In the course ‘Vitality and Vulnerability in Elderly’, students from Human Movement Sciences work with societal partners on real-life questions surrounding elderly care and physical activity. For the second year in a row, no fewer than eight community partners are participating, including GGD Amsterdam, Amsta and Nestor Gym.
It's about people
“You can read everything there is about healthy ageing through books and papers,” says lecturer and PhD candidate Dax Houtkamp, “but only when you talk to elderly people, you truly understand what it means.” For students, it’s about turning theory into practice, experiencing impact and discovering where their professional future may lie.
The collaboration fits VU’s Community Service Learning approach, where students use their academic knowledge to address societal challenges. “And above all: it’s a win-win,” Houtkamp explains. “Students collect research data, and community partners receive research, insights, and ideas that they can use immediately. It’s not a simulation or a mock assignment. It’s about people. That makes the learning fundamentally different.”
You can't plan that kind of connection in a lecture hall
“Students tell us they feel more motivated than with a regular assignment,” says Houtkamp. “They really felt a sense of responsibility. One student said: ‘You no longer settle for just a C now.’ That’s exactly the kind of engagement we want to spark.”
Community partners could feel the enthusiasm too. The elderly people were actively involved, students built relationships and even returned for informal goodbyes. “You can’t plan that kind of connection in a lecture hall,” Houtkamp notes. “But you can facilitate it by linking education to society.”
This is where global citizenship truly comes to life: students go out into the field, work alongside partners and fellow students, and see how small steps can contribute to big goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
From final paper to live show
The course concluded with a Dragons' Den-style session (ed. an internationally known television programme in which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of investors (“Dragons”) in the hope of securing funding). Students pitched their findings, while the care institutions responded immediately with ideas for follow-up projects.
“In such a moment, you see what co-creation means,” says Houtkamp. “Everybody is learning from each other.” The results and final products will soon be shared through openresearch.amsterdam, ensuring that the knowledge developed extends beyond Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
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