Do you want to learn about other cultures, make new friends and even learn a new language? The International Student Associations Delft (ISAD) is launching an initiative called the Buddy Program which intends to help you do that.
ISAD is a recently formed collaboration between several well-established international student organisations at TU Delft. Former chairman of Delft International Student Society (DISS), Jad Masri, started the project in the Fall of2014. “My initial idea was to get international people more in contact with the fraternities,” said Masri, who is pursuing a master’s in petroleum engineering. But the idea soon evolved into the creation of a much broader cultural organisation with representation from the local bodies of Association des ÉtatsGénéraux des Étudiants de l’Europe (AEGEE), Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (AIESEC), Board of European Students of Technology (BEST), Delft International Student Society (DISS), International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) and OrganisatieRationeleStudenten (ORAS).
The Buddy Program is the first initiative by ISAD and it aims to close the gap between the Dutch and international student communities. Historically, there has been a lack of integration at TU Delft. The ISAD website notes that both international students and Dutch students tend to form their own communities which have trouble integrating. Masri’s original idea stemmed from the fact that fraternities have mostly been made up of Dutch students.But things seem to be changing. According to Masri,this year the fraternities seem to bemore open about recruiting international members than ever before.
There have been other buddy programs at TU Delft, but they have mainly been organised within individual faculties. That means students are matched up based on their area of study. The ISAD program aims to make theirs campus-wide, with partners matched on interests, languages they would like to learn and countries they would like to visit. Those interested in learning a language will work with an existing program at TU Delft called Language Tandem.
There has been a great response to the initial registration period according to Masri. They currently have about 130 international participants, but only 30 Dutch students. For that reason ISAD is still interested in finding more Dutch volunteers. Originally, the launch was planned to coincide with the new students that came to TU Delft in February, but Masri said ideally they want to have a platform to match up buddies throughout the year.
Organisers have planned a kick-off event to take place the evening of March 25, 2015at Gasterij ‘t Karrewiel, a bowling alley in the city centre. Tickets cost €7.50 per person and include two hours of bowling and three drinks. The event will also include games that allow buddies to get to know each other better.
For more information, see their Facebook page.
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