Tilburg Young Academy gives a voice to the new generation

TYA Vice-President Anne Lafarre and member Carla De Pietro are happy to share their ambitions and experiences. David: “The Tilburg Young Academy hopes to support academic staff in the career stage before they truly start becoming ‘part of the establishment’. For many people this is a challenging time in which they have to combine many different tasks in their work as well as in their personal lives. We want to provide a platform where people can share their experiences and worries, and where we can make a difference for the current generation of young academics.”

Keep them on their toes

Changing values are at the basis of all the activities conducted by the TYA. Carla: “For example, the organization of the family has changed very much. Most of the time, both partners work. The role that both men and women play in society has changed as well. The work environment does not yet fully take these changes into consideration.”

“This is also a matter of safety, diversity and inclusion,” adds Anne. “Teamwork and soft skills are becoming more important. However, we still work in a very competitive framework that is largely based on individual scores, which is not always optimal. TYA wants to advocate an atmosphere of cooperation, teamwork and support. In this regard, we keep an eye on university policy including, for instance, the implementation of Recognition & Rewards. Do they practice what they preach? We want to keep them on their toes.”

What would you change?

From its inception in 2020, the TYA initiative was embraced by the university’s Executive Board. David: “We started with twelve members who were selected by the Deans and Vice-Deans. Funny thing is they selected the first members almost exclusively based on research achievements. In terms of cultural background, basically they recruited younger versions of themselves. Same background and on the same career track.” Anne: “Of course, this was not done intentionally. But the process showed that there is work to be done to increase diversity. Nowadays, we try to achieve that by recruiting new members ourselves, and pose them the question: if you were the Rector Magnificus of this university, what would you change? Their answers really show what great ideas there are and that there is still a lot to be done. Our generation cares a lot about sustainability, inclusion and workplace safety.”

When we first started, it became clear that more needs to be done to increase diversity

Listen to quiet people

To get more voices heard is more easily said than done. Diversity is a complex matter and what it actually means is not always clearly defined. “Biases are common and hard to tackle,” says Carla. “If we really want to achieve diversity, in first instance we need to recognize diversity. At Tilburg University many different backgrounds are represented, but this diversity is not fully recognized. For example, for some colleagues - sometimes also because of their cultural background - it is more difficult to be outspoken. This does not mean that they do not have good ideas. It is also up to us to learn to listen to them. It is important to raise awareness about diversity. Role models are certainly important in this respect, but also training is needed.”  

Break down invisible walls

Anne: “Indeed, we feel people in leadership positions should focus more on diversity and receive training in this respect. This also means realizing that different people act differently and that many roads lead to Rome. To achieve this we also need to break down the invisible walls between Schools and Departments. Embrace other voices, share experiences and find common ground.”

We feel people in leadership positions should focus more on diversity and receive training in this respect

Pushing for real change

In its two years of existence, the Tilburg Young Academy has been involved in many different committees on important policy decisions within Tilburg University. For example, regarding the strategic plan, Recognition & Rewards and the recent internal survey that included questions on social safety in the work place. David: “We feel our involvement is necessary to initiate change from within. This is why we are grateful that the university’s Executive Board actively supports our network.” Carla: “We have periodic meetings with the Rector. This direct connection with him is very important in order to have our ideas and values represented.”  

Why join the TYA?

David: “For me, TYA is all about meeting people with completely different backgrounds. Also, it is a key source of new initiatives where you get the opportunity to carry out your ideas. For example, we are working on a community garden where students and staff alike can informally meet, talk and grow plants, vegetables and flowers. There is also so much support from the Divisions at our university for this plan and help us execute it. When you reach out, it is possible to develop positive initiatives at Tilburg University.” Carla: “What I like most is knowing that so many people share the same ideas and passions. And being a foreigner, to me this is a great way to meet very interesting people.” Anne: “For me it is all about the support. A body within the university that protects the interests of young scholars. I wished it had been around when I was a PhD and still finding my way. It feels good that we can now be those role models for young academics.”

More information

The Tilburg Young Academy network is growing and is open to new members and new ideas. If you want to know more about the TYA Agenda or events, check out the website or follow it on Twitter @YaTilburg.

Date of publication: 11 July 2022