Welcome to the ESN Groningen - BI Committee GitHub organization! 🎉 Here, we’re all about helping incoming international students feel at home by connecting them with friendly local buddies. Our mission? To foster new friendships, encourage cultural exchange, and build a supportive community that feels like family from day one. 🌈🤝

The ESN Buddy Program pairs international students with local students based on shared interests, academic backgrounds, and study fields. Our aim is to create a welcoming space where newcomers can easily adapt, feel included, and connect with new friends from the get-go. Local buddies offer tips on adjusting to life in a new country, insights into the local culture 🏡, academic support 📚, and social opportunities 🎉.

Through the Buddy Program, international students have someone to answer questions, explore the city 🏙️, and join in social activities, making their experience abroad memorable and enriching. 🌟

The ESN Buddy Matcher is the main project in our GitHub organization and serves as the heart ❤️ of the Buddy Program! This system: • Matches local students with international students using criteria like shared interests, courses, and academic fields. • Builds meaningful connections that help newcomers feel at home, both academically and socially. • Provides an easy, efficient way to manage buddy pairings for institutions looking to support new students.

The Buddy Matcher repo is open for contributions! 🛠️ Whether you’re here to enhance the match quality, improve the user experience, or help meet the unique needs of our diverse community, we’re excited to have you on board. 🚀

If you’re interested in helping us build a stronger, more connected student community, we’d love to have your support on the Buddy Matcher or any projects that contribute to the Buddy Program’s mission. Check out our contribution guidelines and let’s create something amazing together! 🌍🤗