Photo Resource The idea is to make a virtual platform where students with functional limitations, mental health issues or informal care duties can form communities, organise events, find the right information regarding facilities and support, and more, says Wietske Oosterkamp (MSc student in Forest and Nature Conservation). She’s setting up the platform together with Imke Grutters (MSc student in Nutrition and Health) and Aline Zamoro Martinez (MSc student in Nutrition and Health).
The idea for the platform comes from Wageningen University itself, Oosterkamp explains. ‘The university offers a lot of facilities for students who need support, but it can be difficult for students to find the right information. If you don’t know certain support facilities exist, you cannot use them. That is why Student Training and Support asked students to develop this new virtual platform.’
The university’s decision to involve students in this project is a testament to their understanding of the unique challenges faced by their peers. As Aline Zamoro Martinez puts it, ‘As students, we are better involved in student routines, and we understand the struggles of our fellow students.’
Input
Currently, the students are busy collecting inspiration and information, both in Wageningen and in other cities. Oosterkamp: ‘We have asked other universities and university colleges if they have this kind of platform, and if so, how they do it. At the TU Delft, they use Microsoft Teams. At the UvA, they use WhatsApp, and some other universities have experimented with Discord. We try to learn from their experiences.’
At the same time, they realise that what may work elsewhere does not automatically function here as well. Grutters: ‘That is why we are organising a free lunch this Thursday, May 30, to ask students what they hope to see in a platform like this. From there, we want to get a focus group going, to get input on how to shape this platform.’
You can sign up for the lunch here. Questions about this project? Send an email to student.trainingsupport@wur.nl.