From raclette on wheels and world-renowned Belgian cheese to university students making the world a better place, there's plenty to smile about this week. Here's our weekly round-up to get your weekend off to the right start.
Today's positive pick
Alongside their studies, a group of Belgian students at UCLouvain university dedicate their time to helping people with disabilities, creating fun events and even an annual festival for them in the spring.
'DeltaKap' is one of the university’s many kot-à-projet (KAP) in which flatmates work on a project together over the academic year; this particular one is committed to helping those with disabilities in the local area. 'Delta' (Δ) symbolises 'difference' in science and mathematics. This year there are 12 students participating in the project (nine flatmates, and three who live outside the kot).
DeltaKap 2023-2024. Credit: DeltaKap / Facebook
The students focus on three main areas: activities for the residents of La Cognée care home in Louvain-la-Neuve, collective academic and extra-curricular support for PEPS students with a specific profile (such as those with disabilities or disorders) and organising the Handikap Festival.
La Cognée houses adults with learning disabilities and the group goes to eat with them and organise activities every Thursday. For PEPS students, they create meeting and discussion areas, drinks, board games, among others. They also organise an annual disability festival in mid-March, with concerts and talks by people with disabilities to raise awareness.
"For the residents, I think that we bring them joy, entertainment, and experience with people other than the educators," DeltaKap co-president Félicie Tasiaux (21) told The Brussels Times.
Students partaking in activities with La Cognée residents. Credit: DeltaKap / Facebook
Alongside her Masters in population and development sciences in the field of demography, Tasiaux runs her kot-à-projet with fellow flatmate Dorian Genon. She joined two years ago and manages the administrative aspects of the project and ensures everything runs smoothly.
"The project has brought a lot to my student life; it has taught me to communicate differently, to understand that everyone has their own way of communicating and to adapt to it, especially with the residents. The residents give us a lot of love and kindness and it's a non-judgmental, pressure-free space where you can come as you are. And we look forward to Thursdays because we've made real connections with them."
'Little Louvain family'
The KAP is not just an enriching experience for those with disabilities but also for the students who run the project. Pauline Gailly (24), who participated in DeltaKap and other KAPs for several years is now working in Brussels as a French teacher. She told The Brussels Times that life in a kot-à-projet enabled her to develop essential, transferable skills and helped her professional life immensely.
"I've learnt how to keep a busy diary and meet numerous deadlines. I now know how to manage large groups, budgets, a team and organise events. All the people who crossed my path as part of these projects warmed my heart and I still think about them often."
The students also benefit enormously from the social aspect of the project, building close friendships: "It has given me the chance to get to know lots of people and make some great friends – they are 'my little Louvain family,'" Tasiaux concludes, adding that being part of a KAP is being part of a community in its own right.
To find out more about UCLouvain's student projects, see here.
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Other stories to make you smile:
1. Belgian cheesemakers win several medals at World Cheese Awards
"Everything starts with taking good care of the cows," farmer Luc Callemeyn told VRT. "At 06:00, the first thing we do is greet the cows. In the evening, we walk through the stable again to see if everything is in order." Read more here.
2. Iconic Bruges tower plays 'Friends' theme song in honour of Matthew Perry
A famous tower in Bruges played the theme tune to the hit US sitcom 'Friends' in honour of actor Matthew Perry, who died last weekend. Read more here.
3. First TV broadcast in Belgium 70 years ago today
Tuesday 31 October marked exactly 70 years since the first regular television broadcast in Belgium was aired, a historic moment which was celebrated by national television broadcasters RTBF and VRT. Read more here.
4. Brussels expo aims to lift the taboo around menstruation
The new exhibition addresses the invisibility of menstruation and its impact on everyday life. It is curated by sociologist Coralie Theys and Alice Conquand, co-founder of social innovation agency 'LUC Lab.' Read more here.
5. Bruce Springsteen returns to Werchter on 2 July
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are returning to Belgium next summer. As part of the '2024 World Tour,' they will be at the Festival Park in Werchter on Tuesday 2 July. Read more here.
6. Mayonnaise, ketchup, chocolate? Belgian chip shop presents controversial sauce
One chip shop in Belgium is going against the grain by offering a very unusual sauce with its fries: the Choclàtan sauce, allowing chip lovers to have their savoury snack accompanied with... chocolate sauce. Read more here.
7. Brussels e-shop launches raclette delivered to your door
Lovers of cheese can now enjoy raclette with ease as a local cheesemaker launches Brussels' first raclette e-shop with bike delivery service across the capital. Read more here.
