About TINT
Our pillars
Identity is about embracing who you are and nurturing personal growth. Resilience, ownership, and emotional well-being are important aspects of a student’s journey. On one hand, it is important to understand how one’s values and backgrounds shape one’s unique identity. On the other hand, there’s great value in understanding and respecting the value of the diverse identities of the people around us. We aim to empower students to feel confident in expressing their true selves, ultimately helping them to answer the fundamental question:
Who am I?
Life Questions reflect our quest for inspiration and spiritual fulfillment. The success of education does not only lie in the education itself. Students are developing themselves in all areas, which goes hand in hand with life questions. Many questions arise, such as: How does my career define me? How would I like to contribute to society? What path do I want to take? What role do I want spirituality to play in my life? We encourage the exploration of the meaning of life, belief, and the deeper questions that shape our existence. Here, individuals are invited to broaden their horizons and engage in discussions that promote a greater understanding of life’s purpose.
Community serves as the backbone of our collective experience. It’s important to create a safe space by focusing on social safety, compassion, and meaningful connections. We want to support the student community with their inclusivity, to make everyone feel valued and heard. Our goal is to make the student community a place where all students feel welcome, in all groups and associations.
By bringing together these three pillars, we aim to support you in your self-reflection, build genuine friendships, embrace the richness of diversity, and find out what you want your purpose in life to be. At the heart of TINT lies our ultimate aspiration: for all students to be happy in life and make a difference in the world through our shared efforts and unique contributions.
Our values
Inspiration is the driving fource of your life; finding what gives you joy and energy. It can come from all kinds of sources; from the people around you, the challenges you encounter, or perhaps from the realm of spirituality.
TINT believes that finding your purpose in life and being openminded can help to find your place and way in the world.
An often vulnerable topic, but with the safe space we provide at TINT we guide students in creating more self-awareness and teach them the art of living.
We help, contribute to, and care for the student life of Eindhoven, because we believe it is important to be there for each other.
TINT provides a welcoming meeting place for all students of Eindhoven to provide the possibility to feel part of a community and create a feeling of belonging. Almost all our events are collaborations with different organisations at the TU/e.
Meet the team
Margit van Tuijl
Life coach
Because of my passion for life questions I decided to study theology and follow courses in philosophy, psychology and spiritual care.
In 2013 I moved to Eindhoven to start working at TINT as a life coach for students. To guide people on their life path is a great source of inspiration to me.
So if you’re struggling with personal issues and you feel like talking about it with someone in confidence, you’re welcome to contact me!
Marja Ernst
Life coach
I studied Mechanical Engineering and Innovation Studies at TU/e and even did my PhD and a post-doc project here. Later, I also did a Master in Religious Studies and specialized in spiritual counseling.
As a life coach I accompany you on a small part of your life path: I think nothing is too strange to talk about.
Feel free to contact me, your story -big or small- matters!
Kimberly Drabbels
Program manager
I studied Industrial Design at the TU/e.
I'm in charge of keeping the team running smoothly. I love to provide structure, network with new parties, and work on graphic designs.
My goal is to support people in improving their mental well-being and personal growth. So, what better place to do that than at TINT?
Clara Gazzi Foresti
Event organizer
I am a master student in the built environment.
I am looking forward to organizing events to help our community explore self-discovery and personal growth. This is exciting for me because I enjoy learning more about myself and the variety of people around us.
I hope to meet some of you at our upcoming events!
Anne-Wil van den Heuvel
Event organizer
I'm currently pursuing my master’s in Industrial and Applied Mathematics at TU/e, along with some courses in Philosophy in Nijmegen.
After collaborating with TINT through FISO and Ichthus, I'm thrilled to officially have joined the TINT team! I have a passion for organizing events, especially those that support student growth and help build a strong, connected community.
Network
TINT is part of a wide network of students, student associations, student support organizations, partner organizations, educational institutions, and the local and regional network in which our students find themselves. In this way, we stay in touch of what is going on around us, can give advice where needed, and can easily collaborate in organizing events.
TINT falls under the umbrella called FISO. FISO is the umbrella representing internationalisation, inclusivity and well-being for students in Eindhoven. Together with FISO or associations within FISO, we host all kinds of events.
TINT is a member of the Wellbeing Chain of the TU/e. The goal of the Wellbeing Chain is to improve communication and collaboration between various TU/e parties (both staff and students) that support student well-being.
A brief history
Did you know that TINT is almost as old as the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e)?
Although it might come as a surprise, TINT has Christian roots back from the 1950s that over the years developed into an inclusive, international, and multi-religious organization. At TINT, students from different backgrounds find a safe place and inspiration to explore their personal development, life questions, and spirituality.
Let us tell you how it all began...
In 1957, a student chaplaincy was developed for Christian students to come together, meet each other and pray at De Kapel, in the city center. From there, a network of different Christian communities was formed. It was called the Eindhoven Studentenkerk (Eindhoven Student Church), or ESK for short. Over the years, ESK became a space for religious students who did not feel at home in more traditional churches, slowly transforming ESK into a more open religious community.
Within this increasingly heterogeneous group, two different needs emerged: 1) students who needed support and a safe place to explore their life questions and personal development, and 2) all-inclusive believers who were looking for more unity and harmony between different Christian beliefs. Therefore, the ESK decided to divide the efforts between TINT and 'De Kapel', respectively, to attend to those needs. From that moment onwards, TINT was created and evolved into an organization that supports religious and non-religious students with their life questions. TINT has provided a modern style of pastoral care focused on emotional, social, and spiritual support through life coaching to students from over 90 nationalities with various religious, cultural, and spiritual backgrounds. Moreover, TINT has organized workshops, events, and other gatherings to support the student community in Eindhoven.
Currently, TINT is present at the TU/e campus, in the Atlas Building. Over the years, TINT has often been asked by staff to collaborate and provide advice on student well-being and integration and, also, student associations' boards have been requesting group workshops on interpersonal relationships to empower them to help their peers. Our work to empower students has been very effective. After guiding religious and spiritual associations within the umbrella organization Credo, students expressed that the need to have a wider umbrella organization that would also represent other aspects of life such as diversity, internationality, and identity as a whole. Therefore, TINT was involved in the creation of the umbrella organisation FISO and keeps doing what does best: empoweringstudents to develop their identities and prospected place in this world with confidence.
As TINT is ever-evolving, just like the Eindhoven student community, our aim is always to listen to the students' needs and provide support with personal development and life questions related to the philosophy of life, meaning, spirituality and identity.
Recommendations
"In the past year I got to know the TINT organization and its employees better. A passionate organization within the TU Eindhoven within which students are given the space to further develop themselves on a personal level and to establish contact with each other. How important this is for students is shown over and over again, but even more so in this strange period. How do you maintain contact with each other? How do you find balance between mostly online education and social life in a student city? Many students with questions also seek support in this. Support that can be found via TINT. I am happy with the warm contact I have built up with Arantja Rosalina and Margit van Tuijl and my place as a coach on their website."
~ Annelies Hovestad, Study counselor and career coach
"TINT is a low threshold organisation with easy access. As a cross-cultural trainer, I was asked to give a talk on ' knowing the Dutch ways' an intorduction to the Dutch culture in a light manner. The setting was cosy and informal and the member of the organisation is friendly and helpful. Really enjoyed working together with Tint."
~ Kirtika van Hunen, Intercultural coach
"TINT team is super active and communicative. I was invited as a speaker and I loved the whole process right from starting discussion to finally executing the workshop. The venue is also well equipped with state of arts seating and presentation arrangements. I loved it!"
~ Piyush Modi, Visual Storytelling Trainer
"There's nothing better than exchanging ideas or learning something new about the world while getting to know new people from all kind of backgrounds. Things get even better when nice food is involved 😃. Really inspiring and mind-opening events; having a nice time is guaranteed."
~ Alberto Tuzzi, TU/e student
Annual Reports / Jaarverslagen
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019