"Make Thursday the National Practical Education Day"

In the region, researchers, teachers, and students are working hands-on with local stakeholders to tackle societal challenges. This time, we travel to Leeuwarden for the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, where students present a major study on youth loneliness.

Text: Jelle Posthuma

In a well-filled hall of the Park Church in Leeuwarden, more than twenty students from vocational education (Firda) and higher education (NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences) are ready to give their presentations. The theme is youth loneliness. Additionally, the topic of "people with misunderstood behavior" is on the agenda. Over the past months, the students have explored how institutions can reach and support these groups, for example, through meeting places. Each group has seven minutes to present their findings.

Visible and Accessible

There seems to be consensus among the students that loneliness and misunderstood behavior are growing problems. They emphasize the importance of young people feeling connected to others. While there are plenty of opportunities, visibility and accessibility could be improved. A student-conducted survey revealed that many students do not know where to turn when they feel lonely. One initial suggestion? Put up posters in bathroom stalls—success guaranteed.

Over the past few months, more than twenty students have collaborated in a Social Domain Studio. These are local learning communities where policymakers, professionals, and students from various educational backgrounds—ranging from vocational Social Work programs to the Master’s in Design Driven Innovation—work together on potential solutions to complex societal issues. There are six social domain studios across different municipalities in Friesland. The municipality of Leeuwarden initiated the focus on youth loneliness.

Generation Z

According to Richtje Boomsma, a lecturer at NHL Stenden, loneliness is an important issue for young people. "COVID-19 has had a major impact. During the presentations, students spoke about their own experiences with loneliness and the stigma surrounding it." Melvin Leusink, a lecturer at Firda, agrees. "This is their own generation—Generation Z. They can speak from personal experience and have direct contact with the target group."

The solutions emerging from their research are highly diverse, as seen in the presentations. One group mapped out all available drop-in centers for young people to improve information accessibility—there are already dozens in Leeuwarden alone. Others want to use social media to reach young people. Ideas also include a more diverse range of student associations, dedicated meeting spaces in schools, and a game to facilitate discussions about loneliness.

National Practical Education Day

The studios where students collaborate bridge education, research, and practice, Boomsma continues. "It is a textbook example of an interdisciplinary learning community. We work on real-world challenges. The great thing is that vocational, undergraduate, and master’s students interact and exchange knowledge. You can see their different perspectives and how they learn from each other. Students also discuss this in their presentations—vocational students take a more practical approach, while university students are more experienced in literature research." According to the lecturers, the collaboration exceeded expectations. "Students are curious about each other and recognize each other's strengths."

The studio places significant emphasis on getting to know one another, Boomsma explains. "We meet every Thursday morning and engage in various team-building exercises. The student group also conducted a workshop on Generation Z for youth professionals and provided multiple opportunities to give feedback on each other's work." However, scheduling these sessions alongside fixed class timetables can be challenging, she notes. Boomsma has a solution in mind: "I advocate making Thursday the National Practical Education Day, allowing students from all programs to participate."

According to Leusink, the project has provided valuable input for further research. The students will share their findings and recommendations with the municipality of Leeuwarden and practical partners. "Additionally, we ensure a proper handover so that a new group of students can build on these results."

The Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health is committed to fostering connections in public health and has the mission of "more healthy years for everyone." The school is a collaboration between the University of Groningen, the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanze University of Applied Sciences, and NHL Stenden.