Society is on fire. That is why we create intermediate spaces: away from quick opinions and classical contradictions, with room for personal stories, experiences, and social responsibilities.
Let's talk H.O.P.E.
How do we organize hope for young people in a city and society that are becoming increasingly complex? Starting from the book 'Kind van de vier seizoenen' by Don Pandzou, a conversation arises about growing up in super-diverse Brussels, shaping your identity within it, the role of education as a place of encounter, growth, and emancipation, the responsibility of politics, and how young people themselves can be given space to shape their city and society. Joining the table:
Lieselotte Van Heukelom is General Director of Welfare, Health, and Family at Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie. She has extensive experience in social work and youth welfare as a youth worker, streetcorner worker, and trajectory counselor at organizations including JES vzw and Circus Zonder Handen.
Ilyas Mouani grew up in the model housing estate in Laeken. As a teenager, he was active at Foyer vzw and JES vzw, after which he became head monitor at VGC playgrounds and chairman of the VGC Youth Council. He founded Nakama vzw, became a manager at Kinepolis, and now defends the opportunities, future, and social position of young people as a member of the Brussels Parliament.
Thomas de Vos (Erasmushogeschool Brussel) is a lecturer, streetcorner worker, pragmatic dreamer, and doubting critic. As an urbanite, he is committed to people who want to realize their talents and dreams, especially those who are all too often overlooked in our society.
x YOUNG B.
Horna Masanka is an Antwerp-based artist, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Born in Kinshasa and raised on Linkeroever, alongside his own musical career he is actively committed at the intersection of music, youth, and social development. With his latest album H.O.P.E., he amplifies the voice of Don Moussa Pandzou.
About 'Kind van de vier seizoenen'
Don Pandzou wrote his personal story: the flight from Congolese Brazzaville to Belgium, squares, gangs, and police, boarding school, his trajectory as a youth worker, activist, and later even advisor to a minister. He is a child of the four seasons and no longer wants to introduce himself with just one of his many sub-identities. "I am a house full of stories, just tell me which story you want to hear." In his book, he tells some of those stories, with a rare perspective in Dutch-language literature, because they are the stories of people who are rarely granted a voice.
Practical info
19:30: doors
20:00 - 21:30: Let's talk H.O.P.E.
21:30: Bar & book sale