“WE WANT TO BRING STUDENTS INTO ACTION”

Whoever said that young people don’t care about the serious issues of present-day society anymore has clearly never met any of the members of the association Noord-Zuid Studenten (North-South Students) in Leuven. Jole De Corte and Hanne Vervaele are two coordinators who are tasked with making sure that everything runs smoothly on the annual Fair Trade Pick-Nick with Jam.

Noord-Zuid Studenten is made up entirely of students currently enrolled at the K.U.Leuven and aim to reduce the gap that exists between the rich and powerful North and the poorer Southern regions of the world. They work closely together with NGOs such as Oxfam, 11.11.11, Broederlijk Delen, Vredeseilanden etc. In 2003 a first initiative was undertaken by a group of committed students, but when they graduated a few years later it died a silent death. Until two years ago. In 2008, Noord-Zuid Studenten took a fresh start and have no intention of slowing down. It’s very clear as I stroll around the different stands that everyone is enthusiastic and always ready to discuss and inform. Even the sun has come out to shine upon the pick-nickers and their paper Oxfam bags filled with a entirely Fair Trade and organic lunch.

The Voice - What are the organisation’s main goals?

De Corte: There are three important objectives. First of all, we want to make sure that students in Leuven are well informed about the issues in the world. But it doesn’t stop at that, we want to take it one step further and swing them into action. Another major element is the networking. Many active organisations that deal with global inequality are at work in Leuven, so we try to join all these forces to make the aid more efficient. And last but not least, we simply want to bring youngsters who are interested in global issues together, to create a dialogue between them, but also just to have good fun. We also chose to work with sponsors who care about human ethics and the environment so that we can advertise their products on events like these.

The Voice - That sounds very good to me, but your predecessors failed to keep the organization going for very long. What are you doing to ensure that Noord-Zuid Studenten will continue to exist?

Vervaele: It’s true that the previous initiative didn’t work out as planned, which is why it is good that we got to start again with a clean slate. The group is more efficient and dynamic now. Jole and I are already looking for people to take over from us next year. Plus, we officially became a non-profit organisation this year, which reduces the financial risks for large events like our pick nick.

The Voice - What do you believe are the main strengths of your organisation?

Vervaele: I certainly think that the diversity among our members is a huge plus. Students from many different faculties come together to make this work. It’s also interesting to see all of the different perspectives that our members have on the issues at hand.

The Voice - How do you reach out to students in Leuven?

De Corte: Well, we throw an annual Fair Trade pick-nick as you can see. This way we let people know we exist and they can come and ask questions about us and all of our partners if they want to. LOKO is working on a debate on development and aid in Congo. The Jam in this pick nick event doesn’t only stand for jelly, but also for jamming, as in making music, which reaches across different cultures. Later tonight there will also be a World Party to bring committed students closer together. Some people may also know us from the Fair Trade coffeestop action at the alma restaurants. If anyone is interested in what we do and wants to find out more they can always go to our website (http://www.n-z-studenten.be/) , which is sadly still only available in Dutch. We hope to change that soon though. |