Written by Ivanna
23 Feb 2018
Some of the most valuable experiences of doing a master abroad are about the people you meet, the projects you get involve with, the events you attend and the contacts you build. Making the most out of your time in Sweden is not limited to getting good grades and reading all the literature you’re supposed to. It’s also about going the extra mile and getting involved in some of the many activities available for you, inside the university but also outside.
When you’re new in a city it can be hard to know where exactly to go if you are interested in networking, or when you perhaps want to join a project, or find out about events happening close to you. Well… I have good news! A few months ago the mission of compiling all those useful pieces of information and links for students in Lund started, a great initiative lead by my friend and now Lund graduate, Katarina. Now I’m more than happy to share that information with you in this post, so take notes and make sure these amazing opportunities won’t escape from you!
Find activities and events to attend:
- UPF, they are in contact with some local organisations as well as hosts for interesting lectures.
- Oikos if you are interested in sustainability.
- Venture Lab, they have lots of startup events going on. There are pitches, networking opportunities, and you can also become an intern in some of the projects and gain some cool experience.
- Ideon Science Park, named as one of the World’s best 13 brain belts. Also, if interested in social entrepreneurship and innovation, follow Sopact, Social Innovation Skåne, STORM Malmö University.
- Check the municipality website, there are lists of organisations you can volunteer or benefit from. For example, Lunds kommun.
- There are a lot of events happening in Malmö – conferences, festivals, seminars etc on sustainability, diversity, city planning, innovations, you name it. Ask around, check events in big conference places in Malmö like Malmö Live, Scandic, Malmö Högskola and go there to network!
This is a list of projects you can take part in either as a participant or as a volunteer. Almost all of them are outside the university since it is quite easy to learn about what’s happening in Lund University or your own faculty.
- Kompis Sverige – matching a foreigner with a Swedish person or a person who had lived in Sweden for a long time, and then two people just meet as friends and do whatever they want to do. You need to spend together 6 hours per month in 6 months. Lots of free activities like picnics, movies, theater/opera, hiking.
- I Malmö möts vi – same system with matching swedes with newcomers to built friendships, but in Malmö.
- RådRum Lund – people give you some practical advise on your life in Sweden or in Lund (like how to fill some forms, how to get your Swedish ID, where to buy cheap food, or how to navigate medical system), they are located in Stadsbiblioteket near the Central Station.
- Invitations departamentet – you get to eat a dinner at someone’s house or invite some other people for dinner at your place.
- A Slice of Swedish Hospitality – same idea as Invitations departamentet, but here you need to pay for dinner.
- Rädda Barnen (Save the Children), lots of activities, many of which do not require Swedish.
- Tamam, for most of the activities you need Swedish, but still there are some possibilities.
- IM, lots of different staff, and you can even work with them part-time during summer.
- Tillsammans för Lund, very active, organizes language cafes.
- Amnesty International, there is a student group with them.
- Red Cross
- Women shelter (here you need Swedish, but they can also benefit from your knowledge of other languages).
- ABC Lund, sustainable and eco-friendly. Examples are urban gardening, cafe, and other fun activities.
- Erikshjälpen, be a volunteer in a second-hand shop that sends money to help those in need.
- Läkare utan gränser, worth checking them if you have medical knowledge.
- Svenska lounge, organised by International Desk. Every Tuesday 17-19, students teach students Swedish.
- EOS Language Café, every Saturday, 13-15. Also, the last Saturday of the month there is an NGO fair (Lund Integration Fair).
- Café Tillsammans, check Tillsammans for Lund on FB, they regularly organize events.
- Swedish Church language cafe (Svenska kyrkans språkcafé), every Thursday 13.30-15.30 in Sankt Hans Kyrklänga (Fäladstorget 32).
- Språk och gemenskap, every Monday 14-17, organised by Kristna Föreningen Filippi.
- Cafe Multilingua, every Wednesday 17-19, works not only for Swedish, but for many other languages.
- Meet up its a social service app that lets you organize and join local, real-life “meetups” for people who share your interests.
- Event brite is a platform that allows event organizers to plan, promote, and sell tickets to events (event management) and publish them across Facebook, Twitter and other social-networking tools directly from the site’s interface.
Use every chance (conferences, lectures, events, after-work parties, sport etc.) to meet people, expand your network, make valuable connections, exchange ideas and really – put yourselves out there – maybe you meet your future business partner or a friend for life!
Thanks again to Katarina, Angel and the other members from NFGL-Lund that contributed to make this list about Networking in Lund possible. <3
Are you a student in Lund, let me know in the comments if you have an suggestion I should add to the list? And if you are starting your studies next fall make sure you get involve since day one in all what the student life has to offer to you.
Cover image credits: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
/Ivanna
