The Connective

This episode of The Connective dives into the important topic of feminism in university spaces. Together with Cato Benschop, who is part of the Dolle Mina’s, Yonah investigates how the university can accommodate and improve the position of female students in the Vrije Universiteit and how institutions can depart from a male centric view. The central question being: what can student communities contribute to a safer existence for women and other ‘vulnerable’ groups in the university, city, and perhaps the whole country?

If you’re interested to know more about the Dolle Mina’s and how to join, here’s the link to their website: https://dollemina.org/

If you wish to learn more about the pyramid of violence, here is a link: https://emancipator.nl/project/nap/

NEWConnective is an organisation at the Vrije Universiteit, which develops events around life’s bigger questions, identity, and spirituality. Thirza, Halima & Yonah are all part of the NEWConnective team.

Do you want to join the conversation? Then find us during a book club, meditation or dialogue at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The Connective is a production of NEWConnective and VU Campusradio.

The song you hear come and go during the episode is ‘Winter Topics’ by Jacob Montague; we’ve acquired the necessary music license at MusicBed.

Global events form the background for our lives. But what if such global crises take up more space, feeding anxiety and uncertainty in our daily life? In this episode, Marc, Selma & Thirza (program makers at NEWConnective) try to get a grip on the topic of crisis and daily life and discuss questions like:

⇨ Is there more crisis around the world?

⇨ How do we shape our response to crisis in the everyday?

⇨ Do proper responses to crisis exist?

⇨ What does a proper crisis mode look like?

NEWConnective is an organisation at the Vrije Universiteit, which develops events around life's bigger questions, identity and spirituality. Marc, Selma & Thirza are all part of the NEWConnective team.

Do you want to join the conversation? Then find us during a book club, meditation or dialogue at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The Connective is a production of NEWConnective and VU Campusradio.

The song you hear come and go during the episode is 'Winter Tropics' by Jacob Montague; we've acquired the necessary music license at MusicBed.

A plethora of people and things ask our attention daily, whether it's a cherished friend's text or the 67th advertisement of the day. It can leave you wondering how to divide your attention; but just as much if we receive the attention we need. In this episode, Marc, Selma & Thirza (program makers at NEWConnective) try to get a grip on the topic of attention and discuss questions like:

⇨ What even is attention?⇨ How do we divide our attention?⇨ How does this relate to what people call 'the attention economy'?⇨ How does attention intersect with care, time and consideration?

NEWConnective is an organisation at the Vrije Universiteit, which develops events around life's bigger questions, identity and spirituality. Marc, Selma & Thirza are all part of the NEWConnective team.

Do you want to join the conversation? Then find us during a book club, meditation or dialogue at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The Connective is a production of NEWConnective and VU Campusradio.

The song you hear come and go during the episode is 'Winter Tropics' by Jacob Montague; we've acquired the necessary music license at MusicBed.

It's close to inevitable to be part of a gathering once in a while. Whether gathered with family during holidays or with friends on a night out. But what is it that we do, when we gather people? In this episode, Marc and Selma (program makers at NEWConnective) try to get a grip on what makes a meaningful gathering. We enter into a conversation with Emma Gašparíková, community organizer on our campus, to discuss the following questions:

⇨ What is the point of gathering?

NEWConnective is an organisation at the Vrije Universiteit, which develops events around life's bigger questions, identity and spirituality. Marc and Selma are both part of the NEWConnective team. Emma Gašparíková is one of the community organizers at Life is Better in 3D and studies psychology at VU.

Do you want to join the conversation? Then find us during our next On Campus Edition, at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The Connective is a production of NEWConnective and VU Campusradio.

The song you hear come and go during the episode is 'Winter Tropics' by Jacob Montague; we've acquired the necessary music license at MusicBed.

The Disconnective is a special thematic season of The Connective, NEWConnective's podcast on life's sense and nonsense. The Disconnective is a podcast on the impact that the war in Gaza and the tension in the Middle East have on the academic community of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The aim of The Disconnective is to inform and expand our knowledge and to stay in conversation.

Miranda, from VU’s Stage for Dialogue 3D is hosting the show and together with her guest she zooms in, describes and discusses what’s happening on the VU campus. Whether you take a clear stance on the war and atrocities in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon; whether you are part of a minority that has a clear connection to the war in the middle east, or you feel like you are in no position to have an opinion on what is happening; The Disconnective tries to deepen the understanding of the impact on the VU academic community.

In this episode we discuss:

NEWConnective is a VU's Platform for Life's Big Questions. Thirza and Selma are both program makers for the team. Miranda is NEWConnective’s team lead and runs the VU Stage for Dialogue, 3D located on the VU campus.

The Disconnective is a production of 3D, VU’s Stage for Dialogue, NEWConnective and VU Campusradio.

The Disconnective is a special thematic season of The Connective, NEWConnective's podcast

Miranda, from VU’s Stage for Dialogue 3D is hosting the

In this episode we discuss:

NEWConnective is a VU's Platform for Life's Big Questions. Thirza and Selma are both program makers for the team. Miranda is NEWConnective’s team lead and runs the VU Stage for Dialogue, 3D located on the VU campus.

The Disconnective is a production of 3D, VU’s

Whether we emphasize our religious, political or national identity, or our gender and sexuality; we seem to attach a lot of value to describing ourselves and who we are. In this episode, Marc and Thirza (program makers at NEWConnective) zoom out from all these separate aspects that constitute identities. We enter into a conversation with Jay Dehnert (chair of VU Pride) about being someone, and aspiring to be someone, and the individual versus the communal self.

NEWConnective is an organisation at the Vrije Universiteit, which develops events around life's bigger questions, identity and spirituality. Marc and Thirza are both part of the NEWConnective team. Jay Dehnert is chair of VU Pride and student of Communication Sciences. In this podcast we discuss the following questions:

Do you want to join the conversation? Then find us during our next On Campus Edition, at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.The Connective is a production of NEWConnective and VU Campusradio.

The song you hear come and go during the episode is 'Winter Tropics' by Jacob Montague; we've acquired the necessary music license at MusicBed.

[CONTENT GUIDANCE: this episode explores themes of violence, such as sexual violence, and might be triggering for some.]

Violence is everywhere around us; sometimes today's world seems to be engulfed in it. In this episode, we engage in conversation about how to relate to this violence, and about the possible response of non-violence. To do this, Marc and Thirza (fellow program maker at NEWConnective) ask Peter Victor, student of Peace, Trauma and Religion, how non-violence takes shape for him; both far away and closer to home.

NEWConnective is an organisation at the Vrije Universiteit, which develops events around life's bigger questions, identity and spirituality. Marc and Thirza are both part of the NEWConnective team. Peter Victor, in addition to his involvement in his field, also joins from his South African background.

In this podcast, we discuss the following questions:

Do you want to join the conversation? Then find us during our next On Campus Edition, at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

The Connective is a production of NEWConnective and VU Campusradio. The song you hear come and go during the episode is 'Winter Tropics' by Jacob Montague; we've acquired the necessary music license at MusicBed.

Thirza remembers many documentaries ending with a gloomy 'but the earth is changing…' when she grew up. Perhaps it was climate anxiety, before we spoke of any such thing; or, perhaps it was a different feeling: one that doesn't have a name yet. Thirza and fellow program maker Marc, join in conversation with Montserrat about spirituality and earth emotions, in relation to a changing world.

Thirza Snoek and Marc Lamain are program makers in the NEWConnective team. Montserrat Koloffon Rosas is a PhD Candidate at the Institute for Environmental Studies, and specializes in governance and the Sustainable Development Goals. Together they wonder:

Do you want to join the conversation? Then find us during our next On Campus Edition, at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

The Connective is a production of NEWConnective and VU Campusradio. The song you hear come and go during the episode is 'Winter Tropics' by Jacob Montague; we've acquired the necessary music license at MusicBed.