Now that the cafes remain closed alongside the social distancing rules and ban on assembly, all student parties and cantuses have been cancelled. To make sure that Brussels busling student life does not die a slow death, four students of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels have set up an online community where students can stay in touch and digital cantuses are hosted. Hundreds of students have already joined the Discord community.
The online community "Digital student society" was founded mid-March by Carlo Giovanni Giudice, Gide Van Cappel, Matthias Masscheleyn and Anke Wijgaerts on Discord. Discord is a free Skype-esque platform that makes it easy for larger groups to chat online or host virtual events. After their very succesful launch last thursday with over 90 participants, they decided to make the digital cantus a recurring event. Students will be able to sing and have a drink together each thurday at 8 PM. The founding students are trying to increase the capacity of the platform, so that more and more students can join in on the fun.
A remedy for isolation
The students plan on using this online community for more than a weekly party, for them it is also a way to stay connected through chat and online games. They also use the Discord group to share tips to get through the ongoing quarantine or to stay fit in times of corona. “Digital student society” already has over 600 members, consisting of VUB students from various programmes and VUB alumni.
“The founding of this blossoming online communit ywas the wild but genius idea of one of our fellow students. He suggested that we organise our beloved cantuses through digital means now that we cannot meet in person. One thing leads to another and in just a few weeks our Discord group has grown into one of the most important communication channels for VUB students. A couple of students have already let us know that they feel less alone thanks to this online initiative. This shows us that we have reached our goal: bringing students comfort and a sense of togetherness in these strange times”, says co-founder Gide Van Cappel.