Stories

After moving to Leuven I was looking for an organization to volunteer. I didn’t speak any Dutch back then so this was a bit tricky. Then I got to know about Serve the City and decided to try.  My first project with them [...]

My name is Muhammad Furqan and I am from Pakistan. I did my internship with Serve the City Leuven in 2022. My internship experience surpassed my expectations. It has been one of the most fascinating and memorable experiences [...]

After getting settled in Leuven, I wanted to get to know my host city and its community in more depth, while helping others and having fun. Volunteering with STC seemed to be the perfect match! During my first project, I [...]

My name is Xiaozheng Song from China. I was an intern in Serve the City Leuven in the summer of 2021. This was not my first time volunteering, as I volunteered a lot in my home country, China. I like the feeling of being [...]

Ronald Tipan is a skilled communication professional with a strong experience in EU and international affairs. He started volunteering at Serve the City in 2019 while finishing his master’s degree at KU Leuven. He has [...]

When moving to a new area one of the first things one does is explore the community and try to meet new people.  This is especially challenging when you are in a new country and culture.  I love meeting new people and [...]

The first volunteering experience that I vividly remember with Serve The City happened in 2015 when the refugee crisis in Belgium reached one of its most critical stages. A small group of volunteers went from Leuven to [...]

My name is Maria and I moved from Cyprus to Leuven, Belgium a few years ago to start my PhD.  After settling in, I remember searching online for local volunteering opportunities, as this was something I’d enjoyed doing [...]

“My first year in Leuven was filled with the thrill brought about by this new chapter in my life. I engaged in common endeavors, such as discovering the city, the food, attending concerts and other cultural events. But after [...]

MAAKbar is a civil initiative with focus on circular economy,  promoting sharing, repairing and recycling. MAAKbar has a tool library, organises repair cafés and sells circular products of social and local entrepreneurs. [...]

As a local community center, we from Seniorama wanted to thank Serve the City volunteers for their commitment during our activities. We organized a brunch and called in Serve the City to support us for this event. It was a [...]

My name is Oliver and I arrived in Belgium in September 2019, as an Erasmus student at KU Leuven. The week-long orientation program included a “Student Life Fair”, where different organizations and clubs came to [...]

I was new in Leuven and looking for volunteering opportunities and chanced upon the STC website. They were having a volunteering event at T’Lampeke and I was assigned the task of handling the bar and snacks counter. I [...]

“After moving to Leuven in 2016 from the United States, I knew I wanted to join an organization where I would be able to help people in need, make new friends, and learn about the local community. Serve the City Leuven [...]

I found Serve the City when I was in Leuven for one month. I wanted to volunteer, but I didn’t speak a lot of Dutch. At the time, Serve the City Leuven was just making a new start after taking a break. I found their [...]

After ten years we thought it would be a good idea to repaint the walls of our local service center, Seniorama in Leuven. Firstly, we discussed some practicalities in a small work group and it was around this time that we [...]