Event Recap: VTH's Virtual Networking Event & Volunteer Job Fair - May 2021 Edition

On 11 May 2021, we held our first Mix & Match Networking Event & Volunteer Job Fair of 2021 after quite a long hiatus! The hiatus was necessary while we spent the first few months of this year designing our new website. But running events for our fantastic expat community is one of our favorite activities, and we really missed it! And we were excited to see that there's still a great demand for these events, as we were joined by 220 attendees in our Zoom networking space, along with representatives from 18 participating local organizations!

To start off the event, Volunteer The Hague's very own Project Manager Tetyana Benzeroual gave a short presentation titled,"How Volunteering Can Benefit You Professionally," where she spoke about how to merge your volunteering interests with your professional goals, and leverage any volunteering experience in order to advance your current career or gain new skills in order to find new employment or a new career.

After Tetyana's presentation, each participating organization was given an opportunity to do a short pitch, where they spoke about their organization's mission, goals, current volunteering opportunities, and the types of skills they are looking for in potential volunteers. For two hours after the pitches, attendees had the chance to network and exchange information and ideas - as well as contact info - in each organization's virtual booth. Thanks to Zoom's ability to host breakout rooms in addition to the main virtual networking space, participants were able to speak with each organization's representative so that they could speak one-on-one, ask questions, and exchange information easily and directly. And we were so happy to see our ex-pat attendees chatting with one another and exchanging contact info as well! We love that these networking events not only help expand people's professional networks but also their social networks as well!

Below you will find a list of the organizations that registered for the event, as well as a brief description of each and their contact info. Please take a look and if you want more information about their mission or current opportunities, feel free to contact the organizations directly!

We want to sincerely thank all those who were able to attend this event! Now that we've gotten back into the swing of things with our events, we'll be hosting more in the near future, so make sure to keep an eye out for our newsletters and event announcements. We very much hope to see you at a future event!

Organizations in Attendance:

Bewoners Platform Wateringse Veld – A non-profit that offers participation in neighborhood safety, traffic, connections with neighbors, networks and much more.

Biblionef - A not-profit that gives new and culturally diverse children's books to teachers and children, schools and community, and libraries worldwide so that every child can discover the joy of reading.

Centre for African Justice, Peace and Human Rights – A foundation that conducts legal outreach, provides education, creates awareness, offers training, organizes campaigns, and hosts events to create a better Africa under the concepts of Justice, Peace and Human Rights in Africa. 

Delft MaMa - A foundation that reaches out to the local international community and offers a helping hand to parents.

Expatriate Archive Centre - A local historical organization whose mission is to preserve documents and materials related to local expat history.

Gezond Natuur Wandelen - Offers walking with mostly elderly in nature.

NICC – A foundation that manages a wide range of material on international cooperation and is committed to making experiences with international cooperation and sustainable development more transparent and insightful.

niKetan - Provides high-quality care and education to children with complex disabilities in Bangladesh.

NL Cares - A volunteer pooling organization focussing on flexible volunteer work through social events, online volunteer agenda en corporate impact programs.

Present Den Haag - A volunteer pooling organization, connecting volunteers with organizations who need them.

Stichting Union Cultural - A local community garden bringing people of all ages together to make The Hague more green.

Stek Den Haag - De Paardenberg - A community place in the middle of a multicultural neighborhood that organizes a large number of activities, such as, yoga, painting lessons, cycling lessons, meals, sewing lessons, and knitting & embroidery lessons.

Stichting Businessclub The Hague Royals - The Hague's very own basketball club.

Reach & Teach - A foundation that aims to assist the integration of newcomers (status holders, asylum seekers, and migrants) in The Hague region by offering Dutch and English classes, buddy systems, and social events.

Terra Foundation – An initiative devoted to sustainable land management in developing countries. 

The Hague Road Runners (HRR) - The largest running club in the Hague area with approximately 800 members which organizes weekly training sessions, training weekends, group trips to runs in Holland and abroad and of course, social events.

The Umbrella of Hope Foundation – A non-profit that works with minorities and vulnerable people in The Hague and Uganda.

Zebra Welzijn – A foundation that supports inhabits in the Hague to participate in society and offers various volunteer activities.