More than 50 researchers from Erasmus University Rotterdam held talks with residents of the city in Rotterdam neighbourhood hubs last week. From Hoek van Holland via Delfshaven to IJsselmonde, and from the taboo on menstruation to biodiversity in the city or music as medicine: it was a varied programme and a successful week. The 'Leven Lang Leren Festival' is a gift to the city of Rotterdam in the context of our 22nd lunstrum and concluded with a day on our own Woudestein campus.
Hundreds of Rotterdammers came to the city talks in various neighbourhood. Due to the small-scale nature of the sessions, often with a maximum of 20-30 participants, there was plenty of room for residents to ask questions or give their opinion. Precisely this aspect was greatly appreciated by both Rotterdammers and researchers. A visitor to session Gentrification in Katendrecht commented: 'It was a very nice intimate session with fellow residents! Learned a lot about the history of the neighbourhood, how it has changed and the different perspectives on what gentrification is. Vincent Baptist (the speaker, ed.) led the session well and gave interesting additional information.'
Talking facts with fellow residents
'Sensible to talk to each other again about facts and not, or less, about gut feelings,' commented a visitor to a session on migrant workers in the Carnisse neighbourhood: 'It would be good to organise these kinds of moments structurally to brush up Rotterdammers on problems in their neighbourhood, get into conversation with other people (out of the bubble) and break free from the increasingly polarising opinion machine on TV and on social media.'
Lots of one-to-one conversations
Researcher Daphne Voormolen organised a session on happiness 'Rotterdam, Make it Happy' in the mobile neighbourhood hub in front of Central Station: 'I think it was a successful session. A total of 19 people took part in my questionnaire and we actually talked to about 12 people face-to-face about happiness. Those conversations were great fun and the responses were also purely positive.'
Open campus day at Woudestein
On Saturday, anyone interested in learning more about scientific research was welcome to visit our Woudestein campus. Some 150 visitors attended sessions on, for example, the negative effect of heat waves in the city or how to function optimally cognitively as a person over 50. In the Erasmus Sports Building, young and old could go to train the Feyenoord way. The training sessions were specially developed by Feyenoord and researchers from Erasmus University Rotterdam for a three-year study. You could also learn how to programme a robot ball to reenact a historic Feyenoord goal.
Recap in pictures
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