created here’

BY DIANNE BLEEKER PHOTO YVONNE COMPIER

You teach international students the meaning of the Dutch word gezelligheid? “Yes and no. Life is Better in 3D is geared towards having a good time with each other, but it’s not just for international students. We organise events for all VU Amsterdam students, regardless of your degree programme and background. We try to keep it as open as possible.”

I’ve understood diversity plays an important role. “Yes, that’s an omnipresent feature in our events, whether it concerns gender, programme or origin. Everyone enjoys mingling with different people. Often friendships are created between national and international students, but also between medical and Computer Science students.”

You do more than drink beer? “Yes, we want to connect students in a low-threshold way. We’ve noticed the creative events attract a slightly different audience than something like a board game night for instance. So on the one hand, we organise events such as painting and museum visits. On the other, there are events that focus more on light-hearted fun, like film evenings, bowling and minigolf. Last October we added gaming events such as Mario Kart tournaments, and in the summer we’ll be organising outside events again, such as kickboxing, an archery course and barbecues. 3D also has a platform revolving around spirituality and religion, where students can reflect on life’s bigger questions. It’s called NewConnective.”

What does it cost to participate in all of those activities? “We offer all our events free of charge, unless they can’t be paid from our budget. When we go bowling, for instance, everyone pays their share, but our goal is to organise events as cheaply as possible.”

Why is it so important to connect students to each other? “During the pandemic, I saw several friends struggling with being alone, which made me realise how important that connection is. When things are going smoothly, you sometimes take the people around you for granted. The coronavirus crisis has shown us the importance of the social aspect of your academic career.”

Is there still a need for that?

“There sure is. Our Discord channel has 1,500 student members and I often see the same faces at our events. Our goal is to connect people without too many strings attached, but at a certain point you get to know each other and you end up having meaningful discussions with each other. Real friendships are created.”

What drives you on a personal level? “I’m really social myself, and I enjoy meeting new people and bringing them into contact with each other. I’ve always been like that. For example, I spent years working at a care home. My girlfriend started Life is Better. She’s also been an inspiration. I’ve been involved for almost three years. When it comes to operations, I take care of everything myself: from the online posts to coming up with events and organising them. If I get stuck at any point or need help from VU Amsterdam, for example in the way of funding, Miranda van Holland [3D programme coordinator, ed.] helps me out. We recently hired a new colleague to organise the creative events. I focus more on the social and gaming events.”

You’ve been around for three years. Any goals left to achieve? “I love the gaming events. I’m a gamer myself and I’ve noticed Amsterdam doesn’t have a gaming student association yet. Our gaming events draw quite a crowd. For Mario Kart and Smash, a Nintendo Switch game, we’re talking around eighty people. That’s why I’m in the process of founding an organisation like that, focusing on computer games on the PlayStation or Nintendo Switch. During the VU introduction days, we’ll be promoting this and 3D at the NU building.”

Ferdi Kabak

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December 2021 – present Founder of Freedom Financial Education

September 2021 –present Master’s in Finance, VU Amsterdam

September 2021 –present Master’s in Science, Business & Innovation, VU Amsterdam

December 2020 –present

People connector at Life is Better in 3D

June 2022 – September 2022

Internship as an investment analyst at Nordian Capital Partners

May 2017 - February 2021 Activities of daily living assistant at Aethon

Life is Better in 3D

Kabak’s girlfriend, Nehal Saba, founded Life is Better in 3D because she herself struggled making friends as an international student. She first organised online events in collaboration with Programme Coordinator Miranda van Holland. After the pandemic, she switched to live events (as the organisation’s name suggests).