🤾🏼 Is community engagement crucial to your work? And has the covid pandemic in this sense also imposed completely new challenges to your organisation?

Are you in need of some inspiration? Would you like to exchange on your recent experiences in the field of community engagement?

Join us for our online event on “Engaging Communities in Times of Corona” on Friday the 23th of April 13:30 – 15:30, with the possibility to engage in an open discussion (15:30- 16:30).

During the "Engaging Communities in Times of Corona" event you will have the opportunity to listen to and exchange with organisations who have found creative and novel solutions. Six speakers will provide insights in how their organisations maintain their local dynamic in times of Corona. Examples will be given for both offline and online strategies that can inspire your initiative.

By learning from these experienced actors in the field we offer inspiration to enterprises, citizens, associations and local governments to engage communities in the development of sustainable transitions. And this in our contemporary challenging times.

//PROGRAM//

13:30

Welcome & Introduction

13:45-14:30

Offline strategies for community engagement in times of Corona.

- Destin Citoyen (Celine Bortels)

- Cultureghem (Anne Watthee)

- Citizen Spring (Xavier Damman & Leen Schelfthout)

14:45-15:30

Online strategies for community engagement in times of Corona.

- Endeavour (Tim De Vos)

- Participative Budget Municipality of Ixelles, Brussels (Maud Signy)

- Growfunding (Frederik Lamote)

15:30-16:00

Exchange

Graphic recording by @Silvia Draws

This event is organized by Osmos and Circularium.

About our speakers:

- Céline Bortels: Destin Citoyen is a space for citizen expression, in the form of collective intelligence workshops they work on co-creating concrete solutions towards a more sustainable and inclusive crisis management for Covid in Brussels.

- Anne Wathee: Cultureghem is a labo that looks for more quality shared space in Anderlecht (Brussels). Throughout the pandemic they make sure essentials such as food and art remain accessible to a broad and diverse audience.

- Xavier Damman & Leen Schelfthout: Citizen Spring is an incubator for starting new sustainable places in the city. In a world that needs change, they support entrepreneurs to make this change happen.

- Tim Devos: Endeavour works on setting up the right frameworks for spatial design and planning to deal with complex demographic, ecological and social challenges. The last year many of their participatory work had to be shifted to online engagement.

- Maud Signy: The municipality of Ixelles has set up a participatory budget. While society went in lockdown, citizens were able to propose and vote for their most preferred initiatives that would improve the environment, social cohesion and local economy.

- Frederik Lamote: Growfunding is a Belgian platform for civic crowdfunding. They bring people and resources together and support projects that make our society stronger and more sustainable. Especially during a global pandemic.

Silvia Draws will join us for a visual recording of the event.

The event is (digitally) hosted by Circularium. The Circularium is a 20,000m2 industrial area in Brussels that is transforming into a center of innovation and circular production.

Osmos is a design & development studio, fostering sustainable transitions. Amongst others through the organization of this online event.