On a cold and rainy autumnal evening, a group of friends stands in front of the Inner City Library. They are installing a voting box for students who are on their smoking break. Their goal? To create incentives for students to throw their cigarette butts in the special bin, instead of on the ground. Initially …
Cigarette butts, coffee cups and secondhand clothes Read More »
When I moved into my new neighborhood, I noticed two interesting things. A big passion for gardening in my new neighbors, and a lot of community organizing. Afew minutes away from my home lies my newest favorite place in all of Maastricht – the Hof van Heer community garden (in Dutch – ‘buurttuinderij’). It all …
Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Perhaps your friends, family, or culture made you feel like the odd one out? You try to fit in, to adapt, to force yourself into someone you are not. Overflown by frustration and sadness, you ask yourself: ‘Why can’t I be more like them?’ What you are …
During my bachelor’s I found a side-job as a student coach for elementary and secondary school children. I noticed that learning math or reading was not always as easy for others as it was for me. You sit next to a student, trying to explain one algebra exercise for the 10th time. While they are …
At our University, there are many active student organizations specializing in everything – from sports to social debates to religious communities. Today, our blogger Tristan sits down with Clara Bleileven, the President of the local chapter of the Young European Fereralists (otherwise known as JEF). The organization promotes the ideas of European integration and is …
At the first meeting, I got to know Emma* as a sensitive, careful girl. We spoke about her dreams for the future, but also about how the atmosphere was at home, and what she wanted to change. She soon revealed that it was her dream to become a doctor. This came up regularly during the …
I met Lotte Reinhoudt and Siméon de Bruijn on a sunny Thursday morning. In the middle of the pandemic, these two Epidemiology Msc students founded the Plantenasiel. Their initiative gives plants a second chance: you can donate plants, exchange plants, or buy plants for a small fee. The initiative has been running for two months …
The Plantenasiel: Combining Community with a Passion for Plants Read More »
The last few months have been exceptionally strange for all of us. For many, the closure of businesses and the outflow of students going back to their home countries make Maastricht feel empty. However, for my housemate Tristan and I, living in a beautiful street at the edge of the center, it has meant rediscovering …
If you ever volunteered, it probably came from a desire to help others or to contribute to society. Your main drive to visit the elderly home or the foodbank every week was not for yourself; it was to make another one’s life just a little bit brighter. Besides, for your work as a volunteer you …
It’s tough in your first year of university. The sky’s the limit in terms of what you can do, but it’s looking pretty intimidating up there. And before you can do any growing, you need to find out who you really are. One thing that’s great about Maastricht is the sheer volume of groups and …
