Thank you, thank you!

Thank you to everyone for making it a fantastic academic year, you are amazing! We look back for a moment.

Student Hotspot in a nutshell

Student Hotspot is a digital and physical information and coordination point for students and people who want to get in touch with students. Students, engagement and free time are central. Student Hotspot has been expanded on the basis of 4

functions: information for and by students (what there is to do in Hasselt and the surrounding area), student services (second-hand books, tutoring, rental advice, business projects, support for international students, podcast service...), use of various spaces (relaxing, studying, meetings ...) and student jobs/

volunteer work. Further partnerships were strengthened in 2023 and a number of meetings were held in which the needs of the partner organizations were identified. One of the partners, Student@Night, set up part of Student Hotspot as a postcast studio where they record a monthly podcast and organize several workshops.

Usually small-scale and high-quality events and workshops are organized in Student Hotspot itself, but it also happens that an external event is supported, for example a lecture by KBC on sustainability. This was organized on February 12 by Junior Consulting in an auditorium at UHasselt. Student Hotspot also strengthened cooperation with its external partners, e.g. with the City of Hasselt. Student Hotspot thus became a digital point where various student workers from Hasselt University and PXL University of Applied Sciences were employed. In the digital point, open on Saturday afternoon, they helped many citizens with digital questions. This operation will also be further expanded next academic year, and for the time being we are considering 2 projects: 'digital practice opportunities' and 'digital help at home'. To ensure all this went smoothly, the student workers were given more responsibilities. For example, some students were given positions as marketing and communications manager, event manager and operational manager. The event managers got to work and this resulted in many activities, workshops and events. For example, they organized an information evening related to South Africa (with about 35 participants), a successful pre-Student Take-Off (with more than 200 students), a well-attended stand at the Student Take-Off, two very successful block bars, a make-up workshop, a basic 'sewing' course in collaboration with Villa Basta. More attention than before was focused on the international students.

International students

More focus on international students? Some international students worked as student workers in Student Hotspot. A survey was first organized in connection with the needs of international students. About 90 students completed the survey. As a reward for this, 2 international students won a free haircut. The results provided inspiration for a number of activities, also in collaboration with ESN. Some examples: a successful welcoming event for about 80 international students, a film evening and an evening with international dishes. Because many events are organized for students (including by Student Hotspot, associations, clubs, cultural actors, etc.), an overarching agenda was opted for, namely the UiTX agenda. Student workers from the Student Hotspot were appointed to fill and curate this agenda. Finally, there are many new projects

in the pipeline. A project proposal on 'social and ecological impact' will be developed, volunteer work will start and international students will become even more involved.

Thank you, thank you! Enjoy the well-deserved summer and see you in September!