Health and Wellbeing

For ESN Utrecht it is very important to help international students take into account all the physical, social, intellectual and psychological factors that determine well-being and which are inevitably put to the test during their stay abroad. Health and Well-being encompasses several issues that are very important for those of us who are part of ESN Utrecht. From promoting physical activity and sports, to ensuring the mental health and happiness of volunteers and international students.

Both physical as well as mental wellbeing are crucial ingredrients for a successful and pleasant student life. Knowing this, we offer various forms of wellbeing support and resources to help you get the most out of your student life.

Contact details for external organizations

It is very important to be able to find the right help when in need. The document at the end of this page contains contact details of external organisations that can help with a wide range of different problems related to health and wellbeing. The mentioned organisations are experts in the fields of drugs, alcohol, addiction in general, sexual assault and harassment, emotional abuse, legal help, discrimination and suicidal thoughts, or are in general there to offer you support. All organizations are able to help you in English. Most of these organisations offer their help for free, only a few of the mentioned help lines cost a small amount of money.

Practical Information

Besides these organisations, it is important to note that when in need of a psychologist a reference is needed from your general practitioner (GP/huisarts). So therefore it is important that you are registered with a GP in the Netherlands. Here you can find information about the Dutch Healthcare system: https://h4i.nl/

When choosing a GP, it is good to know if the practice also has a ‘Praktijk-Ondersteuner Huisarts Geestelijke GezondheidsZorg’ (POH GGZ, Mental Health Support Assistant). The Mental Health Support Assistant can help out with stress, performance anxiety and depression without your having to pay because of insured liability.(eigen risico-own risk).

Where to go when I feel overwhelmed?

ESN Utrecht confidant

Everybody can experience difficult situations or feel overwhelmed, lonely or anxious. ESN Utrecht wants to help you as much as we can. ESN Utrecht has assigned two confidants who are there to listen to you and will try to support you whenever you encounter any problems. So if you ever feel the need to talk to someone about personal or confidential matters, you can always reach out to our confidants Rose and Lucie. Both confidants can be reached by anyone involved in the ESN Utrecht network, meaning they are the point of contact for both volunteers as well as other ESNcard holders. Please note that they are volunteers and not trained professionals.

Confidant

My name is Rose (she/her), I am 23 years old and born and raised in the Netherlands. I am the Secretary on the executive board of ESN Utrecht. I also coordinate the Internal Events Committee, Alumni Committee, and the Pubquiz Committee so I work closely together with the members and with the current board. I am present at many events and you can always walk up to me. You can recognize me with either a dark green board shirt or a white board shirt! You can contact me at [email protected]

Confidant Supervisory Board

I am Lucie (she/her), originally I come from the Czech Republic and have been living in the Netherlands for the past three years. I am a member of the Supervisory Board at ESN Utrecht. You can always reach me at [email protected] or approach me during an event. Aside from offering a listening ear, I will be happy to support you through any matters you prefer to discuss with someone outside of the Executive Board.

Opening Hours

This year we will be having opening hours for the Confidant as well. If you are struggling with anything or if you want to talk to our Confidant and Secretary Rose about something, then feel free to come by on April 13th between 13:00-16:00 at our office at Princetonplein 9 (Room 0.08).

Rose and Lucie also function as contact for reporting inappropriate behavior such as, but not limited to, sexual harrassment, bullying or discrimination and other violations of our Code of Conduct. For more information on the Code of Conduct and how to report a violation please refer to: https://www.esn-utrecht.nl/code-conduct

ESN Running Club

Stay fit with ESN!

Since the COVID-19 crisis started we have been confronted with hard times. Not being motivated, lazy, and a bit down are some of the many feelings we might be experiencing. Thus, thinking of ways to help the mental and physical health of all students, ESN Utrecht decided to launch the ESN Running Club. The aim of the club is to provide nice runs where students can release their stress and anxiety and, of course, meet new people.