Jongerenwerking

Based on talent, in dialogue with the city

Foyer Jongerenwerking is not a traditional youth centre, but a committed project that focuses on creating opportunities for children and youngsters in Brussels. Our work focuses on young people from the fifth year of primary school (around 10 years old) up to young adults who are finding their way in the professional world. We support youngsters in their transition from primary to secondary school and remain a relevant part of their lives, even after secondary education.

We strive to offer a varied and high-quality range of leisure activities in which these young people can discover themselves, make their voices heard and further develop their talents. We believe in the potential of every child, and see it as our mission to empower them so that they can take their place in society in a self-aware and active way.

Our youth work is firmly rooted in Brussels, and more specifically in the reality of a super-diverse, multilingual metropolis. We therefore actively encourage the identity development of young Brussels residents. Participation and ownership are central to everything we do.

Our work is open to all youngsters, regardless of their background. We strive to reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of Brussels in our services, our team and our way of working. Everyone should feel welcome and recognised at Foyer.

Tailored activities for different age groups

Our activities consist of different groups:

10-14 years: An introduction to our workshops, camps and group activities. We support the teenagers in their transition to secondary school and offer them space to explore their interests.
15+: These youngsters are given more autonomy, take the initiative themselves and contribute ideas about the content of projects. Some even supervise workshops from start to finish.
18+: Young adults who move on to a coaching, mentoring or supervisory role. This allows them to remain involved and pass on what they themselves have received.

Do you have questions about how we work or would you like to know how you can participate or help? Feel free to contact our team or drop by!

Contact	02/411 74 95 Werkhuizenstraat 25, 1080 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek
Contact hours Tuesday: 12h30-20h Wednesday: 10h-20h Thursday: 13h30-20h Friday: 10h30-20h Saturday: 12h30-20h	Opening hours Tuesday: 15h30-20h Wednesday: 14h-20h Thursday: 15h30-20h Friday: 15h30-20h Saturday: 14h-20h

Ateliers, projecten en kampen

We organise weekly workshops on topics such as:

Music
Theatre
Sport
Media
Circus
Art

We also offer annual projects and summer camps, each tailored to the interests and needs of the youngsters. Each workshop grows with them and is designed in consultation with them. In this way, we strengthen their self-confidence, sense of responsibility and cooperation.

Study support: Studiebox

Every week, youngsters can visit the Study Box: a quiet place where they can study, ask questions or work on schoolwork together. They are supervised by older youngsters who act as tutors and role models for the younger group. Through this peer-to-peer approach, we not only strengthen academic skills, but also solidarity within our organisation.

Sport as a lever

Sport plays a central role in our activities. For us, it is not only a means of relaxation, but also of connection, discipline and self-development. Through Foyer, many find their way to regular sports activities and sometimes even to official sports clubs.

We organise:

Weekly sports workshops, such as football, basketball, wall climbing, swimming or cycling.
Large-scale sports projects in which our youngsters work towards a unique physical challenge over the course of a year. Examples include cycling trips from Molenbeek to Amsterdam, Marseille or London, or even a triathlon from southern Spain to northern Morocco.
Sports solidarity campaigns, in which youngsters use sport to raise funds or awareness for social issues.

The BIS (Brussels Integration through Sport) project focuses on young people with a migrant background and actively involves them in the organisation of sporting activities. In this way, they develop not only their sporting skills, but also their organisational and social skills.

Various sports initiatives have grown into independent organisations, such as Molenbeek Rebels Basketball and Atlemo. We continue to work with them wherever possible.

Solidarity and global citizenship

Every year, we also set up a solidarity project: our youngsters organise activities in their neighbourhood or go abroad to help out. In the past, we have travelled to Senegal and Morocco (after the earthquake) to provide assistance or support projects on the ground. This teaches young people to take responsibility and makes them feel that they can make a difference — both close to home and far away.

We also organise exchanges with youth groups from other cities and countries. These can be national or international, but always with the aim of getting youngsters out of their comfort zone and broadening their view of the world.

Multilingualism as an asset

Our youth work is active in a multilingual context. Dutch is the base language, but youngsters also have the opportunity to practise other languages such as French and English, depending on the workshop or group. We believe that multilingualism is a strength, especially in a city like Brussels, and we try to integrate this naturally into our activities.