The NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences RUN-EU Team, in Leeuwarden, welcomed a group mix of cultures and countries of RUN-EU international teachers and students, who participated in a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP).

What is a BIP?
A BIP is an intensive programme in which students engage in a ‘pressure cooker’, i.e., focused thinking, with the goal of creating brilliant solutions within a short period of time.

Design Challenge
International students, who complete their education, often prefer to work in larger cities. Therefore, Leeuwarden tries to give students a positive experience in the city, so that they choose to live and work in Friesland.

With that in mind, students were given a design thinking-based challenge to create projects that would encourage international students, individuals, or families, to continue living and working in Leeuwarden.

As a result, a student from Finland came up with the idea of an app consisting of all the requirements internationals need when arriving in the Netherlands, such as a BSN, Bank account and accommodation registrations.

Networking
Networking also took centre stage:
‘I feel like I have made lifetime friends´, one student said.
Through brainstorming sessions, research activities, exploring the city of Leeuwarden and the beautiful boat trip through the famous Dutch canals, a deep connection was made.

The Educators
The experience was also valuable for the lecturers, who were able to witness their students’ work in an entirely new environment.
A lecturer from the Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) in Finland shared:
‘It is inspiring to see how the students interact with people from different cultures with such ease. Cultures with such ease. It seems like they have known each other forever. Knowing each other forever. It gives me hope that we can indeed achieve a culturally diverse future.’