What makes Caribbean students feel at home in the Netherlands? Which factors play a role in this? What can students do to feel good and how can educational or government organizations contribute to this? These questions were investigated by Jelano Hendriksma in his internship research: 'Exploring the Sense of Belonging of Dutch Caribbean students in the Netherlands.'
In-depth interviews
The master's student of Management, Policy Analysis and Entrepreneurship in the Health & Life Science did his research at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Under the guidance of Durwin Lynch, coordinator of the master's program of the same name, he designed a study over the past five months and conducted in-depth interviews with twelve Caribbean students in the Netherlands. The results have been shared with the two clients: WeConnect Foundation and Athena Research, the research institute of the VU.
Different profiles
The twelve students are all following a HBO or WO course in the Netherlands, ranging from Arts & Culture in Maastricht, Aviation in Amsterdam, Healthcare Technology in Rotterdam, Business Administration in Groningen or Social Work at the Hogeschool Arnhem & Nijmegen. “Unfortunately, we were unable to find MBO students in time, who would also have been valuable for the research. They are more difficult to find because they often come to the Netherlands as freemovers without guidance. ” notes WeConnect manager Tanja Fraai
Geographical distribution
The perspective of students outside the Randstad (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht) was different, as Jelano noted in his research. The barriers to achieving that feeling of home are more numerous there. Students are more often victims of discrimination and racism, including forms of microaggression, whether consciously expressed or not. Sometimes out of ignorance or lack of interest in the other.
Recommendations
The student researcher broke down his recommendations; For WeConnect, for example, we must continue to create safe places where students can discuss these types of sensitive topics with each other. Educational institutions would do well to work with culturally sensitive mentors. On the islands themselves, schools should pay more attention to this part of the preparation for the Netherlands; the completely different environment that the student finds himself in and is sometimes seen as an outsider. Finally, students themselves are advised to participate in (student) associations, to talk to each other and to reflect on their identity and how they feel in the Netherlands.
Follow-up
If it is up to internship supervisor Durwin Lynch from the VU, there will be a follow-up study on this theme: “Based on the current findings, a contextualized questionnaire can now be further developed and validated. This offers the opportunity to gain more insight into experiences of exclusion and how this relates to mental health and study success of a broader group of Caribbean students and young professionals. Finally, I wonder what the best way is to safely register and monitor the study results of our students, without engaging in ethnic profiling. How do we honestly find out that things will improve for our students in the coming years?”
WeConnect manager Tanja Fraai agrees: “Due to privacy, it is difficult to map and follow students. We have to build on our network and one-on-one contacts. Above all, it is a matter of the trust they give us to talk openly about these types of topics. We will continue to work on this in the coming years.”
The entire study 'Exploring the Sense of Belonging of Dutch Caribbean students in the Netherlands.' can be read here (in English).