First five-yearly anniversary master’s programme Child Law celebrated
On the evening of 11 September 2017, the first five-yearly anniversary of the master’s programme Child Law (Jeugdrecht) was celebrated.
The programme opened its doors to Dutch students for the first time five years ago. Today, nearly 150 alumni have received their diplomas in Child Law. Every year 50 students are selected to start the programme. The number of applications for admittance to the programme continues to rise yearly. This year, the programme is honored to have welcomed another class of 50 keen students to its curriculum. The students come from all over the country; nearly half of this year’s class comes from places outside Leiden.
During the celebration the students and alumni were at the center of attention. The Dean of Leiden Law School, Prof. Joanne van der Leun, and founder of the programme Prof. Mariëlle Bruning, opened the celebration by looking back at the first five years of the programme. Prof. Ybo Buruma, judge of the Dutch Supreme Court, commemorated the anniversary with a speech about ‘the good judge and child law’. A fascinating current theme upon which great attention was focused during the past five years of the programme. Thijs Hannema, a student of the programme, performed cabaret by putting Child Law in a comical perspective.
Moreover, a film and website were launched, featuring alumni of the programme speaking about their experiences with the master’s programme, its relevance for their current careers, the student association for Child Law and the alumni association for Child Law.
In all, it was a festive evening. Leiden University is proud of the success of the master’s programme and looks forward to its next five-years anniversary.