On June 8, 2022, it was time for the meet & greet with the Diversity and Inclusion Network. The network has been around for one year and that means it’s time for a party! Hostess Niusha Froozesh, a member of the network and also a communication student, led the meet & greet in the right direction. The aim of the meet & greet was to put the network in the spotlight and to introduce them to everyone at HU.
After a warm welcome by our hostess, the meet & greet was opened with a poem, ‘Ode to connectedness’. The turnout consisted mainly of students and employees. To make the meet & greet accessible to everyone, a sign language interpreter was present along with a writing interpreter.
After reading the poem, two members came forward to share with us their personal motivation for the network. One of these personal stories was told by Emre Cicek, one of the network’s drivers. Emre told about the neighborhood where he grew up: “I myself come from Groningen and we lived there very well with the neighbors. When I moved to Utrecht, I noticed that people here began to live a lot more alongside each other.” This was reason enough for Emre to take action to create more connections by organizing meetings and building bridges. The diversity officer, Elena Valbusa, and the chairman of the network, Ruben van der Weijden, concluded the opening with their personal motivation to commit themselves to this network.
After the opening and the speech by the Executive Board member, a dance performance by dance theater AYA followed. Before the performance began, the audience was asked to sit more forward. Afterward, it became clear why. Dancer Linar Ogenia shared a story about his childhood through dance. The great thing about dance is the feeling. Dance appeals not only to the head but also to the heart. “The body speaks without words” For example, he danced to the music style ‘Tambú’. Tambú is an age-old style of music, formed during slavery. It is a call to struggle for freedom. After the dance performance, something beautiful happened. The audience was touched and this ensured that different people from the audience also started to share their own stories.
After the impressive dance performance, it was time to get to know the network personally. At the Sustainability Square, there was room to meet and talk to the various committee members and initiatives within the network, while enjoying refreshments and drinks. Afterward, everyone could leave a wish for the coming year in the field of diversity and inclusion and stick it on the ‘wish tree’.
Which points of attention in the field of diversity and inclusion do you think are relevant for the HU? Contact us! We’d like to keep in touch…
Mail: Info.di@hu.nl