The course includes two interconnected Tracks (A & B).
Track A focuses on your personal wellbeing and development. Starting from a self-assessment of your happiness, you will create your personal learning goals, set an action plan, and monitor your progress. Throughout the course, you will be encouraged to experiment with various happiness practices and reflect on the impact on your personal wellbeing. You will share and discuss your insights with peers and experts in various settings, including debates, workshops and roleplays.
Track B is about improving happiness in a community, preferably within the VU. This involves a collaborative effort with an interdisciplinary group of students and a community partner. Together you will develop an improvement plan and conduct a pilot. Last year, students would offer a mindfulness workshop, a Zumba dance event, a creative activity designing a gratitude journal, or writing an advisory report for inclusive education to the municipality of Amsterdam. Designing and piloting a project can be challenging. That’s why you will receive support through workshops and sessions about interdisciplinary teambuilding, effective collaboration with communities and project management. We will also facilitate peer feedback and two coaching sessions to guide you throughout the process.
Tracks A and B will run in parallel as they can inspire and inform each other. For instance, you can apply ideas and concepts from Track A to enhance well-being interventions as part of your community project in Track B. Conversely, you can also examine how contributing to the happiness of others in Track B impacts your personal well-being, aligning with the focus of Track A.
To successfully pass this course, you need to attend and complete both track A and B..