Trust Persons
Dear Members,
The 59th board of Machiavelli is continuing the concept of trust persons within our association this year. The three trust persons for our members shall consist of two internal trust persons and one external trust person. The position of the internal trust persons shall be held by Mary Dost (Education Coordinator) and Harm Dommerholt (International Coordinator). Furthermore, we are cooperating with Sociologisch EpiCentrum (SEC), the study association of Sociology. The position of external trust person will be held by their Social Coordinator, Melina Nicolau.
The function of our trust persons is mainly meant for us to make clear to our members that we are always prepared to listen, in the case that there are complaints, or if there are students that do not feel comfortable at one of our events (for whatever reason possible). In this way we can quickly solve issues together and, if we cannot, find the right steps to take.
We are continually trying to develop ourselves to be better trust persons. We will, for example, follow a Student Leadership Training to make ourselves more aware of possible social problems that can occur in the process of leading a study association and how to deal with them.
Although we will do the best we can to help, we are not officially certified psychologists, ombudsmen, or trust persons of the UvA. We do know who we can redirect members to, if that is deemed necessary, and how we can guide members properly (in extreme cases) at the start of the process, since it might be difficult or overwhelming to do this alone. We do not expect, however, that this will be necessary very often.
What we can actively focus on, however, is ensuring a pleasant and confidential environment during our events, where cultural or social backgrounds and differences should not be a barrier for contact between members. We are therefore constantly busy facilitating gatherings, both online and offline, where everyone can feel at ease. And if that would not be the case, we offer a listening ear. With love we would like to invite you to join us in our mission to create a safe environment for everyone.
