My experience as an intern at the language market in Mechelen 26/03/2026

Written by: Meri, communication intern

Annual Language Market at the Mechelen Campus of Crescendo CVO

On Thursday, March 26, Crescendo CVO in Mechelen organized the annual language market for nearly 500 Dutch learners. The event gives non-native speakers the opportunity to practice their Dutch and engage with experts from various organizations such as the police, the fire brigade, VDAB, and many more.

Participants could take part in three workshops of their choice to improve their Dutch and meet new people.
They could choose from a variety of workshops on topics such as job searching with VDAB, volunteering, health, pregnancy, fire safety, cooking, and the recognition of a foreign diploma.

In total, 27 speakers and organizations were present to provide information and answer questions.

My experience as a communication intern

During the language market, I, Meri, helped as a communication intern at the cooking workshop. I checked whether the participants were doing well, as the recipe was in Dutch and they are still learning the language.

I was happy to help when they didn’t understand something and looked for materials if they couldn’t find them. I was also able to take photos of the participants while they were making pancakes.

I noticed that people who didn’t know each other worked in pairs and, while making pancakes, got to know each other, laughed together, and took photos and videos.

At the end of the workshop, I explained to the last group what they were going to make and how many people they could work with. At the end of the session, I handed out stamps on the participants’ cards.

It was very nice to see how active and happy the participants were. Some even offered me pancakes they had made themselves – they were very tasty!

I really enjoyed taking part in and helping with this event.

Below you can see a few photos of the cooking workshop.