Goodbye Crossroads
April 4, 2011 20 Comments
Dear Crossroads readers and writers,
I am sorry to inform you that the publication of Crossroads is being discontinued until further notice, due to end of external funding.
On behalf of the European Journalism Centre, I would like to thank you all for your interest and contributions to our magazine for the past ten years and hope this is only a temporary goodbye.
Best wishes,
Sueli Brodin
Crossroads editor
What a pity…
This is a huge blow to the international community in Maastricht . . . if there is anything I can do to help crossroads back on its feet, please let me know!
Oh no Sueli! This is such bad news! Let me know if I can be of help…
Is there a possibility for a private funding? You have many readers, maybe there is a chance that it can be financed in a different way…
Thank you for your enormous effort anyway, Sueli!
Dear Sueli and all contributors/creators of Crossroads,
What a crying shame about the loss of funding for crossroads magazine!!. It was an important resource for our community of expats in Maastricht. I for one, and everyone I know here, will sincerely miss it and hope that some funding will be forthcoming in the future.
With sadness and thanks for your past work,
Catherine Copeland
UWCM
Is there some possibility for EU money for Crossroads – so many people throughout the Euregio depend on it for useful information, and for links to both local and international events. This is really a blow.
I am truly shocked.Is there a possibility of adding a DONATE buttion to the site. There is money out there. If everyone contributed something it must be possible to continue.
.
Please make the donate button not only credit cards… simply i dont have one! . IDEAL , paypal + credits cards especially the gold cards
I just came across your website today whilst browsing the web. Actually I wanted to read more about what happening in Maastricht since it’s a longtime Ive been there. I was a student at the Faculty of Health Sciences at UM, and was doing the MPH programme in the academic year 1999/2000. I am surprised that Crossroads magazine was in existence, since whilst I was there ten years ago one could only get news written only in Dutch. It comes as shock to me that Crossroads is now closing down. Cant there be something done to stop this from happening. Oh by the way, I live in Swaziland, in the southern part of Africa.
Crossroads is such an important publication for the region! And for those not currently living in Maastricht who want to keep up on what’s going on. I support the idea of a donate button on the site. Let us know if there’s anything that can be done to ask for a restoration of funding.
@Duma from Swaziland !!! welcome back .
@Becky I agree.
I have just totalled the most viewed figures which comes to 393,588 suppose everyone donate 1 euro = 393,588 euros. Some would donate more , some less .
I have only come across the online magazine myself . Regarding Sueli , she replied to a email I sent, this encouraged me to come out of my self imposed exile and I am ever grateful to her.
Maastricht is bidding to be the city of culture for the future of Maastricht we need this magazine. Maastricht after all a global village this is something the local and international people passed and present should be proud of and must be willing to offer their support 1 euro is less than buying a beer.
What a shame! This would constitute a huge loss to the expat community in Maastricht, to grassroots journalism and to everyone interested in what is going on in the region! Hopefully there will be a way to keep up the good works of Crossroads!
Hi Sueli,
This is a very very bad news. I was so sad to hear the bad news about our favourite webmagazine for expats closing down, but at the same time I was so glad to see the comments to the news posted on the site.
Crossroads was a brilliant initiative and a very valid tool to help expats connect! Can’t we start a fundraising to keep the site going?
So many people are willing to provide private funding to the site, I think you should really consider this option, I am up for it too!
It was an incredible source of ideas and initiatives for expats, the site must be kept on running, I hope we can find a way to achieve this!
A Facebook group maybe could also help, but definitely the donate button would be a good way to start!
Hope to hear soon that Crossroads is back, for the moment I send you my best wishes for good luck and thank you again for all the support you gave me with my articles!
Take care,
Claudia
Dear all,
Our heartfelt thanks for your messages of support, online and offline. Your comments and testimonials are the best demonstration that Crossroads is a much valued resource in the region.
I will continue publishing your reactions. It’s the least I can do. And hopefully something positive will come out of our efforts.
Best regards,
Sueli Brodin
Crossroads editor
[...] niet echt gehoord en dus heeft zijn zoektocht naar financiering gestaakt. Op de site staat nu een vriendelijk slotwoord en dank aan alle schrijvers en bezoekers. De verontwaardiging in de expat- en studentengemeenschap [...]
Sueli,
I’ve just seen the notice concerning the discontinuation of Crossroads’ publication. Allow me to echo the hordes of commentators who say how large of a loss this is. You’ve clearly done a stand-up job as editor, bringing important resources and perspective to a thriving area. I do hope that something can be arranged for Crossroads to continue. Please keep me abreast of future efforts.
Thanks for all that you’ve done and continue to do for ex-pats. It has made such an important difference, and I for one will be forever grateful.
Warm Wishes from Aachen,
Luisa Maria
The news of no more Crossroads was a real blow. I remember when I was accepted at Maastricht University and I knew so little about the Netherlands. Crossroads helped me understand this city in ways I myself had not expected. Losing this resource will undoubtedly affect future efforts of integration. There are so many insular communities here, and Crossroads was one of the only strong bridges between them.
I am really sad.
Maybe together we can start a public campaign and do fundraising to raise awareness about this issue..
This is sad news and I would like to thank Sueli for giving me the opportunity to express my own stories here on this website over the years. I have enjoyed writing for the website and reading it as well and am dejected that a source of comfort for me and so many others here is taken away from us. I would like to think though that this is just a minor setback and we will all ‘see’ each other in another online forum soon.
Given the emphasis by the Maastricht Gemeente on the International Desk, the investment in the UWC school and all the other attempts to bring and keep an international community here in Limburg, this is indeed a serious blow.
It is exactly this sort of forum that helps ex-pats over-come the culture shock and sense of loss that so often accompanies moving country and makes the process of integrating in whatever way so much easier and the experience so much better and the wish to stay and attract other like minded people so much higher.
Hoping that these comments encourage other sponsors to come forward.
Sueli,
It’s a real pity. What I think will suffer a lot through this loss is the link between the student world and the Maastricht resident community, which your work with Crossroads helped strengthening. And it was a great opportunity for young journalists to learn the art of the job… Hopefully something else will fill that vacuum. I’m sure you’ll inform me about ways to keep Crossroads’ legacy alive.
If anyone is still stopping by, we’ve got a petition going to support Crossroads. Go sign it: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/friendscrossroadsmag