Founded in the fall semester of 2004, WHUSH is one of the many student initiatives at WHU. Promoting the non-profit social commitment within the student body, WHUSH is an opportunity for students to give back to the community.
Jakob Rennertz, Cynthia Oldehaver, Richard Hänel, and Benedikt Schneider are all current Bachelor students. Together they form the WHUSH board, steering the activities and goals of the initiative. “As students, we often take the infrastructure and patience of the Vallendar community for granted,” says Jakob. “WHUSH is an opportunity for students to give back to Vallendar citizens and link the two communities.”
Recent projects led by WHUSH include collecting laptops and organizing swimming lessons for refugees in the area, and hosting a tombola in Koblenz. Students have also been assigned to sponsor refugee children, assisting the integration process by providing support with their homework and understanding of the German culture. Reoccurring events are in the calendar each year, with a twice-yearly concert in the chapel at WHU and a stall at the annual Vallendar Christmas market. Each event provides the opportunity for students to get involved, meet members of the community, and raise the all-important funds.
WHUSH is known to be a flexible initiative, welcoming new members and ideas readily. “If you have new ideas about how to help others, then WHUSH is the place to go,” enthuses Jakob. “Anyone with a new idea for fundraising or work in the community is always welcome. We can support financially, with manpower for execution, and can use the WHUSH channels to spread the word around WHU.”
New students starting WHU are introduced to all the student initiatives during their first week on campus. “During the Welcome Week, new Bachelor students visit small enterprises in Vallendar. This year we visited the Kindergarten and nearby monastery to help with day-to-day tasks,” says Jakob.
As well as continuing the successful events from the past year, the WHUSH board are thinking about new projects for 2019. “We are always seeking new ways to support others and improve our existing work,” explains Jakob. “Ideas for next year include offering German courses to refugees in the area, as well as reducing plastic waste at WHU in conjunction with the social entrepreneurship initiative, SensAbility.”