Together at home in Maastricht
Refugee Project Maastricht brings refugees, students and local residents together. Together we build a community where everyone can take part, contribute and feel at home.
For more than ten years, RPM has created places where people can meet beyond labels and backgrounds. What began as a student initiative has grown into a volunteer-led community in which refugees, students and local residents learn from one another, share responsibility and turn their own ideas into action.
From initiative to community
RPM started in 2015 as a student-led project, connecting young people in Maastricht with refugees who had recently arrived in the city. The project found a home under the care of The InnBetween student chaplaincy and grew into a community of volunteers and participants organising activities together.
In 2020, RPM went through a major revision. We renewed our focus on inclusion, equality and co-creation, asking not only what we could organise for refugees, but what we could build together. This led to #flipthescript: our commitment to creating space for refugees to share their knowledge, develop their ideas and take on active and leading roles within the community.
Today, RPM continues to bring refugees, students, young people and Maastricht residents together through language learning, culture, sports, creativity, advocacy and community activities. Some people first join as participants and later become volunteers, teachers or team leaders. Everyone has something to learn—and something valuable to contribute.
We collaborate with many partners in Maastricht and beyond such as the municipality, COA, crisis shelters, Maastricht University, Zuyd University, VISTA, Trajekt, Serve the City, Stichting Wereldwijd, KCEM, Novo College, De Brug primary school, UAF, Justice & Peace, UWC and more.
Our story in 4 steps
01
Started by students
RPM began in 2015 as a student initiative responding to the arrival of refugees in Maastricht. Students built connections through personal contact and shared activities.
02
A home at The InnBetween
Under the care of The InnBetween student chaplaincy, RPM developed into a lasting community project rooted in hospitality, connection and belonging.
03
A new focus on co-creation
In 2020, RPM renewed its approach. Inclusion came to mean more than welcoming people into existing activities: refugees became active partners in shaping, organising and leading them.
04
#flipthescript
At RPM, everyone can be a learner and a teacher. Refugees, locals and students organise events, teach languages, contribute to research and communications, and take on volunteer and leadership roles.