General information

The Braine-L’Alleud municipality is situated on the outskirts of Brussels has been involved in a project involving 15 local authorities within the Wallon region. Its origin lies in the wish of the Wallon region to improve the statistical basis by which the region measures social cohesion within all of its 262 municipalities. The city has 38547 inhabitants. Currently, the region uses a family of statistical measures based on seven categories and eighteen variables within them. These are collected and comparisons made between all municipalities. On the basis of this data, the region makes it financial contribution to each municipality. C

Challenges

1. Family 2. Education and training 3. Promote solidarity and conviviality 4. Culture and leisure

Coordination group (Local Support Group)

In Braine-l’Alleud they were able to set up a group of twenty six people with good representation from across the public and social sectors:

The Coordination group are composed of members of:

1. Local administrations

2. Associations/ Non-Governmental Organizations dealing with nature protection and volunteering

3. Institutions who are dealing with culture and leisure

4. Volunteers

Social cohesion action plan (pilot actions)

Healthy Tuesday

This initiative which takes place at “the Resto” a multipurpose cetre which serves cheap meals and acts as youth and community club for the area. It is funded by the Department of Social Action in Brain L’Alleud and national article 60 funding gives the department the opportunity to fund community initiatives such as the resto. The initiative is an open membership club which meets every Tuesday and through discussion, play, and drama examines the interconnected issues if of food, agriculture, urbanization, co-operatives and shared gardening.

Children’s Parliament

This pilot project involves every middle school in the municipality. The students are selected by their fellow pupils. The simplified methodology enables them to focus on four different topics, namely leisure and the environment, culture, respect and solidarity and health. The children were asked to decide upon one particular action they wanted to focus on from each workshop.

Sources:

-URBACT Territories of Coresponsibility Lead Expert’s Report on Meetings in Braine-L’Alleud (December 2010) - URBACT Territories of Coresponsibility Together Final Report (October 2012) -URBACT Territories of Coresponsibility Lead Expert’s Report on Meetings TOGETHER’s Project Partners Cities (December 2010-September 2012) URBACT Territories of Coresponsibility Local Action Plan of Co-Responsibility in Braine-L’Alleud (September 2012)