New episode of RUG & Co. podcast: ‘The city of Groningen is the best classroom for students’

Tax returns, phishing emails, relationship crises, or simply a cup of coffee. Residents of Groningen bring all kinds of questions to the support points (‘steunpunten’) of WIJS Groningen. Every year, around 3,000 people seek help with a wide range of issues. In the new episode of the RUG & Co. podcast, we discover how students and Groningen residents work together to find solutions.

WIJS stands for Neighbourhood Deployment by Youth and Students (‘Wijk Inzet door Jongeren en Studenten’). Established in 2015, it connects students from vocational education (MBO), universities of applied sciences (HBO), and research universities (WO) to societal challenges in Groningen. The starting point is that students are more than just beer-drinking young people: with their expertise and skills, they can truly make a difference in society.

The questions residents bring to the various support points vary widely. From help with administration, tax matters, and digitization to questions about entrepreneurship, students provide support where it is needed. Sometimes a practical solution suffices, but sometimes what is most needed is a listening ear.

Joining the conversation are Berber Munstra, program leader at WIJS and associated with the University of Groningen, and Guillaume Maat, coordinator of the support points at WIJS. Also a guest is Elke van Aalsum, who recently graduated in Sociology from the University of Groningen and completed an internship at WIJS Groningen. Together, they discuss the work of the support points, the concerns of residents, and what students learn from their internships.

Listen to the latest episode about this collaboration at the intersection of science and society.

About RUG & Co.

In the RUG & Co podcast, science journalist Jelle Posthuma and program maker Floor Kuiper show how the University of Groningen is at the heart of society. Each episode focuses on a collaboration between the university and the world around it, with governments, companies, social organizations, and residents of Northern Netherlands.

Previous episodes have covered the collaboration between the University of Groningen and Philips, cross-border care in Germany and the Netherlands, and the accessibility of the city for wheelchair users. The Veiligheidscampus in Assen and the role of science in stress research and festivals have also been featured.

Visit the podcast page of RUG & Co.