In the week of June 18th until June 20th approximately 25 prospective students have followed the VOBESS course organized by RCN Study Financing. The course consisted of two parts.
One part was on how to live independently and the other an orientation course. During the course on how to live independently attention was placed on theory as well as practice. For example, the importance of a good meal and what a good meal consists of. Afterwards the theory was brought into practice and cooking took place in the kitchen at the Bonaire Comprehensive School (Scholengemeenschap Bonaire). Going shopping with a limited budget was also part of the programme.
VOBESS is the abbreviation of Voorbereiding BES Studenten (Preparation BES students), a course which is for students who will be going to study in The Netherlands this coming school year.
During the orientation course attention was paid to among others social emotional skills, budgeting and knowledge of The Netherlands. A panel was also present comprising former students who have studied in The Netherlands and are now working on Bonaire and a student from Bonaire who is presently pursuing her studies in The Netherlands and is following an internship on Bonaire. The panel members shared their experiences of studying in the Netherlands which has produced many useful tips for the prospective students.
In the week of June 25 until June 29th de VOBESS takes place on Saba and St. Eustatius. Students who will be accompanied to the Netherlands depart on Sunday July 29th.