From workshops to a visit to a synagogue, to bike rides and paintball: the employee association is working harder than ever to offer a wide range of activities for both young and slightly older. Want to organise an activity yourself or join the committee? Now’s the time!
Riding your bike together, covering many kilometres and taking a refreshing break for a drink: that’s all you need to have a good time with your colleagues. Alexander Van den Eynden, active in the Marketing and Communications Department and a new board member of the employee association, notes with satisfaction that the monthly ‘Sunday cyclist’ activity is going swimmingly. ‘Through such activities, we want to reach the large group of our active staff’, says Alexander.
The employee association was founded in 2004, at the time of the University of Antwerp merger. The target group was and is all members of staff and former members of staff from various campuses, with the main aim of establishing connections. ‘The seeds had already been sown in the employee associations of RUCA and UFSIA back then. Through our activities, members of staff can meet each other across campuses and ranks’, says co-chair Daniëlle Verbueken, Library Department staff.
Keeping in touch and networking
‘Retirees take part to remain in touch with former colleagues and the university, while those who are still active tend to join activities they are specifically interested in’, as said by co-chair Reinhilde Tulkens, office manager at the Faculty of Law. For the latter group, the activities are also a perfect way to network. Involving English-speaking colleagues is not always apparent for practical reasons, although they definitely want to pay more attention to this.
The association is supported by about eighteen members. Besides chairs Reinhilde and Daniëlle, they include treasurer Professor Norbert Hancke and secretary Christine Rigouts. Alexander takes care of communication: recently he gave the monthly newsletter a new look. Information can also be found on the website, which Reinhilde keeps up-to-date, and on the Facebook page.
Michael Van Peel
A glance at the agenda reveals a wide range of cultural, sports and culinary activities. Besides the classics, such as the annual quiz, the Sinterklaas party and the Christmas market, you can also sign up for a guided tour of the Vordenstein estate, an elderflower workshop and a performance by Michael Van Peel. The activities usually take place in the evening or on the weekends, but sometimes also on weekdays. For the time being, they are still mainly organised in Antwerp and the surrounding area, but now that carpooling and bus trips are once again possible, the activities can take place a bit further out. The association also plans a weekend trip every year; last year they went to Metz.
‘Feel free to make a suggestion for an activity, even if you don’t have the time to organise it yourself. Then we will work on it.’
Reinhilde Tulkens
COVID-19 left an ugly mark in the past two years. Little more than the occasional webinar could be organised for a long time. Reinhilde: ‘That was a solution, but is of course not what we as an employee association want to do. We want to bring people together. Therefore, it was a relief when we were able to organise real activities again, albeit with a mask and in small groups. However, we also noticed that everyone needed time to find their groove again, both the board members and our trusted participants. The corona period demanded a lot from everyone.’
Alexander notices that especially new staff feel the need to connect. ‘Because it was mandatory to work from home, many have hardly had the chance to get to know their colleagues or to network. We are trying to provide an answer to that.’
New blood wanted
Now that life on campus is back to normal, they would like to make a warm appeal, first of all to the active members of staff. ‘Join an activity. Or, for those who feel called upon, don’t hesitate to organise something yourself or even to join the committee. We need rejuvenation’, says Alexander. Ideas are also always welcome, Reinhilde adds. ‘Feel free to make a suggestion for an activity, even if you don’t have the time to organise it yourself. Then we will work on it.’
They hope to rejuvenate the committee to ensure its future and expand the offer for younger staff. Just think of sports or child-friendly activities. But attracting new blood isn’t easy. Lack of time? ‘We meet about ten times a year’, says Daniëlle. ‘And we are also looking for reinforcements for our Sinterklaas team, which only meets about three times a year. If you are interested, please don’t hesitate to jump aboard.’
More information about the employee association can be found on the website (info in Dutch).