Ivar spends lots of his time in the students’ vegetable garden: ‘I think it’s a good thing to go offline for a bit when you’re outdoors’
This spring marked the arrival of Saxion’s long-awaited vegetable garden for its students. A place where sustainability, social connection, mindfulness, and well-being come together. Ivar, a nursing student, spends lots of time there and advises fellow students to do the same. ‘I think it’s a good thing to go offline for a bit when you’re outdoors. And not feel the need to do anything.’ Pien, an intern at Saxion’s news desk, spoke to Ivar and wrote an article about it.
It was in an article in SaxNow that Ivar first read about the students’ vegetable garden. Joy Douma, who is concerned with student well-being as a trainee at Saxion, spoke about this initiative. Students were invited to make contact if they were interested. ‘And so I signed up to help.’ Together, Joy and Ivar began making sketches for the vegetable garden. ‘I’ve therefore been involved right from the start.’
Growing up among greenery
‘I got into the “world of greenery” quite naturally. I spent a lot of time preoccupied with nature as a child. My father is a gardener, and we also had a vegetable garden at home.’ In addition, Ivar has six years’ experience working in horticulture, at the private plant nursery Schoolkate and at Menkhorst Nurseries.
Not feel the need to do anything
Ivar tells us that being outdoors has made him aware of how great it feels not to have to do anything for a moment. ‘Nowadays, people seem to be quite detached from nature. They spend a lot of time indoors, fixated on their mobile phone or laptop. And even when they do venture outside, they’re often online or listening to music instead of taking in what’s happening around them. Like the birds singing, for instance, or the wind blowing through the trees. I think it’s a good thing to go offline for a bit when you’re outdoors. And not feel the need to do anything.’
Nowadays, people seem to be quite detached from nature. They spend a lot of time indoors, fixated on their mobile phone or laptop. And even when they do venture outside, they’re often online or listening to music instead of taking in what’s happening around them.
Rest and routine
Lately, Ivar has been spending more time in the vegetable garden, now that he has stopped going to his internship at the hospital. ‘The work at the hospital is highly protocol-based. If you ask me, I think this comes at the expense of the patients’ individuality. I prefer to develop a more personal care relationship with patients. The hospital is also a very busy place, whereas I prefer to go in search of peace and quiet.’ Ivar can find this sense of calmness in nature. Now that he has stopped going to his internship, working in the vegetable garden gives him some routine and enables him to stay connected to Saxion. ‘It allows me to stay in contact with the university and the students.’
Building something together
What makes working in the vegetable garden so enjoyable, besides the fact that it makes you feel calm? ‘You work on something together, you build something together. You can see it growing every time you go there and this gives you a great feeling of satisfaction. But it also fosters social connection: you get to know other students, and sometimes you may even discover a different side to someone. I’ve noticed that most of the students have the same interests and needs: wanting to find peace and quiet and build social contacts.’
Ivar on why working in the vegetable garden is so enjoyable: 'You work on something together, you build something together. You can see it growing every time you go there and this gives you a great feeling of satisfaction'
‘There’s no such thing as an indoor person’
‘I want to show students that you don’t have to be a member of the beard-and-sandals brigade to come and help out in the students’ vegetable garden. Everyone can benefit. It reminds me of a popular slogan by Bever, the Dutch outdoor apparel company: “There’s no such thing as an indoor person”.’ Ivar invites you to ‘Just give it a try!’
Would you like to help out in the vegetable garden? Complete the registration form to sign up.
Photography: Pien van der Woning