AISU on a mission in Hungary

We the board of Amnesty Student Group Utrecht (AISU), were given the opportunity to help organise the first international exchange between Amnesty student groups. From 29 March till 4 April, we visited the Budapest and Debrecen Freedom Clubs in Hungary. We’ve exchanged knowledge, experiences and activism with the Hungarian students who run these clubs and had a lot of fun doing so. In this blog we’d like to tell you why such an exchange is an incredibly valuable experience for you as a student and why you should do it!

By the time we had arrived in Budapest on Friday morning, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the city and the plentitude of art and culture that can be found in every corner. In our minds, this was a far cry from the human rights situation that we knew was going on. This slightly confused feeling continued when we met the students of the Budapest and Debrecen Freedom Clubs and heard about their experiences. The Freedom Clubs are similar to the student groups that we have in The Netherlands. They told us about the current political and social situation of Hungary. We were quite shocked to hear how many severe human rights violations were actually happening in a country so close to our own. Together we talked about how to incorporate our activism in our daily lives, especially when dealing with such difficult situations.

During our stay, we also met the staff of Amnesty Hungary. One thing we’ve all learnt is how important it is to keep a light spirit and have fun together, even when you’re working on a serious issue like human rights. It’s a way to stay motivated and help each other through the struggles you experience.

Thank you Juke Fluitsma, for organising so much for us to make the exchange happen. Also Thank you Tímea Molnár, for your amazing company and inspiring pep talks. And thank you all the students and staff of Amnesty Hungary and the Freedom Clubs, for having us.

Interested in meeting the Hungarian Freedom Club members? From 6 May till 14 May they will join many Amnesty Student Group activities all over the Netherlands! One particular special event will be the Charity Concert, where we will be raising money for the Hungarian Freedom Clubs. We hope to see you then.

Be the change you want to see!