Last Friday Martin from WeekendBoost! With Jeroen Vreijsen about his Expats & Locals group. The aim of the group is to connect people who are in the Netherlands to work or study (expats) with each other and the Dutch (locals).
“So what we’re trying to do is bring expats and locals together through casual drinks. And to ensure that expats also feel welcome in the Netherlands,” says Friesen, founder of in-studio events at WeekendBoost!. You can watch the full conversation with Jeroen Vreijsen at the bottom of the page.
the beginning
Expats and locals started about a year ago. The idea came to Frijsen when he noticed that his expat friends were basically friends with other expats. The Dutch are quite open to international players, but making real friends with each other is still something that needs to be done, according to Frijsen. He wanted to start something where both groups would come together, the people who come here to work or study and the Dutch. It started very small, with a group of five people. And it slowly grew into more.
It grows
Expats and locals organize each month Meeting in BredaWhere it all started. But it doesn’t stop there. Expats and locals can now be found In Amsterdam And again starting next week In Tilburg. About sixty people attend the meetings. “We see that there is a real demand for this type of event,” says Friesen. “People want to meet new people.”
Expatriates in Breda
Many foreigners in Breda are associated with institutions such as the Breda University of Applied Sciences. The university has students from over 80 different countries. In addition, many international companies are located in and around Breda. However, “there’s not much for expats in Breda yet,” says Friesen. This is one of the reasons Expats & Locals works so well, according to him: “You really notice that our community is so close and people often come back.”
Locals wanted
Expats and locals are not yet as well known among Breda residents as Frijsen would like. “Our events are successful, but the fact remains that 80% of our visitors are expatriates and about 20% are Dutch,” says Friesen. That’s why it would of course be great if more people from Breda came to attend the meetings, he continues.
