University and associations join forces to beat loneliness during Winter Weeks
Not all students spend the holidays with family and friends. The Leiden University Winter Weeks gives these students the opportunity to take part in a range of fun and free activities. The student well-being team worked again with student organisations from Leiden and The Hague to organise this year’s event. ‘We want to support the well-being of all students, not just our own members.’
Student well-being is a focus at the university throughout the year. There are a range of services including student support groups, student psychologists, workshops, online self-help modules, career services and of course the annual Student Well-being Week. But some students could use some extra attention during the Christmas holidays because, for example, they cannot visit their families. To help these (often international) students keep in touch with others during the Christmas holidays, the university holds its Winter Weeks. Two weeks of free activities in Leiden and The Hague where they can relax, meet others and beat loneliness. The options range from ice skating, pub quizzes and karaoke to a traditional olibollen walk.
Five student associations are organising an activity for this edition. Why is student well-being so important to them? And what do they gain from organising an activity for others
Kirsten van Egdom, SSR-Leiden chair
‘Sadly, students are under more and more pressure. As an association, it is our job to prevent this and look after our members. A student association is more than a place for partying: it is often where members make an incredibly close group of friends for life. It means a lot to us to be able to offer all that SSR-Leiden does for our own members to other students during the Winter Weeks. By working together, we ensure that everyone feels that bit better in these dark weeks.’
What activity is SSR-Leiden organising? ‘A photography walk to look at Leiden’s prettiest spots while learning the basics of photography.’
Casper Zee, VSL Catena chair
‘As a student association, Catena has close ties with the university. We really care about student well-being and are only too glad to build a united front against loneliness. Students have a lot to contend with at the moment: pressure to succeed, room stress, the late graduation penalty, you name it. As an association, you are not just there for the good times but are also responsible for your members and these days that means extra attention to student well-being. During the Winter Weeks, we want to help support the well-being of all Leiden students, not just our own members.’
What activity is Catena organising? ‘We are holding a movie night and a game café.’
Stijn Westerhof, H.S.R.V. Pelargos chair
‘You have a lot to deal with as a student. You’ve got classes, may have a part-time job and then there is the pressure of finding good accommodation and possibly the late graduation penalty. This all causes stress. At our association we want to be a place where people can talk about this and feel at home. But a much larger group of students do not belong to an association. We hope that our focus on student well-being will help them too find a place where they feel safe and at home.’
What activity is Pelargos organising? ‘A festive pub quiz. Hopefully this will give people the opportunity to get to know others.’
Ids Nieuwstraten, LV.V.S. Augustinus treasurer
‘As an association, we are committed to mental health and do a lot for our own members. Previous boards already saw how many of our members suffer from mental health problems. That led to initiatives to help address and talk about this. So this is a cause that is close to our hearts and we are glad to help promote the mental health of other students. That makes it really important that we provide a space where students who have to stay in Leiden during the holidays won’t feel alone.’
What activity is Augustinus organising? ‘Like always, we are one of the stops on the Oliebollen walk. And by selling oliebollen we are also raising money for charity.’
Lisa Schreuders, A.L.S.V. Quintus board member
‘As an association, we provide our members with a social network and a place where they can work on themselves and where it is easy to ask for help. This is how we can do our bit to create a positive and healthy environment where students can flourish, academically and personally. We want to be a safe haven where people can relax and make friends but also a place where members can seek help if things aren’t going well. The Winter Weeks are a good way to open our association to other students and provide a space to relax at Christmas.’
What activity is Quintus organising? ‘A Christmas Karaoke Party. Everyone is welcome to come along and sing!’
Do you want to know more about the Winter Weeks?
View the full programme on the university website. You can still register!
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The Winter Weeks activities range from ice skating, pub quizzes and karaoke to a traditional olibollen walk -
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