INCLUDED
student platform
Can you always be yourself?
Are you interested in the other person?
Do you feel appreciated for who you are?
Want to be a better accomplice?
Did you grow up in more than one culture?
INCLUDED is a new student platform focused on inclusion at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. We create opportunities to bring greater understanding and awareness to complex topics by voicing student experiences you don't often hear about.
INCLUDED is a community by and for students to discuss issues such as inclusion, racism, and discrimination. Discover recognition or enrich yourself with new insights in our online stories and articles. Meet fellow students at our events and start up a conversation.
Follow us on Instagram via @included.hr, and stay up to date with our events, read about special (party) days, untold stories and discover inspiring viewing, listening, and reading tips. Also check out our website.
By sharing knowledge and experiences, INCLUDED aims to connect students and staff so that everyone feels at home at RUAS. In this way, the new INCLUDED community contributes to an inclusive Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.
INCLUDED. Your voice is our strength.
Read the interview with Souraya below.
“I like my studies because I feel involved”
Souraya is a Marketing of Social Business student and an active editor at INCLUDED
“Because I really enjoy the studies and want to encourage others to follow it too, I often work on the Open Days. I also work for the student community INCLUDED as an editor in the student editorial team. I write stories for which I engage with students and come up with ideas for new articles. I also help out with meetings that INCLUDED organises throughout the year. Big and smaller events where students and staff meet.
“Inclusion is important, students want to feel like they belong”
The research by Sami Martins Ribeiro (founder of INCLUDED) shows that there is a lot of need for a community that is about inclusion, and I have noticed that as well. People want to feel they belong. Especially when someone is just starting college and discovering themselves, this is important. Whether this is in class or during the break.
The reason I like my studies so much is because I feel involved. Teachers and students make sure I enjoy going to school. This was not the case in my final year in secondary school. I was not involved and therefore felt out of place. So, I saw that inclusion has a lot of impact on how I feel. At school and outside school. That's why I wanted to be part of INCLUDED. This way I can help students feel included and they then know that they matter.
“Voicing stories”
Whether I had any unpleasant experiences? As I mentioned earlier, my senior year in secondary school was not fun. I came into a new class where everyone already knew each other. When I tried to connect, I didn't get the warmest responses, so after a while I stopped trying to connect with my classmates. This is in heavy contrast to the three years I have been studying here. I have found a great group of friends who support and engage with me. This makes classes more fun, and we also get better grades because we help each other when we don't understand something. Because of this, I found the joy in studying and going to school again.
