How Umeå University Made Its Buddy Programme Easier to Manage Through Goin'

Hear from Umeå University

We spoke with Gwen King, International Coordinator at Umeå University, about how the university brought its Buddy Programme into Goin', the changes it has made for students and staff, and what the team has learned during its first semester.

Watch the conversation below

Why Umeå University Brought Its Buddy Programme into Goin'

Umeå University's Buddy Programme helps international students settle into university life in Sweden through activities and support from experienced students.

Each semester, the university typically organises 16 to 20 buddy groups, each with approximately 30 to 40 international students and 8 to 12 buddies. These buddies, usually Swedish students or international students who have studied at Umeå for several years, organise weekly or biweekly activities to help newcomers meet people and explore their new surroundings.

Coordinating these groups requires a lot of communication, and for Gwen, who supports the Buddy Coordinator at the International Office, that had become increasingly complicated.

The university previously relied on several social media platforms, emails and newsletters to communicate with students. Some of its largest international student groups, particularly those from Germany and France, weren't using the same platforms as everyone else.

"We previously used another platform, but we realized that a lot of our students from our larger countries, our larger demographic countries, weren't using that platform."

As a result, the Buddy Coordinator often had to share the same information across several channels to make sure everyone received it.

Having used Goin' to connect international students since 2022, the team saw an opportunity to simplify the process.

"All of our international students are already in the Goin' community. Why don't we introduce the buddies into Goin and use the private chat function as our buddy chats?"

With that idea, Umeå began bringing its Buddy Programme into a community that incoming students were already familiar with.

One Platform for Buddy Groups, Events and Announcements

For the autumn 2026 semester, Umeå created 18 private buddy group chats in Goin', giving each group its own space to communicate and organise activities.

Buddies use these chats to announce events, coordinate attendance and share updates. For example, when organising an international dinner, they can post the event details, pin the message and ask students to react if they're attending.

Afterwards, students often share photos from their activities through links in their group chats.

"They have an event, they post about it, they all seem excited about it, and then they gather all the photos taken at the event and reshare them linked via the Goin' group."

Alongside the private groups, Umeå created a dedicated announcement channel where only the Buddy Coordinators can post. Students can react to announcements, but replies are disabled to keep important information easy to find.

"The feed becomes a lot less cluttered. So it's a lot cleaner, smoother communication."

The university continues to use emails and newsletters for official communication, while Goin' serves as the central platform for Buddy Programme conversations, activities and announcements.

Easier Communication for Students and Staff

Bringing the Buddy Programme into Goin' has already made a difference for both students and university staff.

Previously, the Buddy Coordinator had to manage multiple social media platforms and repeat announcements across different channels to reach everyone. Having communication in one place has made the programme easier to coordinate.

For Gwen, this has been one of the biggest improvements.

"So now by using only one, it's made the buddy coordinator's job a lot easier as well."

International students have also responded positively to the change. Instead of following conversations across different platforms, they can now find their buddy groups, upcoming activities and announcements in one familiar community.

"The buddy program has now streamlined everything into one app. So our international students are really, really loving it."

The response is also reflected in how the groups are being used. Gwen describes an active community where students respond to event invitations, discuss upcoming activities and share their experiences afterwards. University staff have been very positive about the new approach, although some buddies are still getting accustomed to using Goin'.

For Umeå, the first semester has demonstrated how bringing the Buddy Programme into an existing student community can simplify coordination while making it easier for international students to stay informed and involved.

A Safer Environment for Student Communication

Beyond simplifying communication, Gwen highlighted another important benefit of moving the Buddy Programme away from traditional social media.

"Using a social media platform is good. It fulfills a purpose, but you lose the safety aspect of it."

Through Goin', Umeå has access to moderation processes, community guidelines, and a dedicated support team. Students agree to the platform's rules when creating an account, helping establish expectations around appropriate behaviour.

For Gwen, having an established relationship with Goin' and knowing there is a team available when issues arise provides additional reassurance.

"It feels a lot safer, and it feels a lot more controlled. So that's been a really, really big benefit of moving."

This was an important consideration for a programme built around student interaction, particularly when bringing together international students and buddies across multiple groups.

Learning What Works in the First Semester.

Although the initial response has been positive, Gwen recognises that introducing a new communication approach takes time, particularly for buddies who weren't previously using Goin'.

"We're all learning. The first semester is about testing, seeing what works, and coming up with improvements, seeing what [Goin’] can do, seeing what we can do better."

The university is using this first semester to collect feedback, address technical issues and identify ways to make the experience easier for students and buddies.

Importantly, the decision to introduce Goin' wasn't made without involving the people who would use it. Before making the change, Gwen discussed the idea with her team, who suggested asking current students whether they were happy with the existing communication channels and open to trying something different.

The response was overwhelmingly positive.

With support from the Buddy Coordinator and students, Umeå worked with Goin's Customer Success team to explore how the programme could be accommodated within the platform.

Gwen particularly appreciated the guidance from JT and Ryan throughout the process.

"The fact that it's an established platform with very, very competent staff members, that really helps."

For universities considering a similar approach, her advice is simple:

"I would say to just test it."

Building on a Student Community Since 2022

Although the Buddy Programme integration is new, Umeå University's experience with Goin' goes back to 2022. Gwen was involved from the beginning as one of the university's first student ambassadors on the platform.

During the Swedish summer break, when university offices often have reduced availability, she spent a few hours each day answering incoming students' questions about accommodation, schedules and everyday life in Umeå. She believes this helped reduce the number of questions reaching the university's central help desk and email inboxes at the beginning of the semester.

Later, when Gwen became the Buddy Coordinator herself, she noticed students were contacting her through Goin', email and multiple social media platforms about the programme.

"It was a bit difficult for me as well to keep a track of who asked what question and where."

That experience helped inspire the idea of bringing the Buddy Programme into Goin'. Over the years, the wider student community has also grown to include groups around shared interests, including running, gaming, Dungeons & Dragons, sewing and LGBTQI students.

"There's something for everyone on the platform. And if there isn't, they just simply create a new group and then other people can join."

For incoming students, these communities offer opportunities to meet people and build friendships before arriving in Sweden.

The Value of Knowing Someone Before You Arrive

For Gwen, one experience from an international student arrival day in autumn 2023 captures why these early connections matter.

It was around 8 PM when the final student arrived. Many supermarkets were already closing, so Gwen asked whether she needed help finding somewhere to buy food.

The student told her there was no need.

"Don't worry, on Goin' I've already found my flatmates. They've made dinner for me. I'm gonna meet them now tonight."

The student hadn't even arrived at her accommodation, but she already had people waiting to welcome her.

It's a story Gwen still remembers when talking about the importance of student community.

"They already have friendship groups or they've already made some connections before they set foot in Umeå. So it feels like such a safety net for them."

With the Buddy Programme now part of that same community, Umeå can build on the friendships students make before arrival and help them continue connecting through organised activities once they're there.

For the university, bringing the programme into Goin' has made communication easier to manage. For students, it means having one familiar place to find their buddy group, discover activities and stay connected throughout their experience.

About Goin'

Goin' is a friendship and community platform for higher education, helping universities strengthen student recruitment, engagement and retention with little additional effort from their teams. By connecting prospective and admitted students with their peers, Goin' helps students build friendships, find answers and feel more confident about their decision to enrol.

Universities gain insight into student engagement and concerns, while students support and connect with each other throughout their journey. The result is stronger conversion, belonging and retention, without adding significant workload for university staff.