Team-building over tea: why we volunteer

March 21, 2026

On Friday, eleven of us who keep HLE Network running behind the scenes met at Jungle Café in Strijp for a volunteer high tea. We strengthened our team while enjoying truly delicious vegan treats.

There was plenty to talk about. It was International French Language Day and World Storytelling Day, and it was the day before the first day of spring and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Not to mention there were fresh results from the municipal elections.

During a simple pairing activity, our team members were asked to talk to their neighbor and ask which languages they speak and why they volunteer for HLE Network. The range of languages alone says a lot about our network: from Japanese to German, from Arabic to Finnish -- even Igbo and Papiamentu. There were also many different paths that brought people to our organization.

When we talked about why we volunteer, a few themes kept coming back. HLE Network events are fun, and volunteering for a network that promotes multiculturalism is a great way to meet people from different backgrounds. Some people are here because they love language and linguistics. Others because they want to help—even if it’s just one child or one family find their way to heritage language education. And for many of us, there is an important purpose. As one person put it: “I’ve experienced personally how easily the home language gets dismissed, and I want to be part of changing that.”

Thus, we offer a nice mix for those who want to offer practical help, who are curious, and who want to contribute to a worthy cause. Thanks again to these special people who give their time and energy to HLE Network!