The campaign in Wageningen. Photo: Coretta Jongeling Many students are infected with the coronavirus during this second wave. The national chamber of associations (Dutch: Landelijke Kamer van Verenigingen, LKvV) hopes to turn the tide.
Daan is 22, a student and wants to be able to go camping with his grandfather. Graduate Paula would like to have her parents present at her graduation ceremony. ‘That is why I do it’, is printed in bold letters under their photograph.
‘Third half’
These are just two examples in the new national corona campaign, targeting students. The campaign is an initiative of the LKvV, that calls on students to adhere to the corona mitigating measures.
Since the summer, the number of infections among youths and in large university cities is on the rise. The GGD (public health services) says the virus spreads at private parties in student homes.
The LKvV has designed posters that appeal to students: being able to attend the ‘third half’ of a sports competition, for example, or celebrating your twenty-first birthday with a big dinner party.
Posters
The campaign was developed in collaboration with the VSNU, the association of universities in the Netherlands, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. VSNU-chair Pieter Duisenberg applauds the campaign. ‘We will also put up posters, and divulge the message through our social media channels’, he stated on BNR News Radio this morning.
The LKvV represents approximately 44 thousand students. ‘We can get the message out to the remaining 250 thousand students’, Duisenberg stated. ‘So we will definitely try to increase the reach of this campaign.’
Online bingo
Contrary to all expectations, student associations registered no less than a fifty per cent increase in the number of new members, compared to last year. How is the social binding going now that the second wave is causing issues?
Associations are doing everything they can to keep in touch with their members, says LKvV-president Denise van de Sant. ‘They organise all sorts of online activities, such as pub-quizzes and bingos. But it remains challenging, especially for first-year students who are still finding their bearings. This really worries me. That makes this campaign’s success, and everyone following the directives, even more crucial.