The municipality of Rotterdam took the lead by actively bringing parties together. This was deliberately done through personal contact rather than digital invitations, which increased trust and willingness to collaborate. The approach stood out because it involved not only talking about students, but talking with students. By involving them as equal discussion partners, an approach emerged that was better aligned with their experiences.
According to Gino Cornelius (Antes) and Geert Bruinen (municipality of Rotterdam), the success was mainly due to the equal collaboration between the various stakeholders, in which people did not simply communicate information but listened. The result is a broadly supported and effective approach that has now been documented in a guide. This guide serves as a reference for other municipalities, while allowing room for local adaptations.
The approach has since been adopted in cities such as Nijmegen, Amsterdam and Utrecht. Important lessons from Rotterdam are: start with accessible contact, be positive towards students, involve all parties at an early stage, and connect policy with practice and science. The guide is available free of charge to municipalities and institutions that want to start working on alcohol and drug prevention among students themselves.
Download the guide for alcohol here.
Download the guide for drugs here.
Source: Trimbos Institute.