The Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities Thesis Workshop The Hague Southwest is a collaboration between Leiden University, Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam and The Hague City Council. In this workshop, students work alongside local residents, professionals and policymakers to tackle current social issues in the neighbourhood.
What is happening in The Hague Southwest is more than just an educational programme. It is a place where students not only learn, but also contribute to the city — and where the city, in turn, enriches education.
Learning in the real world
The principle behind the Thesis Workshop is clear: to gain knowledge and give it back to the community it concerns. Students are physically present in the neighbourhood, take part in activities and talk to residents. They work on real-life issues faced by the people who live and work there.
Students from Leiden University, Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam can take courses here and write their final thesis. They are matched with projects that suit their background and interests. In interdisciplinary education, students from different disciplines work together on a single issue.
‘You want to get students out of their comfort zone and make use of their knowledge,’ says coordinator Mandy Koenraads. ‘By having them work in the neighbourhood, that happens naturally. An important principle is “giving back”.’ Students not only produce a dissertation, but also create an accessible communication product for residents and clients — such as a magazine, newspaper or game. In this way, insights are shared in a manner that is understandable to a wide audience.’
This approach has an impact. Students learn to look beyond their own bubble, communicate without jargon and collaborate with people from different backgrounds. Many participants say that their perspective has changed permanently.
The power of presence in the neighbourhood
A key aspect of the Thesis Workshop is that students are physically present in The Hague Southwest. They walk through the neighbourhood, talk to residents and take part in local activities. It is precisely this physical presence that proves to be of great value.
For many residents, this level of engagement is not a given. They have often experienced ‘research fatigue’: projects where information was gathered but never fed back. As a result, new initiatives are sometimes met with suspicion.
The Thesis Workshop aims to break that pattern. Students build relationships and give something back — even whilst conducting their research. One student explains:
‘You find that residents initially think: “Here we go again with another survey”, but if you actually talk to them and follow up with them, that changes. Then it becomes a conversation rather than an interview.’
This interaction works both ways. Residents discover that students are curious and engaged. Students, in turn, encounter a reality they would otherwise be unlikely to experience.
It is important that students realise that the neighbourhood is not a ‘research area’, but people’s everyday lives. Not everyone wants to get involved — and that’s fine. But when contact is made, it must be a genuine conversation.
By maintaining a visible presence and returning with results, students and the Thesis Workshop build trust. Their role as a permanent partner in the neighbourhood is now growing.
The added value therefore lies not only in the solutions devised, but above all in the connection that is formed. The clients and residents attend the annual closing event when the students present their dissertations in round-table sessions that are open to everyone.
Collaborating with partner organisations
The Thesis Workshop also acts as a bridge between universities and partners in the wider community, such as local authorities, housing associations and welfare organisations. The collaboration begins with a practical question, which is then jointly translated into a feasible research assignment.
This translation is crucial: issues must align with both the students’ learning objectives and the client’s needs. Lecturers ensure the academic quality of the work.
An important part of the collaboration is managing expectations. This is about education, not consultancy. Students are not obliged to deliver specific results, but investigate sub-questions that organisations often do not have the capacity to address themselves.
“Students bring a fresh perspective to our challenges,” says a staff member at the Staedion housing association. “Sometimes they come up with ideas we hadn’t even thought of ourselves.”
Long-term partnerships, for example with housing associations such as Haag Wonen and Staedion, as well as with other educational institutions such as The Hague University of Applied Sciences, reinforce this effect. They have a thorough understanding of the neighbourhood and provide valuable context, whilst students contribute new perspectives and creative solutions.
It is striking that the impact lies not only in the content, but also in the form. Students develop communication products that make their findings accessible to a wide audience. This helps clients to share insights and engage in dialogue with residents and other stakeholders.
More than just education
With hundreds of students joining every year, the Thesis Workshop is growing steadily. At the same time, its core remains the same: learning, researching and collaborating in a practical setting.
The Thesis Workshop demonstrates that collaboration between education and society is not a one-way street, but a shared learning process. Students, local residents and organisations learn from one another — and work together to develop solutions and foster mutual understanding.
'The DHZW Thesis Workshop is one of the jewels in the crown of LDE’s educational offering. Education with and for the local community. I often hear from students that the Thesis Workshop’s approach has been a real eye-opener for them in terms of how to conduct research that benefits local residents. The approach in The Hague South-West is inspiring new initiatives, such as those at Erasmus University in Rotterdam’s neighbourhoods.'
Marja Verstelle, Education Project Manager at LDE Universities
What began as an experiment has grown into a permanent fixture in the neighbourhood — and into a new way of thinking about education and social impact.
