Resilience at a time of crisis

Coronavirus has turned student life upside down. Lecture rooms have been replaced by computer screens and study associations and catering facilities have closed. But many Delft students refused to be discouraged: now is the perfect time to make a difference for fellow students, the elderly or local businesses. A selection of some of their initiatives.

5 to 12

When the number of coronavirus infections increased sharply, one group joined forces with the Delft National Chamber of Societies, the municipality, TU Delft and the Municipal Health Service in launching the ‘5VOOR12’ awareness-raising campaign. It rapidly developed into an organisation committed to exploring how it can help the Delft community in the fields of well-being, education and communication.

Thuisbesmet

In response to 5VOOR12, the website thuisbesmet.nl was also launched. Providing students with information about coronavirus, the platform led to countless initiatives, including the Delft De-stress Festival. In collaboration with the Dutch National Student Association (ISO) and students from Leiden and Utrecht, the ‘Lieve Mark’ (Dear Mark) campaign was launched, a study into student well-being and needs.

gewoonmensen

Partly thanks to Jasper Veen (AE) and Thijs de Jongh (Applies Sciences), more than 40,000 people volunteered to help others. Via the website gewoonmensen.nl, used by people to request and offer help, they did people’s shopping, dog-walking or gave tuition. On Liberation Day, over 43,000 elderly people in student cities received a surprise orange tompouce pastry and students joined rapper Ali B to distribute flowers to the elderly.

Taps & Chaps

Working with restaurants and cafés, the initiators of Taps & Chaps developed a platform to showcase produce from Delft hospitality businesses, from beers to bar snacks. Set up by and for students, the not-for-profit platform has the primary aim of supporting hospitality in Delft.

Support matters

The Indian student association ISA set up a campaign to support hospital staff at the Reinier de Graafziekenhuis. TU Delft students and staff used a special website to send a personal message. The messages were printed out on a banner at the hospital entrance.

Delft De-Stress Festival

The end of an exam week is a reason to party for many students. But the bars and clubs are closed and the number of guests allowed is limited. This is why Rob Mudde, Vice-Rector Magnificus at TU Delft, organised the online Delft De-Stress Festival. There were performances by DJs and artists on three different stages and students were connected to each other via Zoom.

Leven in Delft

The Living in Delft (Leven in Delft) foundation, established in 2012 by the Delftsch Studenten Corps, organised a three-day event for residents of Delft care homes in early December. Participants were treated to a corona-proof pub quiz, painting course and dance performance.

Local markets

The Local Markets platform gave customers an opportunity to do their market shopping online. The idea was suggested by students Yasin Sagdur, Dolf Verheul (TU Delft) and Tom van Doorn (EUR) who wanted to help out local market businesses. The range expanded from The Hague to include Rotterdam and Hoogvliet, but the concept proved unprofitable in the longer term.

Christmas hampers campaign