2019 "Mix & Match" Networking Events

Due to our busy workshop schedule, we took a break from Mix & Match Networking Events for most of 2019. We held our final networking session of the year on December 10 and were thrilled to see over 50 local internationals attend, as well as 10 representatives from local nonprofit organizations who were eager to meet potential international volunteers. In addition, we had language educator and linguist Gabriel Rodriguez as our keynote speaker to start off the event. Gabriel offered attendees several tips and tricks on how to master the Dutch language quickly and effectively. We know learning Dutch is something that is on the minds of many expats living here, and so we were thrilled to see how interested our attendees were to learn more about this important skill.

How difficult is learning the Dutch language? Are there any tricks to help learners tackle the language quickly and effectively?

We explored these questions at our latest Mix & Match Networking Event for internationals, which VTH hosted this past Tuesday, 10 December! At this event (our last of 2019!), our wonderful and enthusiastic attendees were able to mix and mingle with each other, as well as with over a dozen nonprofit organizations that were present for this event and a concurrent PEP event! These local organizations have always been welcoming to our international community here in The Hague, and are eager to work with internationals by offering fun and exciting volunteer opportunities. 

Project Manager at Volunteer The Hague Tetyana Benzeroual talks about best practices when working with international volunteers at our December 2019 event.

These opportunities not only help local expats expand their skillsets, they are also a great way to get involved in the local community, so we’re thrilled that we were able to see so many great connections happen during this event! We were also excited that our event was taking place alongside PEP-sponsored workshops for volunteer coordinators from various local organizations. At this parallel event, VTH’s own project manager, Tetyana Benzeroual, gave a fantastic presentation on best practices when working with international volunteers.

And to start off our event, we had educator and linguist Gabriel Rodriguez as our keynote speaker to offer some tips and tricks for those of us looking to study and improve our Dutch language skills! He offered 14 insightful and effective tips for how to tackle your Dutch studies, and many of these tips can be applied to other languages as well. For those of you unable to attend, we’ve outlined a summary of Gabriel’s key points, which you can find below. We want to thank Gabriel for his awesome language-learning advice, and to all of the organizations and attendees who were able to make it to the event.

Linguist Gabriel Rodriguez talks about Dutch language learning at our December 2019 event.

If you'd like to read a recap of Gabriel's presentation, including a list of Gabriel's tips, take a look at our Webinars page here! 

Volunteer The Hague has grown so much this past year - all thanks to you! Because of our amazing international volutneers and all of the inspiring nonprofits in The Hague, our community - and the world - is truly a better place. Each "Mix & Match" Networking Event has only become more successful as time has gone on, and we have been able help match dozens of nonprofit organizations with hundreds of volutneers since we began these events a few years ago. We only hope that our wonderful volunteers will continue to step up and give their skills and their time to these amazing causes, and that our fantastic partner organizations will continue to look for volunteers with us through 2020 and beyond.

For those who would like to join our future events, be sure to stay updated with what we have to offer by joining our mailing list. And are you an organization that woud like to participate in our next Mix & Match Networking Event? Sign up to be notified so that you can register your spot as soon as possible.

We at Volunteer The Hague wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year in 2020!

About the Presenters

Gabriel Rodriguez has worked as an ESL and foreign language educator since 2005. He has experience teaching several languages in a wide array of educational environments: He has taught English to children and adults in Japan, China, and Korea, and has taught Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish at universities in the United States. He holds Bachelor's degrees in Japanese and East Asian History from the University of California at Berkeley and obtained his Masters and Ph.D. in East Asian Linguistics from Stanford University. Before coming to the Netherlands earlier this year, Gabriel worked as a lecturer of Japanese Language and Culture at Portland State University. He now spends his time as a freelance translator and localizer, as well as researching and writing about linguistics and foreign language teaching. He also very much enjoys volunteering his time as Communications Officer with Volunteer The Hague!

Tetyana Benzeroual, BSc (Hons) Psychology, is an expat who has been in The Hague with her family for the last five years. She started her career path in The Netherlands as a volunteer and was later hired as a project manager here at Volunteer The Hague, where she works with the Municipality to fulfill our mission of connecting local internationals with meaningful volunteer opportunities at local nonprofit organizations. Tetyana is a true citizen of the world who has lived, studied, and worked across North America and Europe. She is keen to share with you her experience and expertise, as well as to give you some insider tips on how volunteering can benefit your career!