{"id":92933,"date":"2018-12-12T12:26:03","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T11:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=92933"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:10","slug":"we-dont-just-meet-up-for-mentoring-were-also-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/12\/12\/we-dont-just-meet-up-for-mentoring-were-also-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We don\u2019t just meet up for mentoring, we\u2019re also friends\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you see Senem Oylum and Shabnam Akbar walking around on campus, you\u2019d instantly assume that they\u2019re just friends. And that would be true now, but four months ago they hadn\u2019t even met. These two 23-year-old girls were linked together in September, thanks to Refugees@campus, the student mentoring project of the UAF Foundation for Refugee Students. Last Friday afternoon they were put in the limelight.<\/p>\n

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Senem Oylum (left) and Shabnam Akbari (right), the 500th mentoring duo of Refugees@campus.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

The party marking the end of the Refugees@campus project takes place in the new Education Lab of the Polak Building. Besides employees of the UAF and the Diversity & Inclusion Office of the EUR, participants of the project are also attending. After the speeches of Semiha Denkta\u015f (Chief D&I Officer) and Rob Boom (UAF), the girls get to tell their story. \u201cThe match was made at the start of September\u201d, says Business Administration student Senem. \u201cWe met at the Food Plaza straight away, and since then we get together regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy interactions with Senem have massively improved my ability to speak Dutch and have helped me to get a better grasp of Dutch culture\u201d, says Shabnam, who was born in Afghanistan, but grew up in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u201dMy interactions with Senem have massively improved my ability to speak Dutch and have helped me to get a better grasp of Dutch culture\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Two years ago, Shabnam came to the Netherlands as an asylum seeker. She has been taking the\u00a0Erasmus Preparatory Year<\/a>\u00a0since September, and before then she studied Business Administration in Pakistan for two years. \u201cEven though I know how a university operates, I still need a guide who can help me with all the little Dutch rules\u201d, she says. She hopes to study Business Administration at the EUR next year.<\/p>\n

At the end of the party, all those present gather together in front of the Tinbergen Building. A piece of light art of artist collective Blauwe Uur is shown. Writer Babah Tarawally reads out his column, after which the light art display brightens up the facade of the Tinbergen Building.<\/p>\n

End of the project<\/h2>

Thanks to the financial support of the National Postcode Lottery, the three-year project Refugees@campus could be organised. The UAF started the student mentoring programme in 2016 in order to ease the transition of refugee students into Dutch society. \u201cDuring this project, we connected a refugee student to a Dutch student, so that they could exchange experiences and learn from each other on an equal footing\u201d, project leader Remko de Kok explains. \u201cEspecially at the start of their time here, refugee students really need a buddy to help them practise the Dutch language and to find their way at the educational institution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over 1000 students took part in the project nationally: 500 refugee students and 500 voluntary student mentors. \u201cWe carefully looked for good matches and kept in mind where people live and study, what their discipline is and what their personal interests are\u201d, says De Kok.<\/p>\n

This worked really well for Senem and Shabnam. This 500th \u2014 and last \u2014 mentoring duo is a\u00a0match made in heaven<\/em>. \u201cWe don\u2019t just meet up for mentoring, we\u2019re also friends\u201d, says Senem. \u201cWe talk a lot and about everything\u201d, adds Shabnam. \u201cIt turns out that we have a lot in common, like our interest in Business Administration, our cultural background and our passion for food.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018She\u2019s simply lovely\u2019<\/h2>

For Senem, taking part in the project came naturally. \u201cI saw that refugee students were having difficulty adjusting to the Dutch education system. If I can make a small contribution, why would I waste that opportunity?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy main task is to help Shabnam with the language, as well as with other things: from study preparation to taking care of bank matters and administrative tasks for her future study programme\u201d, says Senem. Shabnam: \u201cIt\u2019s true: Senem helps me with everything, she\u2019s simply lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senem also thinks the project is worthwhile. \u201cActually, I have also learned a lot from Shabnam. She is a silent force, someone who has had to achieve everything on her own. She has made a difference in my outlook on life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mentoring track will only last for another two months, but the girls are sure that they\u2019ll stay in touch afterwards. \u201cSenem is not just a mentor; she\u2019s my friend now\u201d, says Shabnam.<\/p>\n

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