Connecting Hands

29-11-2017 Wednesday the 29th of November was finally there - students and refugees went ice skating at the IJsbaan Twente again! Almost 70 refugees and students were present, including some refugees put in contact with us via M-Pact. M-Pact is an organisation helping volunteers in Enschede. Through this organisation, we came into contact with Eritrean refugees, very eager to learn ice skating! At 8 pm, students and refugees put their skates on and defied all odds by entering the ice rink. Student ice skating association Skeuvel helped out, at the IJsbaan Twente, and everyone tapped into their inner Sven Kramer and ...

15-10-2017 The 15th of October was a full day of fun for refugees and students! With great weather, we played volleyball together with volleyball association Harambee, and scored lots of goals on the football pitch. More than 50 refugees visited the University of Twente, where lunch was arranged too.

24-05-2017 Tuesday afternoon Connecting Hands hosted one of its final activities of the year, BBQ and volleyball, with refugees from the AZC in Azelo, as the asylum centre is soon shutting down due to a lack of incoming refugees. Residents left at the AZC Azelo will move to the AZC in Almelo, where the committee will continue their work. Photos and full article at the University of Twente's independent news magazine UToday (source).

23-03-2017 On the 23rd of March, an interactive music evening in cooperation with ArtEZ and Concordia has been organized by the culture committee of Connecting Hands. The aim of the evening was to connect people and different cultures by using music as a non-verbal means of communication. 38 refugees from the AZC Azelo and Kim (a staff member of the AZC) arrived around 7.15pm with the bus at the Central Station. The event took place in the theatre hall of Concordia at the Oude Markt and it started at 7.30pm. The four students of ArtEZ were ready to take off. They ...

14-02-2017 Today marked the first in the series of events that Connecting Hands organized for refugees who wish to pursue university studies in the Netherlands. About twenty asylum seekers from AZC visited the campus to get acquainted with the University of Twente and to connect with local students. Photos and full article at the University of Twente's independent news magazine UToday (source).

19-01-2017 During our ice skating event, we welcomed more than 35 refugees at the IJsbaan Twente in Enschede, and all learned to ice skate (a bit)! Photos and full article at the University of Twente's independent news magazine UToday (source).

31-03-2016 Asylum seekers from asylum centre in Azelo visited the University of Twente yesterday. They participated in a small football tournament and a campus tour, both organized by Connecting Hands. Photos and full article at the University of Twente's independent news magazine UToday (source).

25-02-2016 A computer course for asylum seekers took place yesterday at the University of Twente. About 30 asylum seekers residing in Twente attended the course to learn some basic computer skills, but also to practice Dutch and start their integration into the local society. Photos and full article at the University of Twente's independent news magazine UToday (source).