À Fonds digs deep to support enterprising young Brusselaars

Recent years have seen more and more government initiatives aimed at harnessing citizens’ creativity for the common good. One politician is taking this strategy a step further with a programme that gives young people a voice in civic life.

Last month, Brussels minister and Flemish Community Commission (VGC) board member Pascal Smet inaugurated À Fonds, a public fund that rewards enterprising youngsters with subsidies of up to €3,000 for their social and cultural proposals. With an annual budget of €28,000, the programme will help launch several grassroots projects this year.

Smet’s target audience, young people aged 12 to 26, are at the cusp of adulthood, when creativity flows freely but experience and opportunity aren’t nearly as forthcoming. Youngsters don’t find themselves in positions of civic authority nor are they granted private loans to pursue their projects. À Fonds gives these young dreamers the support they need to make their dreams real.

Anyone can apply so long as they are within the age range, working independently of professional institutions and willing to share their experience with others. Project criteria are relatively open-ended too, but all prospective projects must be organised for and by young people and have some kind of link to Brussels.

Candidates are reviewed by a mixed jury that includes VGC staff as well as youngsters who live and work in the world that À Fonds seeks to enrich. Smet intends this to be a truly participatory initiative.

A no-brainer

The inauguration of À Fonds was itself a perfect example of collaboration between youth and government. The programme’s logo and promotional artwork are the fruit of an open call to young artists. It was 23-year-old artist Sil De Boeck who got the job.

“This shows that the fund is really there for and thanks to youngsters,” says Smet’s spokesperson, Lore Vandoorne.

De Boeck will continue his participation by pitching another artistic project to À Fonds. In the meantime the Luca design graduate’s four colourful prints – representing scholarship, art, sport and camaraderie –can be seen at schools across the capital and even on beer mats in several Brussels pubs.

“Youngsters get all kinds of ideas while they’re at the cafe,” says VGC youth co-ordinator Neal Raes. “We left enough space to jot them down for later use.”

De Boeck didn’t just contribute images, however. The young designer also gave the programme its name. “À Fonds” is admittedly a curious title for a Flemish Community project – it can refer to a fund and also means to do something thoroughly – but De Boeck insists it was a no-brainer.

“The expression came to mind immediately,” he says. “It’s a French saying, yes, but it’s been adopted by the Flemish community here. This kind of fusion has become typical in Brussels. The young generation doesn’t think in terms of language categories anymore.”

Projects need not be artistic like De Boeck’s. À Fonds encourages youngsters to pursue their passions, be they sport, science, technology, politics, mobility, architecture or animal welfare. The sky’s the limit. By allowing these youngsters to spread their wings, Smet predicts that the programme will benefit Brussels residents young and old.

“The city is a laboratory,” says Smet. “We shouldn’t underestimate the collective wisdom and experience of its citizens. Some of these experiments may fail but that’s natural. Young people should be able to make mistakes and learn from them.”

Photo: A young Brusselaar at the launch of À Fonds, by Raissa Vandamme