the blog

Discover more about ways to get involved in Maastricht and local volunteering opportunities for students.

In Brighter Futures students are paired with a Maastricht high school student. The students are supported in doing their homework, developing their talent and realizing their dreams. That all sounds very nice, but why would a student volunteer 3 hours a week to help a student? To find out, we talked to students, pupils and coordinators.

Tonight is Christmas Eve, for many one of the most enjoyable evenings of the year. Apart from spending Christmas with your family, for most people it also means thinking more about their fellow man. Christmas is a time to do good for others, like inviting someone to join you at home, preparing a meal for them and donating warm clothes.

You might have spotted them on Maastricht’s streets already: a bearded old man dressed as a bishop and his exotically dressed helper. They are Saint Nicolas (Sinterklaas) and Pete (Piet) and they’re here to punish the naughty children and treat the nice.

Every six weeks, the members of the Match Houses teams gather and inspire each other. They have dinner together and get to know each other at a deeper level. In this manner, students can blow new life into the current projects in their neighborhoods.For the first inspiration evening of the academic year, Janna and Shanti, coaches of Match Houses prepared several entertaining, small tasks in order for the group to get to know each other better.The students live in houses in different neighbourhoods and as the inspiration evening continues, it becomes clear that they all face different challenges (and benefits). Below, Allisa, Lizette, Nicole and Esmee tell about their experiences.

This interview was done by our partner Wohnbuddy, a HomeSharing program in Vienna, Austria. See https://www.wohnbuddy.com/ for more information. Want to apply for HomeSharing yourself? Visit our page www.matchmaastricht.nl/homesharing. We interviewed Elisabeth who lived with an elderly woman, Dorli, a …

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 …

Ewout van den Engel (1983) studeerde cultuurwetenschappen in Maastricht en woonde in totaal 14 jaar in en om de stad. Op dit moment houdt hij een crowdfundingactie voor zijn project ‘Op zoek naar de Mestreechter Geis’, waarin hij de Maastrichtse …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

Window Sessions

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, …

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 …

Liberty for UM

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 …

During these times of quarantine, it is easy to fall into a routine and it might be challenging to maintain your mental health. Not having your friends and family around is a difficult situation for everyone, regardless of whether you’re …

The first few weeks in our new house were a discovery period. We tried to meet the different social organizations active in Mariaberg, to get ourselves known to our neighbors and we took part in various social activities in the “buurtcentrum” …

Onder de noemer ‘een dag niet ziek’ organiseert Match Maastricht samen met Circumflex en Saurus en de hulpdiensten op zaterdag 15 juni 2019 een speciale dag voor langdurig zieke kinderen. Tijdens deze dag kruipen kinderen in de huid van een …