The Real Reason I Started Girls Leuven It Up

The neat version is that I saw a gap in Leuven and decided to start a social club.

That makes it sound much more strategic than it was.

The real starting point was frustration.

There were plenty of women in Leuven. There were plenty of things happening. Somehow, it was still difficult to find the people to do them with.

Living somewhere is not the same as having a life there

I moved to Leuven in 2024.

I knew how to get around. I had work, routines and places I liked. On paper, I lived here.

Socially, it was less straightforward.

This was not because Leuven had nothing to offer. The opposite was true.

There were cafés, summer bars, classes, exhibitions, festivals and small local venues. There were also new people arriving all the time for work, study, relationships and all the other reasons people end up starting again somewhere.

The problem was that most social life seemed to depend on already having a social life.

You heard about plans through friends. You attended things because someone invited you. You discovered places because a person you already knew suggested going.

When you did not yet have that circle, even a busy city could feel strangely closed.

I wanted more than another group chat

Starting an online group is easy.

Everyone introduces themselves. There are dozens of messages about interests, ages, jobs and how long people have lived in Leuven.

People say, “We should all meet.”

A few days later, nobody has chosen a date.

Or the chat becomes so active that the actual plans disappear between recommendations, questions and conversations about things that have nothing to do with meeting.

I did not want to create another place where people talked endlessly about doing something.

I wanted the something to already be planned.

A date. A venue. An activity. A reason to leave the house.

Social plans, sorted.

The first event was a test

Girls Leuven It Up launched on 6 June 2026 at Vanni Coffee & Tea.

It was not backed by a company or organised by a large team.

It was me, an idea and a fairly intense amount of preparation for something I was not sure anybody would want.

People did want it.

Women came alone. Some had recently moved to Leuven. Others had lived here for years and found that making new friends had not become any easier with time.

There were women who looked completely comfortable and women who later admitted they had almost cancelled.

That first event confirmed something I had suspected.

A lot of people were not lacking the desire to connect. They were lacking an easy first step.

It was never only about organising events

Events are the obvious part of GLIU.

They are what you see on Instagram and the calendar. The picnic, Pilates class, comedy night, book social, workshop or drinks.

But the event itself is only a few hours.

What matters more is what happens around it.

Someone sees the same face for a second time.

Two women realise they live near each other.

A person who arrived alone leaves with someone’s number.

People arrange coffee without waiting for me to put it on the calendar.

That is the part that turns a programme of events into a community.

I cannot force it to happen. Neither can a perfectly planned icebreaker or seating arrangement.

I can make it less awkward to begin.

Why the activities are all different

I never wanted GLIU to become one repeated format.

Not everybody wants to meet over drinks. Not everybody enjoys a workshop. Some people prefer small groups. Others feel more comfortable when the room is busy and there is less pressure on each conversation.

The events are varied because the women attending are varied.

Some are creative. Some are sporty. Some want relaxed plans. Some want to try things they would never book alone.

The activity gives everyone a reason to be there, but it also removes some of the pressure.

It is easier to speak when your entire purpose is not “I have come here to make friends.”

You can talk about the game, the class, the book, the comedian or the thing you are attempting to paint.

Friendship can enter through the side door.

There is one person behind it

GLIU started in June 2026 and it is still very new.

There is no hidden team answering messages, negotiating with venues, making visuals, buying supplies and handling registrations.

At the moment, that person is me.

I am learning what works while doing it. Some events will be better than others. Some systems will need changing. The community is growing faster than I expected, which is exciting and occasionally chaotic.

I would rather be honest about that than present GLIU as a polished organisation that appeared overnight.

It started because one person decided to make the first plan.

It grows every time somebody else decides to show up.

The real reason

I started Girls Leuven It Up because connection should not rely completely on luck.

You should not need an existing group before you can enjoy the city where you live.

You should not have to wait for the perfect person to invite you somewhere.

You should be able to arrive alone without being treated like the only person who did.

GLIU cannot promise that everybody will find a best friend.

That would be ridiculous.

Not every event will suit every woman. Not every conversation will become something more.

What it can offer is a place to start.

Sometimes people do not need a grand solution to loneliness or adult friendship.

They need a plan they can join and somebody to say hello when they arrive.

That is why I started it.