VUB and ULB students join forces with Brussels organisations for virtual weKONEKT.week

During the weKONEKT.week from 29 March to 2 April, students from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) will be joining forces with organisations in Brussels. Together they want to make a difference for Brussels and its inhabitants. Along with partner organisations, the students will develop projects and organise activities for the general public. There is also a series of guest lectures on the programme related to various course subjects. It’s Brussels as a living lab, in corona mode. Because of Covid-19, all the activities will take place online. Students’ commitment and wellbeing are the connecting threads throughout the weKONEKT.week.

Committed and connected

The student entrepreneurs of The City is our Playground and the Green Team will roll up their sleeves for mind-blowing virtual and pop-up slam poetry workshops on the theme of water, digital arts and digital drawing lessons in architecture and nature. It’s all by and for students.

In a unique masterclass with Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab and journalist Rudi Vranckx, students of communication sciences will discuss the role of war journalism and Al-Kateab’s documentary For Sama.

Our academics show how engaged science can be. With the KVS and the Risicovechtplatform Vlaanderen, VUB experts explore the potential of martial arts, the Artificial Intelligence for the Common Good Institute dives into AI and all its complexity, and in collaboration with Bruzz we launch the podcast Antipode with a series of fascinating conversations.

Wellbeing in corona times

Thanks to the enthusiasm and support of Resto Henri in Brussels, among others, some 100 students will be seated at weKONEKT tables. In small groups at the virtual VUB campus in Gather.town, they look back on the past months and look ahead to a shared future. What lessons can we as a university and society learn from this pandemic? By doing so, the students immediately make their mark on VUB’s student policy.

There are walks, bike rides and kayak expeditions too. Because sport and exercise are more important than ever, students get the chance to stretch their legs. Through the various sports activities, they will discover the rich history and architecture of Brussels.

Then, a ray of hope for student life at the university. As is customary, the Thursday before the spring break is a big party. Because of Covid-19, it can’t take place on campus this year, so student associations Limburgia and Campina looked for an alternative. The result was an online dance party with the Ancienne Belgique. Here, too, the students’ social commitment comes into play, because the theme of the party is hip-hop from the 70s, 80s and 90s and the underrepresentation of female artists. Jorn Jens Denayer of Campina: “With weKONEKT, I hope to help students find each other again. Many students have little social contact and we want to give them back a sense of belonging and a form of social contact.”

Thanks to a cooperation with five other urban engaged universities from the EUTOPIA European universities network, the weKONEKT.week also has a European dimension.

“In co-creation with our partners in Brussels, and with VUB and ULB students, we ensure that even in these extraordinary times, as many interactions and initiatives as possible can take place. During this virtual edition of the weKONEKT.week, our students have planned exciting activities for their fellow students and the general public. The programme also includes local and international guest lectures within the framework of various programmes. Meetings between students and with their lecturers is and remains very important.” - VUB rector Caroline Pauwels

As an urban engaged university, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel strongly focuses on partnerships with other Brussels, Flemish, European and international organisations and universities to create a socially engaged educational offering. VUB thanks its more than 150 partners who make weKONEKT.brussels possible. Special thanks go to the Flemish Community Commission, Innoviris and the Humanist Association for their support.

More information and full programme

Contact

Jorn Jens Denayer, Campina

[email protected]

0492 66 31 23

Lynn Tytgat, coordination weKONEKT.brussels

[email protected]

0485 11 19 29

^{Als urban engaged university zet de Vrije Universiteit Brussel sterk in op partnerships met andere Brusselse, Vlaamse, Europese en internationale organisaties en universiteiten om een maatschappelijk geëngageerd onderwijsaanbod te creëren. De VUB dankt haar meer dan 150 partners die weKONEKT.brussels mogelijk maken. Speciale dank gaat uit naar de Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, Innoviris en het Humanistisch Verbond voor hun steun.}

^{De Vrije Universiteit Brussel is een internationaal georiënteerde universiteit in Brussel, het hart van Europa. Door het afleveren van hoogstaand onderzoek en onderwijs op maat, wil de VUB een actieve en geëngageerde bijdrage leveren tot een betere maatschappij.}

^{De Wereld Heeft Je Nodig}

^{De Vrije Universiteit Brussel neemt haar wetenschappelijke en maatschappelijke verantwoordelijkheid met liefde en daadkracht op. De VUB lanceerde daarom het platform ’De Wereld Heeft Je Nodig’.  Hier worden rond zes P’s ideeën, acties en projecten samengebracht, opgestart en uitgebouwd. De eerste P staat voor People, want daar draait alles om: mensen gelijke kansen geven, welvaart, welzijn, respect. Peace staat voor het bestrijden van klein en groot onrecht in de wereld. Prosperity gaat armoede en ongelijkheid te lijf. Planet staat voor acties rond biodiversiteit, klimaat, luchtkwaliteit, dierenrechten ... Met Partnership zoekt de VUB samenwerkingen om de wereld een betere plaats te maken. De zesde en laatste P is van Poincaré, de Franse filosoof Henri Poincaré aan wie de VUB haar leuze ontleent, dat het denken zich aan niets mag onderwerpen, behalve aan de feiten zelf. De VUB is een 'urban engaged university’, sterk verankerd in Brussel en Europa en werkend volgens de principes vrij onderzoek. #DWHJN www.vub.be/dewereldheeftjenodig}

^{volg ons op twitter @VUBrussel}