LSE Alumni Association Belgium

LSE AAB Newsletter
2/08
April-May 2008
LSE Alumni
Association Belgium
Summary
Dear fellow alumni,
Edito - word of the presidents
1) Edito - Word from the presidents
2) Future developments of the
LSE AAB
3) Upcoming events
• Chocolate tasting
• LSE Experts talk
• Drinks
• Pre-departure event BBQ
4) Reports and pictures of past
events
• Café de Bruxelles drinks
• LSE & ScPo Internship
fair
5) We’re invited ! Members
agenda
The LSE AAB has made a great amount of progress in the past year
thanks to the efforts of our fantastic group of board members (all
volunteers) and an exploding alumni base. We have had a great beginning
to 2008 with several successful events in the past 3 months.
The highlights included our New Year's Event with Sir Howard Davies,
a Charity event, an Internship fair organized by both the LSE
and Sciences-Po and a drinks event on the Grand Place. It was great
to meet many of you at these occasions.
If you are already a regular participant, we would like to thank you
for your continued support and participation. Please let us know if
there is anything we could do to enhance your experience. If you
have ideas for organising new events and activities, or if you would
like to fill a leadership role, please contact us or the other colleagues
on our Board. You can make as large or as small a commitment as
you would like.
If you are a prospective participant, we invite you to explore the
events and activities we have on offer in the coming months. The
LSE AAB will continue to organize alumni activities with the same enthusiasm
and the same commitment. We have many interesting activities
planned, a.o. a chocolate tasting, a surprise keynote speaker
event and a summer barbecue/ pre-departure event.
Unfortunately, as everyone knows, there is "no such thing as a free
lunch" and running an association does require a basic form
of financing (a.o. website, newsletter, organizing events). Therefore
the LSE AAB Board has recently decided to invite all LSE alumni to
become a contributing member of our Association. Contributing
members of the LSE AAB are invited to pay a modest membership
fee to support the development of our Belgian chapter and help us
organizing more activities for you. You will find more information
on the “Why”, "How" and "What's in it for me" in this newsletter.
Many thanks for your interest in and support of the LSE AAB!
On behalf of the LSE AAB Board,
Lieven & Olivier
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LSE AAB Newsletter
April-May 2008
The LSE AAB
Sign up and join the LSE AAB !
Advantages, details, procedures
All LSE alumni residing in Belgium or with the Belgian nationality are
invited to sign up free of charge for the Newsletter of the LSE Alumni
Association Belgium informing them about our activities and events.
We invite you to become a contributing member of the LSE AAB.
Why a fee?
Your membership will help us to finance our basic working costs
(website, newsletter, preparation of events) and provide other
alumni benefits. It will allow us to better communicate with you, to
serve you and continue to offer you a wide variety of events. LSE
provides no financial support to LSE AAB. Your membership is therefore
essential to our operations.
What is in there for me?
The membership guarantees you privileged access and discounted
pricing to social, professional and intellectual LSE AAB events. In the
future, for specific events non-members (either alumni or friends)
will be charged per event. Also, members-only events will be organised
in the future. A list of the members will be published online.
How?
You can now sign up for a membership at 20 € per year with any
committee member or transfer this amount to our bank account
(details on our website).
• Alumni in their first year after graduation are exempt from the
membership fee.
• All other alumni are invited to pay 20 €.
We look forward to you becoming a new member and support the
LSE Alumni Association Belgium!
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LSE AAB Newsletter
April-May 2008 Future
events
Chocolate Tasting & Demonstration
Sunday 18 May, 2pm-4pm
Sunday 18 May, 2-4pm
6€ per person
Planete Chocolat: Rue
du Lombard,24 (Gd
P l a c e ) . S e e
www.planetechocolat.be/
for more details.
RSVP & info : N. Peacock
peacock_cs@yahoo.com
Belgian chocolate specialists will tell
you about the history of cocoa from
the Maya's until now, its evolution
throughout centuries and the fabrication
of chocolate.
Followed by a hot chocolate tasting &
samples of homemade pralines !
This event is open to family and friends
of LSE alumni and children are welcome.
LSE Thursdays—drinks
Thursday 12 June
Thursday 12 June
Free for members
3€ non-members
Café de Bruxelles, Gd
Place of Brussels, 25.
« LSE Thurdays
drinks » : every first
Thursday of the month
The LSE AAB has decided to
launch a new regular formula for
its informal drinks:
Every first Thursday of the
month, drinks will be organized
in a venue (pub, café, etc.) for
all LSE Alumni, LSE academics
or current students visiting
Brussels.
Attendance will be FREE for LSE AAB members, while non alumni or
non members will be charged a small stipend. Other alumni associations
in Brussels or special guests will also be invited to the drink.
The next drinks will be organised the first Thursday of June, i.e. the
12th of June, at Café de Bruxelles, 25 Grand Place at 7pm.
- June 12, 7pm, Café de Bruxelles
- July 3, 7pm, venue tbc
- August 7, 7pm, venue tbc
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LSE AAB Newsletter
April-May 2008 Future
events
LSE Experts Talk: EU – China
Thursday 5 June, The Centre
Thursday 5 June,
The Centre, Avenue
Marnix 22, 1000 Brussels
(metro Trone)
See map here
5€
Free for members
Dr. Razeen Sally, Professor at
LSE for International Political
Economy, Director of the European
Centre for International
Political Economy (ECIPE) and
Stephen Kai-yi Wong, Director
of Hong-Kong Economic &
Trade Affairs in Berlin will discuss
the relationship between
the European Union and China,
the role of Hong Kong and the main difficulties that will arise in the
future. Other names to be added.
The event will take place on June 5, at The Centre 22 Avenue Marnix,
1000 Brussels at 6.30pm
Pre-departure event/BQQ
Sunday 14 September
Sunday 14 September,
afternoon
Free for current and
future students
Venue to be confirmed
This September, for the first time, the
LSE Alumni in Belgium will organise a
Pre-departure event with future LSE
students, parents, currents students
and alumni in the form of a BBQ.
Pre-departure events are a great introduction
to the School for the students
who attend and an important aspect of
their LSE experience. They also provide
an excellent 'welcome home' for
newly created alums and strengthen
links between the School and the local
alumni.
A record 21 countries were covered last
year and this year, the LSE AAB expects 150 people; future LSE
students, parents, currents students and alumni.
So do come along and around the grill, share your experience of the
LSE with the future students!
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LSE AAB Newsletter
April-May 2008
Past
events
03/04/2008:
Café de Bruxelles - Informal drinks
An amazing variety
of nationalities,
ages and
professional experiences
On April 3, more than 70 alumni
from the LSE attended an informal
drink Organised by the LSE AAB at
the prestigious Café de Bruxelles
in the Grand Place of Brussels.
The crowd who attended this informal
drink was characterised by an
amazing variety of nationalities
(more than 20 countries were represented), ages (with senior
alumni having graduated in 1948 or 1949 !) and professional experiences
(European institutions,
banks, consulting companies and
law firms).
The LSE AAB will organise an informal
drinks event every first Thursdays
of the month (see future
events section of this newsletter).
14/03/2008:
LSE & Sc.Po. European Internship
“Stronger links
between students
and alumni
associations”
For the second year now, the LSE and SciencesPo Paris held in
Brussels a European-focused job fair for current LSE and
SciencesPo students. Organised in collaboration with the LSE
Alumni Association of Begium (LSE AAB), and the Permanent representation
of the United Kingdom to the EU (UkRep), the fair gathered
more than 30 companies as well as some Alumni from both
schools.
The 2008 edition of the European Internship fair saw a 50% increase
in companies and future employers
in comparison to the 2007 edition,
opening its doors to public affair
consultancies, NGOs, research institutes,
think tanks, international organisations
and law firms. Its popularity is
also rising among students.
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LSE AAB Newsletter
April-May 2008
Past
events
The over hundred students from the
LSE and Sciences Po. present at the
fair were also invited to a panel discussion
hosted at the Permanent representation
of the UK to the European
Union.
In the Schuman area under high security
control due the summit of the
European Council, the LSE Alumni Association
of Belgium and the UKRep offered a more insightful approach
to Brussels and its very particular job and labour market.
The Alumni provided the students with personal experiences, recommendations
and advices on the best way to succeed professionally in
Brussels. The panel, selected by the LSE AAB, especially insisted on
the need for students to differentiate themselves from other students.
“You need to
use work experience,
extracurricular
activities
and dissertation
to distinguish
yourself”
“The knowledge of EU affairs
is the same for everyone in
Brussels. Students need to
use your work experience,
extra-curricular activities and
your dissertation to distinguish
yourself from the
crowd”, an alumnus from the
LSE insisted. According to
them, what makes a differences
in Brussels is specializations,
languages and personal contacts
The success of this second edition illustrates the need and importance
of an efficient collaboration between the LSE and its Alumni
associations and calls for further improvement of this kind of partnership.
The Career Service of the LSE
and the LSE AAB is already
planning the improve this initiative,
by building stronger links
between students and alumni
associations as well as extending
the network of potential future
employers participating in
Job fairs abroad.
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LSE AAB Newsletter
April-May 2008
The LSE Alumni
Association Belgium
We’re invited !
Our members’ Agenda
Serve the City
Project objectives:
5 days
50 projects and project
leaders
500 volunteers
5.000 people at the
festival
50.000 €
Contact :
Janine de
Keersmaecker
janinedk8@gmail.com
www.servethecity.be
Serve the City
We know them by their needs. What if we knew them by name?
Serve the City is a way of showing kindness in practical ways to people
in need. Serve the City partners with homeless shelters, refugee centers,
orphanages, senior homes and other associations and invites volunteers to
offer practical help an support.
Serve the City projects are often simple - sports, music, arts and crafts,
teaching English, painting, serving food, and cutting hair. We are matchmakers
- the connection between the good intentions of people who could serve and a meaningful opportunity
to do so.
Serve the City began in Brussels in 2005, and will take place in 20 cities around the world in 2008.
Serve the City has regular and ongoing activities, but the highlight of the year is always the summer project
in the first week of July. In 2007, 300 volunteers served in 30 different projects. Our goal this year is
500 volunteers and 50 projects. The dates of this year’s project are 28 June to 5 July.
Volunteers can participate as individuals or as a group, on a one-time basis or as a weekly commitment.
Serve the City matches projects and volunteers according to interests, skills and availability.
Project example: Foyer Selah
Foyer Selah is home to more than 90 refugees from all over
the world who have applied in Belgium for asylum. While
their case is being considered, all they have are accommodations
and a few euros a week. They have many needs, not the
least of which is hope. Serve the City visits Foyer Selah on a
regular basis to play football, cut hair, teach English, and do
crafts.
Check: www.servethecity.be
info@servethecity.be
© LSE AAB, May 2008
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