At Match, we believe in the power of social engagement. Volunteering during your studies allows you to develop both social and professional skills. Match offers students opportunities to contribute to Maastricht's community. By facilitating volunteering, Match enables students to put to use and develop their skills and talents in real-life practice.
Visit our website www.matchmaastricht.nl and learn how to get involved in your city!
In the Match Houses you work 8 hours a week to connect people in your neighborhood. You set up your own project together with your housemates and fellow residents. You meet with welfare organizations or join one of the many volunteer initiatives in your neighborhood. You use 1 hour per week to share your experiences on our dashboard and instagram. In exchange, you get a discount on your rent. You pay approximately 75-100 euros (only services, no rent).
Pay attention: this project is only for Dutch speaking students.
Have a positive impact on the life of Maastricht citizens and help us reach our goal.
Volunteering allows students to gain valuable skills that contribute to their development as global citizens. By challenging students to engage in the Maastricht community, we enable them to develop civic engagement. They are aware of their position as citizen of the world, but focused on the impact they can have in their own community.
Match acts as middleman, initiator and mediator in student social engagement in Maastricht. We link existing initiatives and combine community demand with student expertise. We also aim to start new inspiring social projects, together with students. By these and other activities, we hope to stimulate locals and students to engage in a positive dialogue on studentship in the city of Maastricht.
Match connects to the vision of Maastricht University as set within the Strategic Programme 2016-2020. For UM, social responsibility is one of the ground pillars of its institution, aiming to build bridges between the university and its surrounding communities. UM encourages its students to actively participate in projects within the university community, the city and the region and regards participation in these activities as a way to let students grow into responsible world citizens.
Match's goals would be more easily achieved if students could obtain credits for their efforts. Due to national legislation, this is a complex task. Therefore Match is interested in opportunities that allow students to gain credits for their community service. Building a stronger connection between the curriculum and student community service is an important goal for Match.
Match Maastricht is official partner of Museumnacht Maastricht. They will provide 25 student volunteers, who will work across different venues in the city.
Match is for students who want to develop themselves while making a social contribution in Maastricht. A good example is the Match For Brighter Futures (MFBF) project, in which UM students give secondary school students extra attention and guidance when doing homework.
The Match for Brighter Futures project, in which Maastricht University students provide homework guidance and coaching to underprivileged secondary school students, received a financial contribution of € 6,000 from the Kansfonds. Another € 4000 is awarded by the Robin Jung Fonds.
As program manager Student and City Maurice is the linking pin between Maastricht University, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, the municipality and other stakeholders like the Police and Fire Department. He has the final responsibility for all 6 programs within the Student and City project, including Match.
As coordinator ‘Living with students’, Rieneke Soumete works at the municipality of Maastricht focussed on the social domain. She will be the link between the government, residents and Match and has a broad network in neighborhoods with various organizations and the government. Where necessary, connections will be made between municipality, neighborhood networks and Match.
Contact: rieneke.soumete[at]maastricht[dot]nl
‘The Community Broker,’ will guide opportunities and questions from the neighborhoods to students taking part in Match. Where necessary, he connects civil society organizations, businesses and Match and helps with practical solutions.
Contact: jeroen.wijckmans[at]trajekt[dot]nl
Match was launched in 2016 as part of the Student & City (Studentenstad) initiative of the Maastricht Municipality and the Maastricht University. Both are active participants in our mission to create positive social impact (See also: Thuis in Maastricht, Maastrichtdoet and the UM Strategic Programme).
We are thankful for the generous support of our other partners: Stichting Trajekt, Maastricht Housing, MyMaastricht and the housing corporations Servatius, Woonpunt and Maasvallei.