The WeLoveBXL organization, managed by Antwerp’s Sihame El Kaouakibi, well known in Flanders for its social projects, opens its operations in the Brussels Event Brewery, former Bellevue Brasserie’s bottling workshop in Molenbeek. The initiative aims at strengthening young people’s self-esteem, in particular through art and cultural activities.
The project is supposed to help young people better identify their skills in order to give them prospects for their future, considering that “no less than one out of four young Brusselois, aged 12 to 25, lives in poverty, is unemployed, and holds no diploma whatsoever.”
“Our mission is to participate in the co-creation of a diverse, vibrant and positive community. An environment that triggers, inspires and stimulates young people in their personal development," Sihame El Kaouakibi explains.
To do this, the WeLoveBXL team, comprising Brussels project managers and coaches, will offer a number of recreational, cultural and professional workshops to Brussels teenagers. Already at the origin of Let's Go Urban and Wannawork projects, Sihame El Kaouakibi will contribute her long coaching experience, as well as her extensive network.
The project has the support of companies such as Telenet, bpost, Deloitte, Brussels Airport Company, Zabra Real Estate, and Business & Decision.
The federal government, for its part, budgeted 100,000 euros for the initiative, according to WeLoveBXL.
Activities officially begin in January, after the building’s renovation.
The Brussels Times
