get an impression of the people, the place and how our commercial and social sides come together in practice.
we do this
Being stuck at home takes its toll
When someone stays at home for a long time, they can gradually lose more and more: structure, social contact, confidence and the feeling of belonging somewhere. Every situation has a different story. One person may have dropped out of school, while another has become stuck at work. Autism, ADHD, mental health issues, illness or burnout may play a role. Sometimes there is no diagnosis at all.
Growth through creating
We believe people can start moving forward again when they have the opportunity to contribute and experience that their work matters.
At Breakout Bandits, participants work on real products and real tasks within our company. Wherever possible, they are given genuine tasks and responsibilities. Not everyone needs to have the same abilities, and the level of responsibility can differ from person to person.
For us, perspective means rediscovering what you can do, what you can contribute to others and what possibilities lie ahead.
our programmes for?
Our programmes are designed for young people and young adults aged roughly 18 to 35 who are struggling to find their way into or back to education, employment or wider society.
No specific diagnosis is required. What matters much more is what someone is ready for, where there is room to grow and which environment suits them best.
That is why we always look at the person first and then consider which programme may be a good fit.
After my burnout, I had little confidence in what I could do professionally and did not know what I wanted. Breakout Bandits gave me a place where I could work on my confidence in a safe environment and gain new insights into what I can do and enjoy. I have since found a new job that I really enjoy!”
Guidance that starts with the
For us, development starts with a meaningful relationship. That is why we take the time to get to know someone. What is already going well? What takes a lot of energy? Once that relationship is in place, we can also set meaningful expectations and encourage someone to take the next step. As a person gains confidence and can carry more responsibility, the level of support can change.
We do not look only at what is difficult. We actively look for talents, interests and opportunities to contribute to others.
Two ways to
Bandits Creation
In Bandits Creation, a small team works together for around eight months to develop a new team-building game. Participants attend at set times, develop new skills and practise collaboration and responsibility.
Bandits Support
Bandits Support offers a more flexible, individually tailored route. Participants contribute to the day-to-day work of Breakout Bandits in a way that matches their strengths, goals and current capacity. This allows them to reconnect and build confidence at a pace that works for them.
Could Breakout Bandits be right for
entrepreneurship
Breakout Bandits is an impact-first social enterprise. This means social impact comes first in the choices we make as a company. We are building a financially healthy business and selling great games so that we can keep investing in our social mission.
We are a member of Social Enterprise NL, the Dutch national network for social enterprises that put social impact first. To us, impact first means entrepreneurship and social impact belong together: revenue and profit are means to make our mission possible and strengthen it further.
Impact first means:
✓Social impact comes first
✓Entrepreneurship makes impact possible
✓Profit is used to strengthen the mission
How our social enterprise model works
Creating and selling games
We develop and sell team-building games for companies, schools, families and groups of friends.
Investing in social programmes
Young people make a real contribution
Their contribution strengthens Breakout Bandits
behind Breakout Bandits
Breakout Bandits was founded by Wouter and Esther. Drawing on different backgrounds in entrepreneurship, games, youth work, coaching and guidance, they developed the idea of building a company where commercial products and social impact genuinely come together.
It started small and developed step by step into the Breakout Bandits of today.