Young people and the police: building mutual understanding

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1 September 2026

A good relationship between young people and the police starts with getting to know and understand one another. That is why Foyer has been working with the BruWest police zone for several years on creating opportunities for dialogue, encounters and mutual understanding.

From 23 September 2026, the project will continue. Every third Wednesday of the month, new recruits from the BruWest police zone will visit the MigratieMuseumMigration. During these meetings, the police officers visit the museum and learn about the history of migration and the social context of Brussels and Molenbeek. They then take part in discussions with Foyer’s educational staff.

The discussions focus, among other things, on young people, their everyday realities and the ways in which young people and the police interact. Foyer’s youth workers share their experience of working with young people and discuss with the recruits how they can better understand young people’s realities, ways of communicating and perspectives. The conversations also provide an opportunity to reflect on how mutual trust can be built and strengthened.

These meetings are part of a long-term project that began in 2025. It is deliberately a long-term process: getting to know one another, sharing experiences and creating space for open dialogue takes time. By meeting regularly, Foyer hopes to contribute to better understanding between young people and the police.

The project also takes shape beyond these discussions. Young people and police officers have come together through sports activities, including a badminton session with mixed teams. Sport provides an informal setting in which participants can get to know each other in a different way.

The Mixed Relay on 12 September 2026 is another concrete example of this approach. During this sporting event, young people and police officers form teams together and take part in a relay race. Here too, the aim is not only sport, but above all meeting one another, working together and building connections.

In August 2026, the project also took on an international dimension, with an exchange between young people from Belgium and Montréal focusing on relationships between young people and the police. By bringing together experiences and perspectives from different contexts, young people and professionals have the opportunity to continue reflecting on trust, cooperation and mutual understanding.

Through this project, Foyer wants to continue investing in sustainable relationships between young people and the police. It is a long-term process, and one that we hope will bear fruit over time.

 

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