Coming Saturday, the very first ‘International Day’ will be held. It aims at bridging the gap between the University, the municipality and the international students.
“We want to reach international students in a better way”, tells Gustavo Herrera, a board member of the Social Science Student Union, and one of the organizers of the International Day.
“Internationals are often neglected or only come with their issues to the Unions, but they never get to speak directly to those who can change things.”
The International Day, which will be held at kårhuset at LTH, brings together representatives of the students, the International Office and two members of the municipality council in a panel discussion.
“We can so inform those with power in a constructive way of the lives of international students and what should be changed to improve their situation”, says Gustavo Herrera.
When signing up for the International Day, the participants could already indicate points that they think should be discussed. This has given an insight in what are important matters to internationals. One turned out to be the integration in Swedish society: many students keep feeling like guests during their entire stay in Sweden and find it difficult to get to know many Swedes. Gustavo Herrera recognizes this:
“Especially for students who live in an international corridor, it can be hard.”
Other problems that are often mentioned, are finding accommodation and getting work after graduation. Gustavo Herrera saw several friends forced to leave, as they didn’t find a job and their visa expired.
“But the University and the municipality say that they would like well-educated graduates to stay in Sweden. So, they do recognize that there is a disconnection between theory and practice, which is very unfortunate.”
For that reason, the University and the municipality have been very willing to cooperate on the organization of this day, states Gustavo Herrera.
If the first International Day will be a success, the organizers hope that it can become an annual event. So far, at least 140 students signed up, but there is room for many more.
