HOST Apeldoorn Launches a Community of Pastoral Care for International Students

08.09.2021

Ex-Wittenborg Professor Pioneered Pastoral Care Programme

Professor of Applied Sciences Dr Teun Wolters will no longer be teaching at Wittenborg from September 2021, but his presence at Wittenborg will not end there. He is now busy promoting HOST Apeldoorn, a Pastoral Care programme for international students, whether from Wittenborg or any other universities/universities of applied sciences.

Studying abroad may be the zeitgeist of today, but it is not without its problems. Whether it is difficulties adapting to the cultural norms in the new country, keeping up with the rules and regulations, missing family or simply making new friends, many international students experience challenges in coping with their new lives.

The best way to mitigate these away-from-home effects and other potential problems is to get support from current students or to get in touch with an organisation that can help them with their challenges and to facilitate them to assimilate better into their new environment.

Pastoral Care basically provides support to others as they grapple with such challenges in life as social issues, values, self-image, lack of confidence, loneliness, relationships, etc. The Pastoral Care programme by HOST Apeldoorn is primarily for students from a different cultural background and English will be the main language for communication. The programme has two wings. The first wing is the provision of pastoral care for individual students. The second wing is establishing a community of students who can support each other and build up bonds of friendship and camaraderie.

HOST Apeldoorn was adopted by Rev. W. Smouter c.s. of the Tabelnakel Church in the south of Apeldoorn. The meeting place is Tabernakel Church, Waalstraat 2, Apeldoorn. If you are interested, or have any queries, you can watch this video https://youtu.be/QCyD3mNnO9w or visit their website at www.host-apeldoorn.nl. Under 'Contact', you can indicate that you would like to receive their newsletter to keep up to date with the time and place of forthcoming activities.