Community Feeling @ Pangaea International Staff Week 13/05/2019 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Community Feeling @ Pangaea

International Staff Week 13/05/2019

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Pangaea

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KU Leuven

Cell International Students = Pangaea Intercultural Meeting Centre in Leuven Study Support Religion and Philosophical Diversity Disability Office Health Centre Social Service Housing Service Student Career Centre

Student Services Department

Student Services KU Leuven operates

• n all KU Leuven campuses, spread all over Flanders
• In own management
• In subcontracting, by a student service of another higher

education institution

Where?

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• 1. Welcome
• 2. Social Integration
• 3. Support on living and studying

What do we offer international students?

Mission

• To guarantee equal opportunities and participation in higher

education for all students by improving basic conditions and raise the well-being of students

• Special attention is paid to less-favoured groups

Main goals

• Sufficient and accessible services
• Improving influx, study progress and outflow of students
• Connected-ness
• Global citizenship education

Student Services Department

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Welcome & Social Integration

• Information, welcoming,

social network, intercultural learning

• Before, upon arrival +

during stay in Leuven

• Special focus on

scholarship and PhD students

= Pangaea. Where worlds meet.

Policy on Support

• Horizontal view on student

services and needs of target group

• Connecting needs with

services, optimizing

• Bridge between student

services and other actors internationalisation

Campus Leuven + International Students = International Students Cell

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Support international students in regard to:

• Welcoming
• Information
• Feeling at home @ KU Leuven
• Social network for integration within Leuven university

community AND

• Platform for international and intercultural competences for all

students: international and local How:

• Initiatives/activities
• Meeting centre/Living Campus
• Communication

Mission of Pangaea = Community Building

• 1. Orientation Days
• 2. Living in Leuven
• 3. Buddy Programme
• 1. Socio-cultural activities

throughout semester

• 2. Meeting Centre (& Living

Campus)

• 3. Intercultural platform
• 4. Loko International and

associations

• 5. Volunteers
• 6. Jobstudents

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• 1. Welcome
• 2. Social Integration

• Week before start academic year in September and

February: 400 & 1800 participants

• Indicated as a + in ranking Times Higher Education
• Info sessions
• Living in Leuven – information session

+ compulsory enrolment @ KU Leuven for students

• Studying@KU Leuven
• Dutch Crash Course
• Intercultural Awareness
• Info Fairs
• Student Fair (unions and associations)
• General Info Fair (KU Leuven services, city,

culture, police, health insurance etc.)

• Guided City Tours through Leuven
• Social activities on evenings and weekends
• Unions and LOKO
• Local and international students
• Leuven and surroundings

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• 1. Orientation Days

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• Orientation Days helped me to understand how things work in

Leuven

• It was useful, especially for meeting people.
• For us international students was a great way to start life in

Leuven

• It was very useful to get assigned to a buddy
• Orientation Days made me feel welcome in Leuven
• I am grateful to be part of this great University that takes time

and effort to welcome incoming international students.

• The orientation Days covers everything that is important…all

people involved were really nice and friendly

• I felt like I am in my home University. Thanks for everything
• Orientation Days were the best week I have ever had
• I have no suggestions. Thanks for your kind attention
• The best start I have ever had
• It was definitely useful. We all come from different countries…

and we know absolutely nothing about Belgian life…

• You have done an incredible job for us

Orientation Days

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• 2. Living in Leuven Information

Thematical + for multiple target groups

Brochure Info session Website

• Matching international students

with local buddy

• Welcome and help
• Social network
• Per semester:
• Sem 1 ca. 1000 duo’s
• Sem 2 ca. 300 duo’s
• Buddy Kick-Off
• Sem 1 ca. 500 participants
• Sem 2 ca. 200 participants
• Happy Hour
• Buddy Workshops
• Cooking, beer tasting, Flemish,

chocolate, intercultural awareness

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• 3. Buddy Programme

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"I made my best friends of Leuven during the Buddy Kick-Off. It helped my

• integration. I met people my age and interest. I am still in contact with them

after three years.“ (Claudia, Mexico) “The buddy program gives you the opportunity to make friends all over the

• world. But what I like most is that it gives you the opportunity to extend your

look to other unknown parts of the world across nations across cultures, to hear other people’s views on all kind of subjects and are not locked up in your

• wn small world. I think that is the real power of this initiative” (Daan, Iosif’s

buddy in 2016, 2nd Wai Kei’s buddy in 2018)

• 1. Orientation Days
• 2. Living in Leuven
• 3. Buddy Programme
• 1. Socio-cultural activities
• 2. Meeting Centre (& Living

Campus)

• 3. Intercultural platform
• 4. Loko International and

associations

• 5. Volunteers

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• 1. Welcome
• 2. Social Integration

• Language
• Conversation groups
• Language chain
• Language tables
• Discover Belgium/Leuven
• About Belgium Lectures
• Daytrips
• Traditions (X-mas,…)
• Beat The Sunday Blues

cycling tours

• Culture: film, workshops,

debates, performances etc.

• Well-being: Mindfulness, yoga,

meditation…

• Farewell Party

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• 1. Activities

• Open to university community with extra advantages for students +

home away from home

• Welcome desk = low thershold open door policy
• Questions, registration etc.
• Open every working day from 12-17.30, thu. van 13-18.30u
• Bar
• Coffee/Tea/Beers/Soda’s (discount for students)
• Games, newspapers etc.
• Open Mon-Thu from 12-20, Fri-Sat from 12-24
• Volunteers on weekdays van 12-17,

job students on evenings and weekends

• Rooms for rent/use:
• 4 rooms with projection – 2 kitchens
• For students (and staff/others under certain conditions)
• Open activites = free use
• Private activites = rent
• Daily activities by students in our rooms
• Membership: Ca. 2000 members/academic year (use of CRM-system)
• mug = free coffee and tea for an academic year
• Students: discounts on paying activities.

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• 2. Meeting Centre (& Living Campus)

• Initiatives to stimulate intercultural

learning and dialogue:

• Debates, round tables, workshops,…
• Combining academic insight with

(personal) experiences from students themselves

• In close cooperation with student

associations, faculties, other

• rganisations
• Based on an active network with

and knowledge of the different cultural student communities and backgrounds

• Initiatives:
• Speakers’ corner
• The OtherStory

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• 3. Intercultural Platform

Far reaching cooperation with LOKO International

• Goal: to reinforce the network

between (Flemish) student unions and International Student Associations

• Meeting Hub for student unions

and associations = location & platform

• Networking
• Co-working
• Private meetings
• Locker & storage

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• 4. LOKO International &

International Student Associations

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• Diwali – Holi Festival
• Ethiopean Nights
• Undivided – Pride Week
• Feminist Society
• Indonesian Cultural Day
• Polish Night
• Cameroonian Meet & Greet
• Amnesty International letter writing

ISA events & Activities

• More than 100 active volunteers

per academic year

• Orientation Days
• Bar
• Steward
• Activities
• Home Vesalius
• Buddy Programme = volunteers
• Purpose of Community Building
• Volunteer bonding activities
• Volunteer ‘savings’ card
• KU Leuven i-portfolio

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• 5. Volunteers

• Drink & Draw
• Taste of Africa
• Pub Quiz
• Bar Folk
• Vegan Potluck
• Liar’s Club Game Night
• Origami
• Game of Thrones

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Individual volunteers’ initiatives

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• Bartenders
• Orientation Days support team
• Resident-advisors
• Beat the Sunday Blues
• 6. Jobstudents

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• Social Media: fb (big groups) + What’s app (small groups)
• Newsletter, invitation mails
• Website, slides on campus screens, posters,…
• Participating, being present/visible/approachable

Communication

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• A place run (partly) by students for students
• Support small-scale activities by students
• Join forces: with KU Leuven players + others
• Gadgets: T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs

Little secrets

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• older Phd students, families,…
• Pangaea on the move?
• Buddy Programme: scale

Challenges

Thank you!