Mental Health Meetup: Family life without a village

Theme for this event:
Family life without a village

There are so many exciting aspects of raising a family away from “home”. You get to experience a new culture through the eyes of a child, and discover a range of different attitudes and approaches to parenting. At the same time, there can be real challenges. Raising a child abroad often means doing so without the support of a village. Grandparents and extended family may not be nearby to help with last-minute childcare gaps, or simply to offer exhausted parents a much-needed break.

In this workshop, we will share our experiences of family life without a village. We will explore what an alternative village can look like, the struggles we have faced, and the pleasant surprises that can emerge along the way. You might recognise challenges such as watching your child grow up in a different culture, navigating situations where one parent’s culture is more strongly represented than the other, or trying to maintain close relationships with family members who live far away.
All of this and more will be discussed in an informal and supportive group conversation, offering space to reflect, share experiences, and learn from one another.

Context for Mental Health Meetups
In 2025, IHL conducted a survey to understand how internationals in Leuven and the surrounding areas were doing. One thing internationals mentioned they needed more of was mental health support.

So we launched Mental Health Meetups at IHL. Each month, different topics will be featured relating to mental health. The events will be hosted by mental health professionals, bringing their expertise to the international community.

These events will be in a variety of formats. Some will be informational, conversational, interactive, etc. It's a safe space to participate how you would like (active or passive).