CoNnect Brussels, this is us!

Newcomers settling in Brussels find themselves in a complex metropolitan reality. 
In addition to their desire to find their way in the tangle of rights, duties and customs, they encounter numerous challenges associated with stress, 
uncertainty and a sense of vulnerability. Fortunately, there is a rich array of projects and organisations responding to these needs. Yet social networking and actual participation in the Dutch-speaking Brussels community remains a major challenge for many, and 
certainly for the most vulnerable.
This project proposal takes a reverse approach: instead of offering anything, 
we ask newcomers what they, from their own family context,
;ulture, interests and talents, would like to share with Brussels society. Here, we recognise the 
reality of transnational families and start from the strength of the person integrating, rather than from their request for help. The central theme is 'the family', as 
recognisable and connecting thread.

Together with the Huis van het Kind Anderlecht and Bachelor students in Family Sciences from Odisee 
Hogeschool, we will use the principles of human-centred design to look for ways in which 
newcomers can express what is important to them. We are working with 
language-transcending methodologies - such as
;ulinary, musical, visual and narrative forms - that culminate in a touring 
performance/exhibition in the Brussels Dutch-speaking network (N- network). In this way 
newcomers themselves take the floor and reach out to their fellow citizens.
The natives build bridges among themselves (bonding), and with the broader society (bridging), but 
also with all kinds of organisations, professionals and the
students (linking). This has a binding and empowering effect. The final product - the 
performance/exhibition - not only gives visibility to their story, but also a sense 
of recognition and mutual respect.