“Nown” is a contraction of the English terms “now” and “own” which express, respectively, temporality and belonging. “Nown,” it’s your Brussels, here and now. Through simple photos, we can learn much more about the different ways of living in Brussels.

Through this photography project, a dozen local people, refugees and asylum seekers capture the atmosphere of Brussels and their daily lives. The goal is to discover different ways of understanding the city in order to better reunite with it.

It is therefore a project that aims to improve living together by creating a collective dynamic that tends to develop the individual abilities of each person through creative processes.

In January 2019, the project started under the initiative of 4 women (Sara, Marine, Philippine and Chloé) with the creation of a photo workshop. The unique task was photographing their daily lives in Brussels.

A group of volunteers was quickly formed with about ten people who wanted to share their daily lives in Brussels. They work with disposable cameras and notebooks to record photo descriptions in their language.

Around October, the various photographs will be exhibited exclusively at the Recyclart. That’s why, a month ago, they organized  a crowdfunding in order to make this exhibition possible and they have reached the necessary amount.

This project deconstructs each human journey to reconstruct common visions and realities. The goal is to develop important collective objectives of sharing and social cohesion, but also to meet the needs of security, belonging, self-esteem and self-accomplishment by making each participant an actor in the project and a trigger for his or her own creativity.

If you want to discover more about this project, don’t hesitate to visit their Facebook page.

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The Saint-Gilliculteurs project is part of the 2017-2020 City Policy Program, managed by the CVU (Urban Vegetation Cell) and the city’s Politics Department. 

The aim is to revitalize public spaces.

This project aims to :

• support green projects, in close collaboration with the citizens through the Saint-Gilliculteurs Animation project
• socio-professional integration of people

With the help of the citizens they are creating micro-gardens at the foot of the trees in the commune. They are also organizing collective planting sessions.

Besides the health benefits, by planting plants all around, the commune looks even more welcoming.

La commune de Saint Gilles a ouvert un local 100% dédié à la végétalisation urbain ! 😍 👍👍👍#saintgilliculteurs #vegetalisation #greencity #sprouttobebrussels #BUFM https://t.co/T5F63IjMCx pic.twitter.com/Bu4iqrIY6k

— Agriculture urbaine (@argiurbaine) August 9, 2018

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How should such a scheme work, in practice? How much support should be given? How should recipients be chosen? How can the scheme be flexible and reactive – yet fair and transparent?

These are some of the questions that i-Portunes aims to answer, by testing a small-scale mobility scheme with 500 persons. The results of this pilot project will be key in shaping a new action in the Creative Europe programme, 2021-2027.

Between April and September 2019, i-Portunes will issue three calls to fund the mobility of individual artists and culture professionals of all ages, nationalities, educational qualifications and levels of experience from countries participating in the Creative Europe programme. In order to achieve a critical mass, this pilot project will focus on two sectors: the Performing Arts and the Visual Arts.

Which are the Creative Europe countries?

All EU Member States and also Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo ^*, Norway, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tunisia and Ukraine

For full details on this pilot mobility scheme visit www.i-portunes.eu as of 15 April 2019.

i-Portunes is implemented on behalf of the European Commission by Goethe Institut, in consortium with the Institut français, Izolyatsia and Nida Art Colony of Vilnius Academy of Arts.

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Once the three finalists in each category have been selected by the public, a jury of professionals from the Brussels tourist scene will select the overall winners of the 2019 awards. In choosing the winners, the jury will pay particular attention to the following criteria: the impact made by the nominees on tourism in Brussels, their international promotion, their originality, their sustainability as well as their accessibility to persons of limited mobility.

The winners will be announced and the awards made at the visit.brussels Awards & Networking Night, on 4 April 2019.

The eight categories that will be put to the public vote are:

• EVENING EXPERIENCE 2018
  A concept that has contributed to the richness of evenings in Brussels.
• MOST NOTED EXHIBITION 2018
  A major exhibition that has enhanced the cultural and tourist prestige of Brussels.

• INTERNATIONAL EVENT 2018
  A major event or international show organised in Brussels for the general public.
• BEST GASTRONOMIC CONCEPT 2018
  Gastronomic activity, event or concept that has enriched the Brussels’ tourist offering. (HORECA establishments will be judged in the vote on their concept and not on the quality of their food or service)
• NEW EVENT & TOURIST LOCATION 2018
  Opening or renovation of a location that is vital for Brussels’ image as a place for tourism and events.

• HOTEL NEWCOMER 2018
  New concept, innovation or renovation in the Brussels hotel world.
• PUBLIC INITIATIVE 2018:
  Initiative by a public entity or similar (parastatal organisations, any of the 19 communes, regional agencies, etc.) that has contributed to the promotion of tourism in the Brussels-Capital Region.

• UNEXPECTED & ORIGINAL CONCEPT 2018
  Innovative, original project contributing to the tourist image of Brussels, with the concept not fitting into any other category.

A separate category to be voted on by the jury only:

• INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS & FAIR 2018:
  A congress or major international event organised in Brussels for professionals.

The post The public decides – Visit.brussels invites people to choose the best contribution to the promotion of Brussels appeared first on Brussels Express.

This 1 ^st December a red ribbon, symbol of solidarity with people living with HIV, illuminate the buildings at night (from 17 to 23 hours). For the first time, this event will take place simultaneously in five Belgian cities:

• Antwerp: City Hall
• Ghent: Vooruit Art Center
• Liège: opposite Liège-Guillemins railway station
• Charleroi: Shopping Rive Gauche
• Brussels: Brussels Central Station.

The red ribbon is the universal symbol of the fight against HIV. It will be distributed in these five places. To wear it is to publicize your rejection of any form of discrimination against HIV-positive people.

A great festive event in the Brussels pedestrian

For the second consecutive year, rendez-vous is given in the pedestrian boulevard Anspach, near the Stock Exchange, the heart of the « Winter Pleasures » for a great festive event.

° 18h: Todiefor’s DJ Set

From 18h, the young Brussels Luca Pecoraro aka Todiefor will make you dance with his well-remixed and his own compositions as « Beautiful » and « Cool Kids », single funky collaborated by the famous duo rappers Caballero & JeanJass.

° From 14h to 19h30: information and animations

→ Information booths, red ribbons and condom distribution.

→ Rapid HIV tests, anonymous and free, with immediate results.

→ A bowling against HIV and STIs in a giant condom open to all … from 7 to 77 years!

→ A photo booth that will invite you to participate in the « Zero Discrimination » challenge to collect as many photos of hands forming a zero.

→ But also jugglers of fire, music and many other animations for young and old …

Where to get his free red ribbon?

The red ribbon is available in 18 places in Brussels:

The 30/11:

• Brussels SNCB
  Brussels-Central stations (7h-12h)
  Brussels-Midi (7h-12h)
  Brussels-North (7h-12h)
  Brussels-Luxembourg (7h-10h30)
  Brussels-Schuman (7h-10h30)
• STIB metro stations:
  Yser (11h-14h)
  Namur Gate (11h-14h)
  Midi Station (7h-9h30)
• ULB (11 am-4pm)
• Slaughterhouse Anderlecht (8h-14h)
• Place Flagey (11h to 18h)
• Matonge Gallery (11h-14h)
• National Forest (18: 30-20: 30)

01/12:

• Winter Fun (mobile team from 14h to 19h)
• Docks (11h-16)
• Jims Fitness (1 pm-4.30pm):
  Evere
  Meiser
  Porte de Namur
  Anderlecht

The complete map of the distribution points in Brussels and Wallonia is available on the site and the Facebook of the AIDS Prevention Platform: https://preventionsida.org and https://fr-fr.facebook.com/preventionsida/

The Zero Discrimination Project

The Zero Discrimination project will also be launched.  Zero Discrimination is the challenge of collecting as many photos of zero hands as anyone living with HIV has the right to a life without discrimination.

It’s a small, simple gesture, but essential at a time when stigma and the rejection of HIV-positive people persist in everyday life. These discriminations are most often related to misinformation and the fear of being infected.
Yet, an HIV-positive person with an undetectable viral load through his or her treatment no longer transmits HIV.

 

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🎬 Découvrez le deuxième spot TV de la nouvelle campagne de la Plate-Forme Prévention Sida « L’exclusion reste une réalité. Pourtant, une personne séropositive ayant une charge virale indétectable grâce à son traitement ne transmet plus le VIH. »

A post shared by Plate-Forme Prevention Sida (@prevention_sida) on Nov 26, 2018 at 7:48am PST

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As such, a group of local residents -Comité Plateau de la Grappe- has mobilized in a neighborhood committee to try to convince the public authorities to reconsider their project.

Despite the unfavorable opinion of Monuments and Sites expressed during a consultation meeting and a petition of more than 1300 signatures opposing the project, the planning permission was still issued.

The next step in their action for the quality of life in the neighborhood takes the form of an action for annulment before the Council of State. As this would require financial costs up to 10.000 euros, the committee has opened a funding account to seek financial support. On their Go Fund Me campaign they have stated numerous disadvantages arising from this project, including, but not limited to, the felling of 78 trees.

So far, Comité Plateau de la Grappe  has managed to raise 1,535 Euros in 6 days.

The post Residents mobilize to stop the destruction of a green area in Forest, Brussels appeared first on Brussels Express.

Reports have shown that the peak of burglaries is when the days are shorter. Considering that winter is approaching and as we prepare to switch our clocks to winter time, this was the ideal time to start the campaign.  Therefore, the implementation of the prevention campaign « One day without burglaries » has begun on Monday, 22 and will last until October, 28.

The goal of the campaign is to inform the population about prevention actions they could take to reduce the risk of having one’s house or apartment burglarized.

The post One day without: A campaign to reduce the high number of burglaries in Brussels appeared first on Brussels Express.

The Meyboom tradition consists in planting each year on August 9th a beech tree at the intersection of the rue des Sables and rue du Marais. The ceremony is accompanied by processions and various folk activities during the day.

Under the Processional Giants and Dragons of Belgium and France, the Meyboom of Brussels was inscribed on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2008

Like Saint-Josse and Brussels, Schaerbeek is closely linked to this Brussels folklore. Everyone has a very specific role for the planting to unfold.

The Meyboom plantation was held for its 710th time!

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Since Molenbeek was put on the map at the international level in November 2015 by the aprehension of terror suspect Salah Abdeslam, many social and cultural initiatives have sprung up, alongside projects to stimulate job creation and creativity and the urban renewal of the Rive Gauche of Brussels.

While the nature of these projects and target audiences differ, what unites most of them is an attempt to reflect the diversity of a municipality, in which 28% of the population is foreign. They seek to create connections between the inhabitants of Molenbeek, as well as with those coming from the other 18 municipalities of the Brussels Capital Region.

These project’s funding comes through public and private financing, at both local and regional level. Some of the funding began already before 2015, while some has been subsequently given. In any case, a little over two years after its international exposure, the social, cultural, economic and urbanistic reality of Molenbeek is constantly undergoing change.

Just last week, the platform MolenGeek was recognized as 2017 ‘Bruxellois’ of the year, in the economic category. Launched in 2015, as a project incubator and training centre for digital technologies, it offers realistic hope for the neighbourhood’s youth.

The European Institutions have also sought to involve Molenbeek in some of their actions. For example, the Spanish writer and journalist Jordi Sebastià, in his role as former MEP, has organized poetry readings on a number of occasions in honour of the Valencian poet Vicent Andrés Estellés. The idea is to bring the work of a working-class poet to a working-class neighbourhood.

The concert-hall VK and its roster of international artists boosts the arrival of non-locals to Comte de Flandre, as does the weekly organic market, which takes place every Wednesday. Found in Molenbeek, an organisation started by a local collective of advertisers, uncovers unknown places in the municipality, in order to counter its negative image in the media.

In the Quai des Charbonnages, a giant sailboat seems to plough through the waters of the canal. Meanwhile, Le Phare du Kanaal, resembles a lighthouse. In 2015, Hanna Bonnier, founder and proprietor, set up this meeting space between entrepreneurs and freelancers from all over Europe. It helps to promote diversity and European identity and has become a key player in Molenbeek, through its collaborations with local organisations such as the Maison des Cultures et de la Cohésion Sociale.

Not far from Le Phare, in Molenbeek’s main square, Brass’Art Digitaal Café was inaugurated last year, as a café and urban artistic laboratory. In the Quartier Maritime, after leaving behind the area known as historic Molenbeek, is the Centre Communautaire Maritime, housed in an old L’Oréal factory, opposite one belonging to the Bacardi-Martini group. It plays host to the second edition of the film festival Molen Zinnema, designed to help local residents discover hidden corners of their streets through the art of cinema.

Molenbeek’s profile – Institut Bruxellois de Statistique et d’Analyse (IBSA)

• 95.576 inhabitants
• 5,9 km2 (4% of the territory of Brussels-Capital Region)
• More than a quarter of the population is under 18 and the average age is 35. Molenbeek is thus one of the youngest municipalities in the Brussels Capital Region.
• 28% of the population is of foreign nationality
• Morrocan citizens make up the majority of the populations followed by Romanians. Slightly less than a third are from EU 15 countries
• It is one of the poorest municipalities in the region. Many inhabitants are on low income or receive financial support
• The employment rate is lower than the regional average, particularly for women.
• 62% of the 60,060 people of working age (15-64 years) are active in the labour market in Molenbeek

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