From 17 to 19 November, the VUB hosts Compassionate Week, focusing on empathy and care. These days invite us to reflect together on themes that affect us all: serious illness, grief, death, loss, and caregiving. Join inspiring seminars, write a comforting card, or drop by the "Compassionate Café." There will also be the annual Moment of Comfort to give attention to and recognize those we've lost, those facing serious illness, and those caring for others.
Programme
Programme
Monday 17 November
11:30-13:00: Workshop Grief and Loss in Children's Literature (ENG)
VUB Main Campus Etterbeek, Active Learning Studio (B.3.27)
In this workshop, we will take a look at how children's and young adult literature represents grief and loss. The discussion of excerpts from a range of texts - from pictures books to poems - will be used to kickstart the conversation about how children's literature can be used as a tool to help us care for those around us who experience loss and grief. No priori experience is required to participate in the workshop. If you are interested in joining, please register here by the 5th of November.
The workshop will be taught by Kayra Maes. Kayra. She is a PhD student at the Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings (CLIC) at VUB, where she is working on a project on the representation of care in contemporary Black British children's literature.
17:00-18:30: Voices of Compassion (NL/ENG)
Pilar box, VUB Main Campus Etterbeek
This evening is dedicated to mourning and healing through texts, poems, stories, songs, in any language. Members of the VUB community and beyond will share their work or the work of others that promotes compassion in the face of loss. Poet Evangeline Agape will close the event with a reading from her work. This evening of music and poetry hosted by the program in Linguistics and Literary Studies and CLIC promises to be an unforgettable experience, one you definitely don't want to miss! Please register via this link.
Do you have a poem, text, or piece of music you would like to share, whether it's your own work or someone else's? Please fill out this form or send an email to Tara.Brusselaers@vub.be.
PS. Would you like to write something, but you're not sure where to start? There is a creative writing session on 12/11. Anyone can join, with or without experience. Please sign up by filling in this form.
19:00-21:00: Talk met Onbespreekbaar over Rouwen (NL)
VUB Main Campus Etterbeek
Een interactieve talk met Nicolas van de podcast 'Onbespreekbaar' over rouwen, verlies, en hoe we daar als gemeenschap mee omgaan. Een open gesprek dat ruimte laat voor herkenning, vragen, en verbinding. Inschrijven kan via deze link.
Tuesday 18 November
12:00-14:00: Compassionate Cards and Remembrance Tree
Esplanade, VUB Main Campus Etterbeek & VUB Health Campus Jette
Write a card for someone you miss or want to support. You can also leave a ribbon in our “tree of comfort.” Cards and postage are free of charge.
15:30-17:00: Seminar 'The Value of funerary archaeology for the present' (ENG)
VUB Main Campus Etterbeek, Active Learning Studio (B.3.27)
In this seminar, two speakers will present how their research on ancient funerary practices connects to contemporary questions, and how archaeology can contribute to dialogues about death, dying and bereavement. Barbara Veselka, Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE), is a bioarchaeologist specialising in the study of burnt and unburnt human remains. Her research deepens our understanding of past societies and reveals the diversity of funerary practices in the past. Karina Croucher, Professor at the University of Bradford (UK), researches funerary archaeology and mortuary practices across different times and regions. She has coordinated interdisciplinary projects such as Continuing Bonds and Dying to Talk, which used archaeological and ethnographic insights to open up conversations with young people and healthcare professionals about death, dying, and bereavement. The event is free and open to all. You can either attend in person or online. Please register here.
16:00-19:00: Expertisecentrum Palliatieve Zorg Brussel (EPZ-dag) (NL)
Gebouw 1, VUB Health Campus Jette
Tijdens de EPZ-dag brengen we onderzoek, onderwijs, en klinische zorg rond palliatieve en levenseindezorg samen om samenwerking te versterken en nieuwe initiatieven te lanceren. Meer info & inschrijving: https://www.endoflifecare.be/epz-brussel-expertisecentrum-palliatieve-zorg-brussel
19:00-20:00: Voorstelling RauwRouw (NL)
Pilar, VUB Main Campus Etterbeek
In een constant veranderend landschap van blauwe zeilen baant een vrouw in haar eentje een weg door haar rauw verlies. Terwijl ze verschillende manieren zoekt om haar rouw een plek te geven, botst ze op onhandige reacties van haar omgeving en afgedekte herinneringen. RauwRouw neemt je mee op én doorheen golven van sprekende beelden en herkenbare situaties. Via een fysieke en beeldende taal probeert deze kwetsbare voorstelling het ongrijpbare thema vorm te geven. Het toont een zoektocht naar verbinding en gedragenheid in rouw. Meer info & inschrijving: https://pilar.brussels/nl/events/rauwrouw
Voorafgaand aan de voorstelling, vanaf 18:00 uur, wordt er in de Foyer van Pilar gratis soep aangeboden. Kom dus zeker al iets vroeger langs!
Wednesday 19 November
13:00-14:00: Grief in Higher Education: Practical Guidance for Support and Sharing Experiences (ENG)
Online webinar
Research suggests that at least 10% of students will experience a significant loss during their time at university, and 24% of staff have been bereaved in the past year. So why is no one talking about grief? And why is support still so limited? This session will be introducing the HE Bereavement Framework, a new resource by The Student Grief Network based on in-depth research and hundreds of conversations with students and staff. The framework outlines the impact of grief within Higher Education – from health and wellbeing, to academic performance and employment challenges - and provides practical steps for improving support.
The session will be led by Anna May, founder of The Student Grief Network and Executive Head of Kaplan International Grief Programmes. Anna lost her brother as a child and her dad while studying at university, and now has over seven years experience delivering training, consultancy, workshops and events for bereaved university students and the staff that support them. The event is free and open to all. After registering, you’ll receive a link to join the webinar online. Please register here.
12:00-14:00: Compassionate Cards and Remembrance Tree
Esplanade, VUB Main Campus Etterbeek & VUB Health Campus Jette
Write a card for someone you miss or want to support. You can also leave a ribbon in our “tree of comfort.” Cards and postage are free of charge.
16:00-18:30: WeDecolonizeVUB & Palestine Solidarity Network (ENG)
WeDecolonizeVUB library, campus Etterbeek
WeDecolonizeVUB and the Palestine Solidarity Network (PSN) invite you to a moment of collective grief and remembrance at the WeDecolonizeVUB Library. In the context of the VUB Compassionate Week, PSN and Palettes of Palestine offer a space for students and staff to share their feelings, sentiments, and experiences by creating collages together. Through art, we hope to foster a serene moment of solidarity and togetherness.
17:00-18:00: Moment of Comfort
Esplanade, VUB Main Campus Etterbeek
Since 2019, the VUB has taken time each year to reflect on those we have lost, those who are seriously ill, and everyone who carer for others. This is done through a modest ceremony during a Moment of Comfort at the Monument of Comfort. During this short, intimate ceremony, we listen to a few brief speeches, interspersed with music.
18:00-19:30: Compassionate Café
Bar Buna, VUB Main Campus Etterbeek
After the ceremony, you are warmly welcome at the Compassionate Café. This gathering offers a space to talk in an informal atmosphere, to share memories, and to engage in open conversations about loss, grief, and caregiving.