Social and intercultural activities
The world is in motion
We understand what it means to move to another country and to start from the beginning. Some of the newcomers can quite easily find their way in The Netherlands while others experience a lot of difficulties and obstacles on the way. This can bring further problems to that person, to his or her surroundings and the society as a whole. With our social program we want to prevent those problems and help the newcomers to make a good start here. A good start means: to know how different things function in a new environment, to learn and practice the Dutch language, to be active in society, to develop your social network and personal and professional skills. That is what we, in the Global Village, call “integration”. Most of the newcomers are doing their best to integrate and it is a pity they are not always supported when they need help in that process. And for those who, for different reasons, postpone their integration process we hope to be a source for motivating them to start the process.
The social program in the Global Village is a proactive, support program for the newcomers in Eindhoven. However, everybody who finds this Global Village setting interesting for his/her own development and voluntary engagement is more than welcome. The interaction between people who are born or grew up in Eindhoven and those who moved here is the condition for successful integration.
Language
The Dutch language is not an easy one. We understand that sometimes the prices for the language courses, the hours when the lessons are given or how they are organized can be hard to overcome obstacles. The Global Village cooperates with the initiative “New In NL” (www.facebook.com/newinnl) that developed a Dutch language course. With its affordable price, flexible hours and friendly teachers our language course makes learning Dutch interesting and accessible for everyone.
We offer the courses at levels A1 and A2 and besides the regular lessons the students take part in free of charge conversation lessons. In that way they can immediately practice what they have learned and they will feel more relaxed speaking Dutch in everyday life. All other activities of the Global Village stimulate using and learning the Dutch language.
New In NL and the Global Village announce a new round of the Dutch language courses starting from January 23, 2017. Besides providing lessons at A1 and A2 level we give you free conversation lessons and create opportunities/activities for practicing the language and being involved in the Dutch society.
Each of the levels takes 36 hours divided in 16 lessons; one level costs 250 € and additional conversation practice with native speakers is free of charge.
- small groups (max. 8 students) and private lessons
- lessons given in the morning/evening/weekend
- friendly teachers, Dutch and internationals
For more information please come to the information meeting in the Global Village on Saturday, January 14 at 19:00 o’clock.
Find your way around in The Netherlands by following our language and support program!
For more information please contact us at or call 06-30325456.
Meeting
The Global Village is a place from which you can get to know the city of Eindhoven and its inhabitants. We understand that even for Dutch people it is hard to deal with all the regulations and bureaucracy. The newcomers, especially those who do not speak the Dutch language or who have a very small network of friends, family or colleagues, very often get into troubles. Being well informed prevents you from getting into trouble and makes you independent.
This segment of our program helps in getting to know the institutions, culture, regulations, habits, rights and obligations. During the workshops, presentations, information meetings or organized visits and tours in the city, professionals and people from the city are giving you more information and share their experiences in the fields of i.e. Dutch history, the politics, taxes and employment, health, social services, education etc.
You are welcome to come with your own ideas and inquiries and we will, together with you, look for the best way to answer your question. If you want to share some of your own experiences, you can help the others. Get in touch with us at .
Support
Imagine that you want to travel somewhere with the car but you don't know where. We help you to choose the destination and to prepare for the trip. You drive. We sit in the car and if you are not sure you are on the right track you can ask us for help. When you reach the chosen destination you go further alone. In the best case you do not need us anymore to travel with you but you can give us a lift if you see us on the street with a broken bicycle.
The support program of the Global Village helps our volunteers and participants of the activities to define and reach their goals. Together with them we look for answers to these questions: What do I want to achieve/change? How can I make it happen? and Which result am I satisfied with? The destinations/goals can be different for each person, f.e. to develop new skills, to become emotionally stronger, to bring the structure in the everyday life, to feel at home, to make a good decision, etc.
The Global Village team members have valuable experience from their own integration into Dutch society. Getting to know your new environment and finding your place in it is much easier when there are people around who can help you. So, do not hesitate to contact us at and we will make an appointment with you. Sometimes, a small talk to somebody who you can trust and who can ask a few good questions is what you need to make your situation clear and to move on.
All communication is highly confidential.
Voluntary work
Almost every Dutch person has done it in his/her life. By doing voluntary work you develop your skills, meet people and create opportunities for a paid job. You develop your community and help other people. It is an important part of your CV. Your rewards are respect for what you do and personal satisfaction.
In the Global Village there are a lot of opportunities to do voluntary work: organizing activities, developing your own initiatives, promotion, administration, technical maintenance of the equipment, giving Dutch conversation lesson, etc. If you see yourself doing one or more things mentioned here, or even if you are not quite sure what would you like to do, contact us at .
In cooperation with other partners you can do voluntary work in your neighborhood or at some other organization or institution. In any case volunteers will be guided and supported by the professional staff.
Workshop 1
Foundation is a nonprofit Dutch registered organization operating a Consulting Center to bridge the gap between former professionals – for whom a return to the workplace can seem practically impossible and personally intimidating after a long break – and companies who want to increase diversity among their staff and access the hidden pockets of highly qualified, experienced and motivated professionals. Their first workshop will be an introduction on how to go back to the workforce. The number of participants is limited, so please make a reservation via .
Workshop 2
During the workshop you will get to know more about the Global Village concept and explore different possibilities for your active involvement in it. Your feedback, ideas and needs will be the guidlines for further devlopment of the Global Village. Number of participants is limited so please make a reservation.
Sunday, 13 November at 13:00 o'clock
Language Fair
This is a great chance for all those who are busy with learning Dutch language to get some tips and tricks about using different sources to improve their language competencies. We have prapared a lot of nteresting materials, books, web sites, excercises, and other learning tools. Besides that we want to share some ideas how you can practice the language and dare to speak in public.
Enikő Bohák, an Hungarian expat will guide you through the language fair. She has been living in The Netherlands for 4 years and she is doing voluntary work at a bilingual (Dutch-Hungarian) cultural magazine and in the Holland Expat Center in Eindhoven.
Wednesday 23 November at 19:00 o'clock
Book Presentation
Promotion of the book “Dutch-ees from the Himalaya’s” written by Kirtika van Hunen-Malla
Do you come from another country and are you curious how you can find a balance with differences and similarities between the Dutch and your own culture? Then you definitely have to meet Kirtika van Hunen-Malla during the promotion of her book in the Global Village on the 11th of December 2016 at 14:00h. The address is: Dommelstraat 2a, 5611CK, Eindhoven.
During the promotion of her book “Dutch-ess from the Himalaya’s” in the Global Village you can exchange your experiences about living in the Netherlands with the writer and the audience. You can also hear more about Kirtika’s program “ Between two cultures” which aims to help people grow in multicultural societies (www.between2c.nl).
Free entrance. Please make a reservation via .
Kirtika van Hunen tells us about her own life between two cultures in the book full of stories and examples from the (her) real life. She comes from Nepal and she lives here for more than 20 years, so her experience is big.
The book is written in English and among many funny stories you can definitely find some where you can recognize your own situations. In the book she reveals completely the habits of “flatlanders” but she also gives a glimpse of her own culture back home.
She makes it easy for a reader to understand the emotional process of leaving your safe zone where you know how the things function, where you speak the same language and have friends and family.
Her stories help you to cope with all the new things you meet in your new environment (food, language, weather, habits, communication with people, family relations, work, education, regulations, bicycles, etc.) and to make a positive mix of your own and the Dutch culture.
About Kirtika
Kirtika van Hunen-Malla was born in Nepal and educated in Loreto Convent Darjeeling. She graduated with honors in Zoology from a college in India, obtained a Postgraduate degree in forestry from the University of Twente in The Netherlands and worked in Nepal as a conservation officer. She also obtained a Master’s degree in Environment Management from the University of Hertfordshire in England and worked as a conversation and sustainability officer for the Government of The Netherlands. With the motto “Knowledge is to share” she utilizes her life experience and knowledge to assist people who want to live and work in another cultural environment than their own, “feel at home” between two cultures.