I like the strong collaboration between students and teachers

"I am Collings, an international student from Cameroon, West Africa. I study at Breda University of Applied Sciences, in the Department of Built Environment. Here I specialise in Urban Design."

Why I chose this minor

"When I was going through ‘Kies op Maat’ to find a minor, I intended to find courses related to urban logistics or sustainable development. A couple of courses came up, but what made the Managing Projects for Sustainable Development (MPSD) at Windesheim stand out, was the caption ‘our students participate in real-world challenges’. I found that fascinating and worth experiencing. I was very curious to see the kinds of projects we would work on, and I expected we would take on multiple projects addressing real-world challenges."

Working in the United Kingdom

"When the final list for the MPSD programme was published, the programme coordinator also shared an overview of all projects, together with guidelines about the programme structure and project execution. The projects took place both in the Netherlands and abroad, and students were divided into teams of five based on their preferences.

The project that stood out to me, was a sustainable development project in the UK. I got to work with the Freedom Leisure Organisation for eight weeks. Freedom Leisure is a UK-based not-for-profit charitable leisure and cultural trust with a mission to improve lives through leisure. Our mission was to identify and understand the barriers to the uptake of green travel and to propose interventions to establish behavioural changes towards a sustainable lifestyle. Our final product was an Advisory Report in which I gave spatial recommendations as an urban designer."

My MPSD experience 

"The MPSD programme was really fun. I enjoyed every moment of it. Classes were held three days per week, with two to five hours of study per day. The teachers made it very interesting and easy to integrate; I felt like I had been part of the programme from the very beginning. What I like most, is the collaborative nature of the students and the teachers. Every class was an opportunity to enhance your communication skills. 

Challenges were minimal because the teachers' guidance. Even the support from the administrative staff were exceptional. They were always there to support me. The hospitality I received from this programme was incredible."