- A first time cross-over project of the study programs Law and Social Work
- Because: ‘There needs to be a safe place to talk about financial problems.’
As of November 13th, two students, one from each study program, can be found in the XT-lobby. There you can see them for a talk. There is also a separate room for students who need more privacy. The duo is supported by social advisers from De Kern (social service organisation in Zwolle). There is a need for this kind of consultation, says project leader Inge Bekhuis: ‘At Deltion these talks have started five years ago and the demand for this kind of help has been growing ever since. The current pressure to perform and student loans are the cause, I think, for extra stress.’ One of the two students who will kick off the talks is Rebecca van den Akker. She wanted to be part of the talks because she wants to do similar work in the future. ‘I come from a family that has struggled with financial problems in the past. For some time, my dad, my brother, and I have been living below the poverty rate. After my study program I want to work as an administrator or legal adviser.’ The second student, Linde ten Lohuis, thinks that there is too little support for students with financial problems: ‘At the moment when you reach the age of 18, you’ll get thrown into the adult world and have to figure everything out by yourself. I find it to be important that the taboo on financial problems will be broken and that students have a safe place to talk about these issues.’ Does she find this cross-over to be a useful addition to the curriculum? ‘Absolutely! In the future I’ll have to work with all kinds of people as a social worker. This cross-over gives me a chance to experience this now.’ Rebecca: ‘You’ll gain a lot of experience this way. You learn to deal with people, give advice, figure things out. For a future lawyer these experiences are very important. If you want to work at the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) or legal help desk, you will need these skills. Bekhuis expects the cross-over to inspire the teachers: ‘We are currently training the teachers so that they can take over the task of social advisers. And of course, it is our intention that if teachers get more familiar with this, that this can lead to new types of education. In practice we see common ground between both study programs. The work field asks for all-rounders who can view this problem at different angles, both the legal and social aspects.’ (MH)
