Wageningen Alumni Event Brussels Belgium, Tuesday 11 April 2017

te to change, Healthy habits at work!
Summary Wageningen Alumni Chapter Belgium, Brussels, 11 April 2017

The Wageningen Alumni Chapters are established to engage alumni with each other and with Wageningen University & Research.

Two enthusiastic WUR alumni in Belgium have explored the possibility of setting up an informal network for WUR alumni living in Belgium. The first informal event took place in November 2016 and was an excellent first opportunity to assess the interest in such an informal network. The meeting was considered a great success.

Last Tuesday 11 April 2017, the first official Wageningen Alumni Chapter Belgium meeting was held, also in Brussels. The location of the gathering was the European Food Information Council EUFIC, a non-profit organisation which stands up for science based information on food and health.

First the participants enjoyed the amazing view over the European capital and then the 15 Wageningen alumni listened to Raymond Gemen, Nutrition & Health Projects Manager and Jidi Xu, student Nutrition and Health who shortly introduced the institute itself.

Next the alumni actively engaged in a workshop about ‘Healthy eating behaviour’. The main message was: in general we know what is healthy, but why don't we act accordingly? The alumni found out that through small nudges and cues they can guide their choices towards healthier behaviour. Because in the end, it's your own choice, right?

After this interesting workshop, the participants got to know each other whilst enjoying a nice meal at L'entrée des Artistes, and time flew by. During the evening they also discussed the plans and intentions of the WUR Alumni Belgium Chapter and the outcome of a survey last year about what the alumni expect of the new Chapter (e.g. guidelines, boundary conditions, recommendations and advices). The idea is to meet 2 or 3 times a year and to draw up a combined program with informative topics and social subjects, probably in one of the bigger cities of Belgium.

For the video about healthy habits, look below.

Are you a WUR alumnus/alumna in Belgium and you want to stay in touch, please become a member of their LinkedIn Group.

University Fund Wageningen facilitates the Alumni Chapters.

The program was as follows:

• 18.00-18.10 Welcome
• 18.10-18.15 Introduction of guest speakers/co-hosts/EUFIC 
• 18.15-19.15 Workshop 'Healthy behaviour at work' 
• 19.15-19.45 Strategy and ideas WUR alumni in Belgium
• 20.00-22.00 Dinner and networking @

In April, Marion Bloemendal (Management, Economics & Consumer Studies 2008) and Iris Vendel (Food Technology 2014) organised the first meeting of the new Brussels alumni network together with University Fund Wageningen (UFW). 'I've always organised social events alongside my study and I thought it would be nice to meet other people from Wageningen here,' explains Vendel, 'because getting to know new people is interesting and you recognise something in one another. A critical attitude and curiosity about the world and other disciplines, for example.' The event was attended by a good 15 alumni - Dutch, Flemish and Greek, from different generations.

*Dutch text:*

Marion Bloemendal (Management, economics & consumer studies 2008) en Iris Vendel (Food technology 2014) hebben in april de eerste bijeenkomst van het nieuwe alumninetwerk Brussel georganiseerd, in samenwerking met het Universiteitsfonds Wageningen (UFW). 'Ik heb altijd sociale activiteiten georganiseerd naast mijn studie, en het leek me leuk om hier andere Wageningers te ontmoeten,' vertelt Vendel. 'Omdat het interessant is nieuwe mensen te leren kennen en omdat je iets in elkaar herkent. Een kritische blik bijvoorbeeld en interesse in de wereld en andere vakgebieden.' Ruim vijftien alumni konden aanwezig zijn: Nederlanders, Vlamingen en Grieken, van verschillende generaties.