“It is hard for me to imagine not having Roeland in my life”
“Without Roeland, my time as a student would have been very different,” says Victor Desmet, activity leader, and Ghent University alumnus. “Half of my friends I met at Roeland, and my language camp experiences with Roeland have even influenced my choice of studies.”
Victor studied Communication Sciences at Ghent University, and he recently received a Master’s in Gender and Diversity. His second choice was influenced by Roeland, as he explains.
A broadened view of the world
Victor went to Roeland camps in the summer since 2017, as an activity leader with the English and French camps. “At these camps, you meet volunteers and participants from various environments, which automatically expands your view on the world,” Victor says.
“Roeland gave me the opportunity to cross paths with a wide array of diversity, culturally as well as ethnically, and to meet people who have different ideas about sexuality and gender identity. These experiences have contributed to my decision to pick ‘Gender and Diversity’ as my study of choice, because I wanted to understand how we function as a society and how people experience our world from their respective viewpoints.”
Friends for life
“Half of my current circle of friends I met via Roeland. Some of them I met when I joined the camps as a participant, others during my time as an activity leader. Roeland is very much interwoven with my life; it seems hard to imagine my life without being a part of the organisation. I even shared a dorm room for a couple of years with people I met via Roeland.”
“After the summer camps I always look forward to the meetings and training days, organised by Roeland during the school year. Not only is it fun to get together with everyone, but we have also developed some recurring habits when we meet. An example: when it is Christmas, we always visit a Christmas market. When the new year sets in, I always look forward to next summer.”
The search for oneself
“Roeland is an absolutely superb way to learn, especially for younger students who are trying to discover their strengths and weaknesses. Roeland challenges you to step out of your comfort zone and helps you to find and develop your talents. You also learn how to work with children and how to be part of a team, which are indispensable skills.”
During the school year, Roeland offers training days in the weekend where you can learn how to lead a camp. “Being at a language camp never felt like work to me, it felt more like being on holiday with likeminded people, on a beautiful camp site.”
A recommendation for every student
“Becoming an activity leader with Roeland is something I would recommend to every student. You get to learn something about yourself, and you meet a lot of new friends. Especially for people who are not from Ghent but who study at Ghent University, it’s a great idea to join Roeland. Your social schedule fills up effortlessly.”