Mix & Match Volunteer Job Fair

Happy spring season, everyone! After the great turnout at our events last year, the Volunteer The Hague team is excited to be planning our next fun and informative event. Please join us on Saturday, 13 May from 11:00 to 16:00 at The Social Hub of The Hague for a supersized version of our Mix & Match Volunteer Job Fair. This time, our event will be taking place in a bigger venue and on a weekend for added flexibility - with more organizations and more speakers in attendance than ever before!

As always, this volunteer job fair will be a fantastic opportunity to expand your social circles by meeting fellow internationals from the area with whom you can share your experiences and tips about living in and around The Hague. And you'll be able to expand your professional networks as well, since we'll also have representatives from local NGOs and nonprofit organizations in attendance, all of whom are eager to work with international volunteers! The nearly 40 organizations registered so far focus on a wide variety of fields and interests, including human rights, social justice, refugee and migrant assistance, homelessness, animal causes, elderly care, child care, the environment, and so much more. There will be something for everyone, no matter your background or specialization!

To open the event, we'll have Deputy Mayor of The Hague Kavita Parbhudayal in attendance to offer some remarks about the importance of internationals volunteering in our community. And during the event, we'll also have some special guests who will speak about topics of particular interest to local internationals, including how volunteering can benefit skills building, interview tips for the non-profit world, NGO work, and more! We also have some great speakers lined up! For more info on the speakers and the full event program, take a look below. 

And as a special treat, we'll be opening the event with a cake-cutting at 11:30 so that you won't mingle on an empty stomach! 🍰

We hope you'll join us on 13 May for this fantastic learning and networking opportunity! Space is limited, so please be sure to register ASAP. We look forward to seeing you there!

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, 13 May 2023

Time: 11:00 – 16:00

Costs: free event

Location: The Social Hub The Hague - Hoefkade 9, 2526 BN Den Haag

Event Program:

11:00 – Doors open to start mixing and mingling with non-profits and NGOs

11:30 – Welcome notes by Gert-Jan Aleman, Director of PEP Den Haag (parent organization of the Volunteer The Hague Project), followed by the official opening by the deputy mayor of The Hague Kavita Parbhudayal with a welcome address to The Hague's International Community

12:00 – Presentation “Job Hunting Strategies in The Hague Region," by Sarah Feid an account manager at The Hague International Centre

13:00 – Presentation “The Hague as a Hub for NGO Professionals,” by Abderrahim Kajouane, Senior Advisor at PEP Den Haag

14:00 – Presentation “Interviewing Skills for Volunteer Opportunities, Jobs, and More,” by Flora Bogman-Nieboer, Senior Advisor at PEP Den Haag

15:00 – Presentation “How Volunteering Can Benefit Your Career,” by Tetyana Benzeroual, Project Manager Volunteer The Hague

16:00 – Event Closing

About the Presenters

Kavita Parbhudayal serves as deputy mayor of The Hague, as well as The Hague Municipality's alderman for Work, Neighborhoods, and Municipal Services. Kavita will offer some opening remarks at the Volunteer Job Fair and discuss the importance of internationals making a difference in The Hague through volunteering.

Gert-Jan Aleman is the current director of PEP Den Haag, having taking over earlier this year from former director Fenna Noordermeer. Previously, Gert-Jan was manager of the Arbo Center of the Municipality of The Hague, where in 2016 he won a national prize as Vitality Manager of The Year. Gert-Jan will offer some opening remarks at the event on behalf of PEP, Volunteer The Hague's parent organization.

Sarah Feid is an account manager at The Hague International Centre, where she helps to provide easy-to-navigate support for individuals seeking to make the Netherlands their new home. As an international, she knows from first-hand experience how important it is for those relocating to have a place to turn to with questions, and she is passionate about ensuring internationals receive this warm welcome. At the Volunteer Job Fair, Sarah will give a presentation titled, "Job Hunting Strategies in The Hague Region," where she will talk about her own experience of going from an international student to working for a Dutch employer. She will offer practical information on job hunting and career opportunities for internationals, and also discuss how volunteering may be a career strategy to unlock new opportunities.

Flora Bogman-Nieboer currently works for PEP Den Haag, where she is involved in PEP's Corporate Social Responsibility Program, guiding companies as they seek to give back to society and local non-profits. Flora studied in Stockholm for part of her management studies at Erasmus University and has experience in both recruitment and career advising. She also has an extensive volunteering background and currently volunteers with the organization Sintvoorieder1. During the event, Flora will give a presentation titled, "Interviewing Skills for Volunteer Opportunities, Jobs, and More," where she'll talk about interviewing best practices that will give you a leg up whenever you're faced with the daunting task of selling yourself in the professional world!

Abderrahim Kajouane is a Senior Advisor and Trainer at PEP Den Haag. Before coming to PEP, Abderrahim was a municipal councillor at the Municipality of The Hague, and he has done coaching and training at several organizations over the last fifteen years. At the event, Abderrahim will speak about NGO organizations in The Hague during his talk titled, "The Hague as a Hub for NGO Professionals," where you'll learn more about NGO working culture in The Hague region, as well as some tips for how you can go about breaking into NGO work and volunteering!

Tetyana Benzeroual, BSc (Hons) Psychology, is an expat who has been in The Hague with her family since 2015. She started her career path in The Netherlands as a volunteer and was later hired as project manager for Volunteer The Hague, where she works with the Municipality to fulfill our mission of connecting local internationals with meaningful volunteer opportunities at local nonprofit organizations. As a true citizen of the world who has lived, studied, and worked across North America and Europe, Tetyana is excited to offer her insights gained from her own experience during her presentation titled, "How Volunteering Can Benefit Your Career." In her presentation, Tetyana will talk about how volunteer activities can benefit many aspects of your professional life, from our resume, to skills, networking, and more.

Registered Organizations

If you are a representative of a non-profit organization that is looking to share the work that you do (as well as register prospective volunteers on the spot at the event!), please join us by registering here. 

Below is a list of organizations currently registered for the event, along with links to their websites and descriptions of their missions. Please note that the list is still evolving, and we will update it as more organizations register.

070online.nl - An organization offering local news and videos from The Hague region.

ACCESS - A foundation that relies on its English-speaking international and Dutch volunteers who enjoy helping others adjust to life in the Netherlands.

Community Plus - An organization focusing on closer social cohesion and a better quality of life in local neighborhoods in The Hague.

Don Bosco Rijswijk - Multicultural youth center organizing activities for children and teenagers aimed at teaching play skills and allowing children to make friends.

Expatriate Archive Centre - Historical organization that collects and preserves the life stories of expatriates worldwide for future research.

Female Ventures - An organization that builds cross-generational community of ambitious female professionals.

Haagse Dominicus - Ecumenical Community of Faith for New Inspiration.

Haagse Watervrienden - The Hague Water Friends is a volunteer-run swimming association for young and old, which offers swimming lessons, competitive and master swimming, exercise for the elderly, and snorkeling activities in The Hague region.

Justice & Peace Nederland - A human rights organization based in The Hague that provides temporary protection to human rights defenders and empowers citizens in the Netherlands to support refugees so that they may rebuild their lives.

Leger des Heils - is is also known as the Dutch arm of The Salvation Army which helps vulnerable people in our society.

Literaturhaus Deutsche Bibliothek - Aims to promote the cultural relationship between Germany and the Netherlands, in particular through German language and culture and the maintenance of a German-language library.

Present Den Haag - A non-profit specialized in collaboration with all the professional welfare and mental healthcare organizations of The Hague and surrounding areas.

RespijtHuis HouseMartin - A welcoming and warm temporary care home where homeless people in need can stay to recover from short-term illness.

Romanian School the Hague - A foundation that provides informal courses in the Romanian language.

Stadslink - An idealistic foundation that operates as a social enterprise, promoting people's economic and social independence.

Stichting CENDDOW - The Centre for Diaspora Development Work is non-profit migrant organization that is focused on inclusive social cohesion for African migrants as part of our local society. 

Stichting CorrelAid Nederland - A non-profit network of data scientists who want to use their skills to advance the social good.

Stichting Dessi Tuji - Non-profit organization for poverty alleviation and development cooperation in Ethiopia that provides children and adults with access to education and promoting the emancipation of Ethiopian women.

Stichting TransitieCinema - An organization that runs documentary screenings on sustainability & transition, followed by Q&A sessions and workshops.

Stichting Vitalis - Vitalis tries to prevent professional youth assistance for children between the ages of 5 and 18 who lack attention by linking these children to suitable buddies.

TERRA Foundation - This organization promotes forest restoration and sustainable land management by providing financial and technical support to indigenous communities, helping to preserve biodiversity, wildlife, and ancestral knowledge. 

The Hague International Centre - A point of contact for internationals and international staff of organizations and companies in The Hague region.

Together International - A non-profit dedicated to Development Aid and Humanitarian Aid projects.

Under the Sun - A project that aims to empower vulnerable families in Western Sahrawi refugee camps by fundraising for house construction, as well as water tank and air conditioning installation.

Viable Community - An international organization that enables people to preserve and restore nature while enjoying the experience.

Watoto Child Care Ministries - Watoto brings hope and healing to vulnerable women and children in Uganda and South Sudan, with a strong focus on rebuilding broken communities.

Wijkz - A welfare organization for the residents of The Hague, informing our community about activities, volunteer jobs, support in the neighborhood, and offering practical help where needed.

Wool for Warmth - A non-profit dedicated to collecting wool and organizing knitting groups that knit clothing items for the homeless.

Women's Initiatives Network - WIN is a non-profit dedicated to women, peace, and security for women in the Netherlands and Africa.

YMCA Den Haag - The Hague chapter of the international youth organization that is committed to giving young people a place where they feel at home.