Practical
Monday, 16 November, 2026 up to and including Thursday, 19 November, 2026
- 11:30 until 20:00
British English translation Free of charge. For most activities, it is best to register in advance.
Programme
Monday 16 November
11.30 am – 2.00 pm: Film screening & panel discussion: “Achter de tralies van de tijd”
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, I 2.03
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Description: Since the pandemic, older prisoners with care needs have been accommodated in a separate unit at Merksplas Prison. Hidden away behind high walls, this often-overlooked group faces very specific needs that a traditional prison structure is not equipped to address. In the documentary Achter de tralies van de tijd, director Stijn Geenen portrays their daily lives and follows the healthcare professionals who, despite a severe lack of resources, strive to make a human difference every day.
Following the screening, a panel discussion will explore the questions and themes raised by the documentary in greater depth. Together, we will reflect on the challenges surrounding (palliative) care in prisons, policy, and what a compassionate community for this group could look like in the future.
- Language: Dutch.
- In collaboration with: SARLab & PALD.
7.00 pm: Film screening: Taste of Cherry
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, Pilar Box
- Description: During Compassionate Week, Pilar will screen Taste of Cherry (1997), Abbas Kiarostami’s dreamlike, contemplative film. Middle-aged Mr Badii wants to end his life in a society where suicide is considered unacceptable. As he drives through the hills surrounding Tehran, he searches for someone willing to bury him after his death. Along the way, he meets a range of different people, but each has their own reasons for refusing his request. Taste of Cherry explores what is difficult to put into words: grief and loss, but also human connection, and the need to get to know and understand one another. Compassion. And ultimately, what it means to be human.
- In collaboration with: Pilar
- More info
Tuesday 17 November
Compassionate Cards
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, Esplanade: 11.00 am - 1.00 pm
📍 VUB Health Campus, Jette , Esplanade: 12.00 pm - 3.00 pm
- Description: Write a card for someone you miss or would like to support. You can also leave a ribbon on our “tree of comfort”. Cards and postage are free of charge.
12.00 – 1.30 pm: Onbespreekbaar (NL)
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, Lounge Bar (nex to the VUB resto)
- Description: An interactive session with Nicolas from the Onbespreekbaar podcast about how we, as a VUB community, deal with loss. We will also reflect on how to cope with living loss and on saying goodbye before we are actually confronted with it. The talk is an open conversation that leaves room for recognition, questions and connection.
- Language: Dutch
- No registration required.
- In collaboration with: Study Guidance
12.00 – 1.30 pm: Seminar ‘The History of Self-Chosen End of Life in Belgium since 1920’ (NL)
📍 VUB Health Campus, Jette, Building A, Auditorium 5
- Description: This seminar will be given by Prof. Niels De Nutte. You can find more information about his research here.
- Who it’s for: Anyone interested in research, education and clinical practice in palliative and end-of-life care (including healthcare professionals, researchers and students).
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Language: Dutch.
5.00 – 6.00 pm: “Caring Together” Workshop
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, D.3.05 (NL) en D.3.06 (EN)
- Description: Looking for a boost to your wellbeing and a stronger sense of community at our university? Then be sure to join our "We Care"-session! Here you will discover valuable insights and practical tools to better support one another and help create a positive and inclusive university community. Together, we can make the VUB-community stronger and warmer!
- Why participate?
- Get insight: Learn more about mental health and wellbeing within the university community and discover how they can influence your studies, your work and your everyday life.
- Skill up: Get tips on how to recognise signs of mental health problems in yourself and others and discover how to start conversations in a caring and respectful way when you are concerned about someone.
- Create a warm environment: Receive practical tips on how to create an inclusive and supportive environment where everyone feels welcome, connnected and safe.
- Self-care: Discover why self-care is essential and learn how to maintain healthy boundaries while caring for others.
- Why participate?
- Language: Two parallel workshops will take place, one in Dutch and one in English
- No registration required.
- In collaboration with: Study Guidance
Wednesday 18 November
Compassionate Cards
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, Esplanade: 11.00 am - 1.00 pm
📍 VUB Health Campus, Jette , Esplanade: 12.00 pm - 3.00 pm
- Description: Write a card for someone you miss or would like to support. You can also leave a ribbon on our “tree of comfort”. Cards and postage are free of charge
5.00 – 6.30 pm: A creative hour for grief and compassion
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, Active Learning Studio - Building B, Room B.3.217
- Description: Some experiences are too big for words. This workshop offers a gentle space to explore feelings of grief and compassion through creative expression.There’s nothing to get right and nothing to finish: you might draw, tear paper into pieces, or just sit with a cup of tea and watch. What you can expect:
- a welcoming space for everyone, whatever your experience with crafting
- the freedom to share your story or simply be quiet
- what you make stays yours, to keep private or share as you wish
- room to come and go as you need, whether you arrive late or slip out early.
- No registration needed.
7.00 – 8.15 pm: Voices of Compassion
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, LIC Theater
- Description: This evening is dedicated to mourning and healing through texts, poems, stories, and 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. Palestinian poet in exile Ghayath Almadhoun, who is currently writer-in-residence at Passa Porta in Brussels, will close the event with a reading from his work. This evening of music and poetry promises to be an unforgettable experience, one you definitely don't want to miss!
- Creative writing workshop: Would you like to write something but aren't quite sure where to start? On November 10, there will be a creative writing session. Everyone is welcome, with or without experience. Register here.
Call for participants: Share your voice at Voices of Compassion
Share a poem, story or song about mourning, loss and comfort, in any language. Bring your own work or someone else’s, perform it yourself or let us read it aloud (anonymously).
Thursday 19 November
09.30 – 4.OOpm: Inspiration Day for End-of-Life Volunteers (NL)
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, Building D
- Description: Volunteers can make a world of difference in many different ways during times of serious illness, dying and grief, and help build compassionate communities. They do this by being present, listening, supporting informal caregivers, strengthening social networks, or helping people find their way to appropriate care and support. The possibilities are rich and diverse. This day focuses on how we can make even better use of that richness and strengthen it further. On the programme:
- insights from research on the power and impact of volunteering;
- inspiring stories from practice;
- interactive workshops on topics such as recruitment and connection, sustainable implementation, and measuring impact;
- time to meet, share and be inspired;
- the opportunity to take part in the Compassionate Café.
- Language: Dutch.
- In collaboration with: End-of-Life Care Research group.
- Register here.
12.15 – 1.00 pm: Moment of Comfort
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, Lounge Bar (next to the VUB resto)
- Description: Since 2019, VUB has come together each year to remember everyone we have lost, those who are seriously ill, and all those who care for others. During the annual Moment of Comfort, we gather at the Lounge Bar for a quiet ceremony. We listen to several short speeches, including a message from the Rector, interspersed with appropriate music. We will then walk towards the Monument of Comfort. Afterwards, there is an opportunity to come together, enjoy a warm bowl of soup and make time for heart-warming conversations at Aula D.2.01 (Building D).
5.00 – 8.00 pm: Compassionate Café & Reception
📍 VUB Main Campus, Etterbeek, Bar Buna
- Description: To bring Compassionate Week to a close, you are warmly invited to the Compassionate Café. This gathering offers an opportunity to unwind in a warm and informal atmosphere, share memories or simply have an open conversation about topics such as loss, grief and caring for others. No registration required.
- In collaboration with: Bar Buna.
Moment of Comfort
About You Are Not Alone
At VUB, you are not alone. With You Are Not Alone (YANA), VUB brings together its full range of psychosocial well-being support in one clear and accessible platform, so that every student and staff member can quickly find out where to turn, who can help and what to expect.
Our ambition: to make wellbeing the beating heart of VUB by 2030.
Need someone to talk to? Do you have questions, big or small?
For students:
You can drop by the Study Guidance Contact Point every weekday. A team of study pathway advisers, student psychologists and study advisers is here for you every day. More info here.