Suppose you've had to leave home and hearth and you finally reach the Netherlands after a long journey full of uncertainties. From an emergency shelter or asylum seekers' centre, you then have to wait for months without any certainty about your future. In the meantime, you cannot study or work. That is the fate of most refugees when they first arrive in the Netherlands. With initiatives like Radboud Welcomes Newcomers, the University wants to help these people give new form to their lives. “Many people yearn to be intellectually challenged again.” “These people have sometimes had to flee in all haste,” says Pascal Beckers, associate professor in Spatial Planning and Director of Research and Valorisation at the Radboud University Network on Migrant Inclusion (RUNOMI). “They didn't have time to prepare for a stay in the Netherlands, they don't speak the language, and they’re not sure whether they will be able to stay here, all of which makes it even harder to find information about a new temporary place to live.” Doctors and diplomats Due to their lack of prospects, many refugees go through a passive period, Beckers emphasises. “Among these refugees, especially the Afghan and Syrian refugees who arrived to Nijmegen in recent years, there are many highly educated people who were working in their own countries as doctors or even UN diplomats, for example, but who have lost everything overnight and are no longer allowed to do anything.” Together with more than 100 researchers, from his position at RUNOMI, Beckers helps to design initiatives in the region and at Radboud University to empower refugees and activate them in a positive way. “We help think about initiatives, are involved in the implementation, and conduct research on the results,” says Beckers. Examples of these initiatives include the Stepping Stones language course for non-Dutch-speaking mothers and their babies, the MOSAIC Arabic-language course, a buddy system, and of course Radboud Welcomes Newcomers. Radboud Welcomes Newcomers Radboud Welcomes Newcomers helps Radboud University student refugees to study at the University. Since refugees often face many barriers, we want to help as many student refugees as possible, to the best of our abilities. But we can't do it without your help. So if you'd like to help restore a student refugee regain a sense of perspective, contribute to this project! At their own knowledge level At Radboud Welcomes Newcomers, refugees with an academic or pre-academic background follow Bachelor's and pre-Master's courses at Radboud University. “Because of their situation, refugees are limited in the steps they can take. “Radboud Welcomes Newcomers helps these people to once again have meaningful experiences, so that step by step, they feel more at home in the Netherlands, and the stress of daily life and their past can gently fade into the background. We know that such initiatives make a positive contribution to the well-being and integration of refugees. They get a glimpse of new opportunities, learn more about their new home, and make valuable contacts.” Beckers emphasises the importance of intellectual challenge for refugees. “Of course, there are all kinds of great initiatives, for example from the municipality and social organisations, but the university is one of the few places where refugees can reconnect with peers, and engage seriously at their own knowledge level.” And that is not only a relief for them. “Lecturers are also very positive. They appreciate the diversity in the classroom, and the knowledge and experience the students bring.” Photo: Ricardo Gomez Angel via Unsplash