Integrating Internationals

A day trip to Lake Constance, walks in the vineyards, barbecues or preparing a meal together: the student AK Internationales (International Working Group of the Student Representative Council) has set itself the task of making sure the international students are never bored or lonely.

“Especially when they are new to Würzburg, students often don’t have much idea of what there is to do in their spare time,” says Jessica Rex, a member of the Working Group. “We see it as our job to help them to integrate and show them something of our culture and our country.” The important thing about these events is that the students should enjoy the time they spend together and meet each other.

How can the international students find out about what events are being organised for them? The International Working Group has a page on the University website which is updated regularly, they are on facebook and also mail as many students as possible directly.

“Sometimes you have to be quite imaginative when it comes to making the events known”, says Jessica. One way of telling students about the Working Group is through the German language classes. Every semester the members of the International Working Group go to the Language Centre and introduce themselves and their project to the students in the German classes. Any student who is interested in finding out more about the latest get-togethers can put their name on the mailing list.

“We collect the e-mail addresses when we get all the students together,” says Jessica. “That helps us a lot to keep in touch with the students and keep them up-to-date with the events we have planned.”

The work group has about ten members who are there all the time and about another 15 who are ready to help out whenever necessary. They are funded by the University, which gives them a fair amount of freedom: “When we are planning something we can focus on the content and not have to worry whether we are going to break even.” One of the most popular events every semester is the renowned Würzburg Erasmus party.