– Drammen is a large city with many opportunities. Therefore, the students in Drammen need a student house to gather in, says leader of the Drammen Student Association, Cornelia Viken.

– Yes, it will be much easier to meet like-minded people and create a community for the students in Drammen across age and subjects when we have our own meeting point, Christine confirms Surname and role.

The two girls are students in Drammen and have been active in Studentsamfunnet i Drammen (student society) since 2019 (Christine) and spring 2021 (Cornelia). It is Studentsamfunnet i Drammen that will run the bar and event business in the student house, and the goal is to open in January 2023.

The student house can be used all day

In addition to the fact that the student house will be THE place where you can attend typical events from the community or the line associations, with evening activities such as quiz, game night, concert etc., the student house will also be a place where you can hang out during the day, with the possibility of playing table tennis and billiards. All the voluntary organisations may use the building as their meeting point, and there will be offices for both Studentsamfunnet (the student society) and Studentdemokratiet (student democracy) in Drammen.

- There will be workspaces for students here, so that you can use the student house actively throughout the day. Here you can sit and read, gather the colloquium group and maybe meet other students than those you usually meet in your class, Christine says.

Opening party for the students in Drammen

Right now, the two committed students are working on getting agreements in place to run the bar. Suppliers of both food and drink are organized, but the liquor grant must be in place for the bar to be a success. The goal is to open at the end of January 2023 with a opening party for the students in Drammen.

– We want to throw a big party, perhaps with a bigger name on the poster, says Christine.
At the same time, she encourages all her fellow students in Drammen to seize the chance to among lots of other things, help plan the opening party with them, by contributing as volunteers.

– Without volunteers it is not possible. We are completely dependent on more people signing up and wanting to help run the student house together with us. The more people who are involved, the easier it will be for all of us, when the tasks can be distributed among several people, Cornelia points out.

Lots of benefits as a volunteer at the student house

- As a volunteer, you can get quite a lot back, even if it is not paid work, says Cornelia, who is concerned that everyone who joins in pulling the load should get something extra, such as VIP prizes and their own volunteer parties as a result of their commitment. In addition to the perks, Cornelia and Christine mention a number of other good reasons to get involved as a volunteer in the student community:

• The social aspect! Community with other students and potentially new friendships.

• New experiences and knowledge.

• "Gold" on your CV. You also get a certificate, useful for future jobs.

Create a network by volunteering

Gitte Olesen Anderberg is SSN's advisor for student relations at Campus Drammen, and is particularly concerned about how important it is to get involved as a student:

– There are many good reasons to get involved as a volunteer! When I was a student abroad, it was voluntary work that made me some of my closest student friends. It was simply a ticket to new friendships! But, I also learned something new by gaining insight into how an organization can function, and that is certainly useful in further working life. In addition, it feels good to be able to help and contribute on platforms that promote students' lives directly. Student life is not just about having your nose in a book, it's also about creating a network that can make the time you spend on campus fun and meaningful! Being a voluntary contributes to just that.