From the 24th to 26th of September, VU Amsterdam hosted the annual staff development workshop for the University Social Responsibility Network (USRN), drawing 38 participants from 22 member universities. The event commenced with an eye-opening walking tour organised by Amsterdam Underground, offering a unique perspective on the red-light district through the lens of a former homeless individual struggling with addiction.
The next day the attendees actively participated in an interactive workshop about the Mixed Classroom Education Model, which was hosted incredibly well by powerhouse Ana Clara Cassanti! After the workshop, the event branched into for parallel sessions led by VU champions in the field of university social responsibility. Our colleague Henk van den Heuvel co-presented a session about mentoring young female students, together with Rhodes University. Other sessions unveiled VU Amsterdam’s best practices in community service learning, sustainability and developing education in co-creation with students. The shared drinks and bites with Exchange partner universities in the Foyer, including a speech by rector Jeroen Geurts, brought perfect synergy between two important internationalisation events.
It was clearly noticeable how all USRN attendees were engaged with the theme of university social responsibility and open to learning from each other’s experiences. Valuable knowledge was shared not only among participants but also between the central office of the Aurora Network and the USRN secretariat. This event was a stepping stone towards a deepening VU Amsterdam's engagement with the USRN, promising more involvement from our university as collaborative projects continue to flourish.
Do you wish to get involved? Send an email to: social.responsibility.soz@vu.nl
