Practices 3.4 - Creating Strong Communities
Social Cohesion & Inclusion
Tine Vanveerdeghem & Elena Beellaert, Student support staff members at Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Advancing student well-being in higher education: an integrated, preventive, and community-driven approach.
At Artevelde University of Applied Sciences we updated our vision on student support due to various internal and external challenges.
As part of our student support, we focus on supporting the physical, social, and mental well-being of our students, helping them become more resilient when facing the challenges of student life. Our student support system aims to enhance student success that includes both academic success and personal growth.
We developed a policy on student wellbeing. The public mental health perspective emphasizes the importance of prevention and early intervention in the higher education context. An integrated approach is crucial. We believe that a caring community, where both students and staff members play a role, contributes significantly to student success. We created our own student well-being strategy with interventions in the university. We have developed initiatives that reduce access barriers for students, as well as outreach measures that proactively bring our services directly to them. These initiatives will be the focus of our presentation.
We’ll provide a few examples of good practice that illustrates our actions and initiatives around prevention and early detection:
Service Design process, Student support on tour, Boost your mood week.
Mathilde Jean, Culture and International Relations Officer, Crous de Versailles
Levers for supporting students in precarious situations – resources and action plans
This presentation will focus on three major initiatives implemented at the Versailles CROUS (Regional Center for Student Services): The CVEC Pass – a free program providing access to culture and sports (sports activities and matches) created and developed by the CROUS across the entire academy with over 65 partners. It is also an important tool for connecting with international students.
Student representatives: key players in building relationships with residents, supporting the organization of activities, and proactively suggesting additional outings.
The development of the holiday activity program. The idea is to maintain activities even during the holidays for isolated and financially vulnerable students. Initial trials took place in July 2025 with a multi-week sports program, followed by the Christmas Bus Tour on December 29th and 30th for students alone during the holidays. The plan is to expand these activities throughout the holidays, each with a new theme. February is expected to focus on well-being (hairdressing, beauty treatments, wellness, and health).
Victor Olivier, Erasmus Student Network
Breaking Barriers – Practical strategies from the DIEM Project for Inclusive Student Mobility
This presentation provides a deep dive into the project’s multifaceted approach:
Identifying Barriers: Insights from research on the specific challenges faced by students with disabilities, students from low-income backgrounds, and first-generation academics.
The DIEM Toolkit: Presentation of practical resources designed for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and student organizations to improve outreach and support.
Peer-to-Peer Advocacy: How local ESN volunteers are trained as „Inclusion Ambassadors“ to provide relatable guidance and foster a sense of belonging for diverse participants.
Institutional Collaboration: Strategies for Student Service Organizations (STW) to align their social services with the needs of diverse international students.
The session will demonstrate that inclusion is not a „add-on“ but a fundamental requirement for the future of European education. We will conclude with successful case studies of inclusive events and mobility formats that can be replicated locally.