„I started my masters program in winter semester 2021, and hardly got opportunities to meet other students as lectures were held online. ASV was a place where I started to socialize, made acquaintances and met few of my current friends. Additionally, I got an insight on the university programs, places to visit around the city, about student jobs, other members’ cultures, etc. I really enjoy playing games after the weekly meetings, have fun planning, and organizing monthly events.“ – Abhigna
WHO ARE YOU?
We are Ausländische Studierenden-Vertretung (ASV), the International Student Representation.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
- We represent all international students of the University of Paderborn. Our diverse team consists of people from various cultural backgrounds with the united interest of helping international students to find their way at the University of Paderborn and Germany.
- One of our main roles is to promote the cultural diversity of the University. We do this by organising various events where you can learn about other cultures through presentations, music, dance, games, and of course food! These events also provide opportunities for international students to come together and socialise. We offer buddy programs among other projects to help new students integrate and get settles at university.
WHAT PROJECTS AND ACTIONS ARE THERE?
- Buddy Program: To help new students with getting settles at Paderborn. This includes helping them search for accommodations, helping them with travel from their countries to Paderborn, helping them with any other problems they face after shifting to Paderborn, etc.
- Orientation Week: This includes university tours, city tours, pub crawls, and other game events to welcome new international students.
- International Cultural Week: The biggest event which occurs every year. It’s a 3 days event where we celebrate several cultures across the world through music, dance, food, etc.
- DSH Frühstück: We provide breakfast and snacks for students attending the German language exam, DSH, during breaks. The cafés are usually a bit too far from the examination venues, and it becomes difficult for the students to grab a bite during their short breaks.
- Länderabend: An evening where a particular culture is celebrated through music, dance, food, etc.
- Hikes, Weihnachtsmarkt tours and city tours: We organize hikes and tours across cities within NRW.
- Game nights: All students are invited for an evening of fun games, snacks, and drinks.
- Movie nights: Students join to watch movies from different parts of the world.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
We are looking for people to come up with ideas and help us organize various events every month throughout the year. We can be contacted via our social media pages, website or people can directly visit our office during office hours. We hold weekly meetings (currently: thursday at 18:00).
WHAT CAN ONE LEARN WITH YOU AND WHY SHOULD ONE JOIN YOU?
- The ASV team includes students of various nationalities, and one gets to experience working with a diverse team. Volunteers get to enjoy internal events like grill parties, Christmas parties, excursions and hikes, etc.
- Every ASV member gets opportunities to interact with several students and faculty of the university.
- ASV encourages members to take lead, come up with different events and work with other events to organize and conduct events.
WHAT IS YOUR MAIN LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION?
English and German.
Bildquelle: Ausländische Studierenden-Vertretung
Textquelle: Ausländische Studierenden-Vertretung