Afbeelding
“I’m in my final year and doing my internship with the World Wildlife Fund. I was convinced I wanted to work for an organisation that does good for the world or for nature. I got in touch with WWF Netherlands and they took me on. My first task was to organise the WWF New Year’s event and make it as good as it could possible be. Target group research, design thinking, story telling and setting up guest speakers, a location and a suitable host were all part of the job. Thinking up and organising an event from A to Z is really rewarding, especially when the reactions are mainly positive. At the moment I’m organising a huge event for donors. The nice thing is that I’m completely free in how I approach things. It gives me the chance to put what I’ve learned into practice.”
Creative course
“The course teaches you to really think creatively, like with one of the first assignments where we had to think up our own concept for a new Disney attraction. You learn to not only organise an event, but also tell a story around it. And classes are taught differently to what I was used to. For instance, subjects such as management skills and economics are integrated into projects, so you can apply the theory straight away. We got, for example, the assignment to do publicity for a hospitality catering business in Lauwersoog, which invovled thinking up a plan and then implementing it. You really learn a lot then.
Real-life projects
“During the course, I ended up at 03 Leeuwarden project agency where I helped set up The Green Alert, a team of students committed to sustainability. With the team, I came up with a plan for fun stunts at schools for Sustainability Day. We came up with the Frisian Trojan horse, a 5-metre high horse made of rubbish from the Leeuwarden canals, as a way of raising awareness of the problem of plastic. There really are loads of opportunities during the course, but it’s up to you to seize them.”
Thailand
“It was through the Community-Based Tourism minor that I ended up living in a community in Thailand. These are secluded communities and they often still have a traditional lifestyle which be interesting from a tourism point of view for the country. From the campus in Bangkok, I first learnt about the lifestyles in such communities and then I stayed for three weeks in a community in the mangrove forests in the east of Thailand. The surroundings were beautiful and we would motor through the forest in a boat fishing while, if it was evening, gorgeous fireflies would zoom around us. Based on these experiences, we drew up a programme for tourists.”
Wildlife Management
“I also spent three months studying Wildlife Management in South Africa. It’s the most unique minor there is. You live in a hut in the middle of nowhere amongst wild animals, and it’s where I saw and experienced what it’s like to run a national park like Kruger Park. How do you organise something like this? Which animals can live with each other and which can’t? How do you generate income? It’s a really educational and special experience. There you are on the edge of a swimming pool when suddenly a giraffe walks by!”
Atmosphere
“The atmosphere on the Leisure & Events Management programme is great and there are loads of open-minded and creative people. The international possibilities are endless and it really is a very positive and nice environment to study in. Kind of like a community. I really like being there and to be quite honest, it doesn’t really feel as if I’m studying.