Society

'Kickboxing is no longer the sport of the criminal underbelly'

1 July 2024
Frank van Gemert, a criminologist at VU Amsterdam, not only researches kickboxing but also trains weekly in the gym.

Berno Bucker developed an app that supports aesthetic choices: 'It's not an Instagram filter.'

Marjolein de Jong27 June 2024
We all know that first impressions matter.

Corien van Zweden wrote a book based on her father's diaries: 'It felt like I was trespassing forbidden ground.'

Marjolein de Jong17 April 2024
Writer Corien van Zweden studied theology at VU Amsterdam, but lost her faith after a trip to Pakistan. "I got the craft of writing in return."

VU alumna Nynke Sietsma wrote a book about her deceased son

Marjolein de Jong4 March 2024
Journalist Nynke Sietsma (43) lost her son Berend to cancer at the age of four and wrote the poignant book B.

Psychiatrist Christiaan Vinkers: 'Burnout doesn't exist'

Marjolein de Jong4 March 2024
According to psychiatrist Christiaan Vinkers, accurately diagnosing burnout is impossible.

'Financial advice should be accessible to everyone'

Marjolein de Jong27 November 2023
„It's not right that personal financial advice is only available to the wealthy,” argues Ehsan Ramezanifar.

CO2 Compensation by fossil fuel industry exposed as hot air

Marjolein de Jong27 November 2023
Oil companies compensating for their emissions? „Nonsense!", says Mathieu Blondeel. „It's like buying their souls a ticket to climate heaven."

Racism in elderly care: an overlooked problem

Marjolein de Jong27 November 2023
According to Saskia Duijs, racism in the workplace is an overlooked issue. „The harm is concealed in the silence of white colleagues and supervisors."

Writer Joke J. Hermsen on nostalgia: 'We all long for a lost time.'

Marjolein de Jong27 November 2023
For Joke J. Hermsen, studying at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam felt like being reborn. „I came home to myself.”

'I have often had to fight against the label 'refugee''

Marjolein de Jong20 November 2023
Wahhab Hassoo, who fled from Iraq, reached VU Amsterdam through vocational education. Now, he's on the list for parliamentary elections.