Are you slowly hitting a wall? Feeling disconnected from the university, lonely, or maybe in need of a motivational boost. In this article, I want to share three MEDIUM projects that have been started to reach you, no matter where you currently are. 

One year into the pandemic we have all been faced with uncertainty. An uncertainty that has pushed us to make new plans over and over again. And which has led us to now make plans without even considering that they will work out. In short, we have been discouraged a lot this past year. So we are, maybe more than ever in need of some encouragement. This is why I would like to start off with a soon to be published podcast called:

“You did well today” by Daphne Quek

Daphne is in her second year of her bachelor’s in communication science and is originally from Singapore. In her podcast she talks about life and gives a word of encouragement through each episode. Her podcast idea is inspired by the amount of comfort the Korean singer-songwriter Jonghyun brought to people through his radio show “blue night”. This is why she hopes that people will feel comforted and encouraged through her podcast too. Daphne loves that with this podcast she has the freedom to express herself and a platform to share her thoughts. A personal note she would like to pass on to you is:

 “I hope that you did well today” may not only encourage you, but also inspire you to become a better version of yourself each day!” -Daphne Quek

And in my opinion, it really does! Daphne gave me a sneak peek of her podcast and I have to say I was really blown away. “You did well today” is a podcast made up of short episodes that are perfect to incorporate just before going to sleep, when still in bed in the morning, or even after a yoga session. Listen in and you will see that her encouraging voice and the light background music in the episodes make it a clearly calming, and an almost mindful experience. So, if you need some encouragement, or a moment of mindfulness then I highly recommend you keep an eye on the Medium website or Instagram page for an update on the first episode of “You did well today”.

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Feeling disconnected?

Maybe it’s more the disconnection to the UvA that has been getting to you lately. Being an international student myself, I know what it means to not even be in Holland for months, while studying online. This is one reason why a friend of mine and I actually started up our own podcast. We wanted to make sure that you can listen in and feel connected to the UvA no matter where you are. 

“Let’s Mingle” by Lucie & Marie

Lucie is a third-year Psychology student, and Marie (myself) a second-year Communication science student, both originally from Germany. Their podcast features an interview with three researchers from different faculties at the UvA. Inspired by their urge to shape their environment, Lucie and Marie decided that something had to be done to interconnect the faculties at the UvA. Interdisciplinarity in mind, they set up their podcast in collaboration with “Medium Magazine” and “Spiegeloog”, the magazine of Psychology. On a personal note from Lucie and me:

“We hope that our podcast not only connects you to the UvA and its different faculties, but that it inspires you to dive into topics and perspectives that may have never crossed your mind”. – Lucie Pressl & Marie Gaebel 

In my opinion (which may be a little biased) “Let’s Mingle” is the perfect podcast to listen to on the bike, car rides or when simply relaxing at home with a cup of coffee. By incorporating the perspectives of three researchers the episodes are more on the longer side but are meant to deliver a discussion of different perspectives on a new topic per episode. So, if you want to reconnect to the UvA and particularly are interested in the perspectives of researchers from different fields then “Let’s Mingle”.

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More of the interaction type? 

If you now think simply listening in doesn’t connect you at all and you would rather like to tune into what people have to say in reality, then perhaps the final project will be exactly what you need. As no matter where you currently are, the IG live talk show “Student couch” by Younes Skalli enables you to listen, watch and even interact with a new interviewee every single week. 

“Student Couch” by Younes Skalli

Younes, a second-year Communication Science student, is also the editor in chief of this magazine, and originally from Morocco. The “Student couch” aims to first of all voice students’ concerns and thoughts, but also create discussions around student life in general. The inspiration behind “student couch” comes from Younes’ own personal experience of students not being sure of the resources they have access to within Communication Science as well as other services at the UvA. Instead of a podcast, he decided to do an IG live talk show so that people can interact and ask questions directly to a guest. The future goal behind the “student couch” is for it to be the place for students to talk about student life at the UvA. A personal note from Younes directly: 

“Don’t be afraid to voice your concerns, as only by voicing these concerns things can get to change” – Younes Skalli

Having been a guest at “student couch” myself, I must say it’s a really great initiative. The live talk shows last between 30 and 40 minutes and are very relaxed and casual interviews. Which is why they are great to tune into life for the interaction part but also to watch back during for example lunch or dinner. There is plenty of personal advice and encouragement from students for students (depending on the guest of course). So, if you do want to reconnect in a more interactive way with the study program or the UvA then I can only highly recommend checking out “Student couch”.

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I hope these three projects give you the opportunity to be encouraged, to reconnect with the UvA, and re-engage yourself within the study program. If you have not yet found what you are looking for but are perhaps inspired to start something of your own, then send your idea to Medium Create. 

Cover: Daniel Fontenele

Edited by: Younes Skalli