Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – At the Ghent Festivities, 120 newcomers volunteer through Compagnie Cordial. Minister Hilde Crevits supports the project with €930,000 to boost integration across 8 Belgian cities.
As VRT News reported, at the Ghent Festivities, 120 non-Dutch-speaking newcomers are volunteers. They shared that the process of planning for volunteer engagement at the Ghent Festivals was initiated with Compagnie Cordial, a non-profit organisation which works to help people new to Belgium.
They started this work at the Ghent Festival many years ago. After that, the project continued to develop and is now available in 7 other cities as well. People involved with the program explained that newcomers could volunteer and help out at events, meet people, and learn Dutch in context.
“Volunteering is important for learning the language and connecting people,”
Says Farah Laporte of the non-profit organisation.
“That could be at a residential care centre, but also at an event like the Ghent Festivities. This year, volunteers were deployed at Boomtown on the Kouter, and volunteers are also working at Bataclan in Sint-Bavo.”
What role does volunteering play in helping newcomers integrate?
Flemish Minister of Integration and Civic Participation, Hilde Crevits (CD&V), has shown strong support for Compagnie Cordial. She gave the group a subsidy of €930,000. The minister visited the volunteers during the Ghent Festivities. She talked with them and saw how the project helps people.
After talking with the volunteers, Minister Hilde Crevits said it is very important to involve women in volunteer work. She said that women should feel confident to step out and take part in society. The government is also working to support this.
According to the minister, volunteering can change people in a good way. It helps them help others, but it also helps them grow as a person.
“If you volunteer here for just one week, you become a new person, more caring toward others,”
She said.
Many people in the project say it has helped their lives. One person came to Belgium 9 years ago. Someone told them to try volunteering. They started helping at events. This helped them learn Dutch faster. Later, they got an internship. After that, they found a job.
Compagnie Cordial says this happens often. Volunteering helps people move forward. It gives them hope and new chances. He mentioned that at the Ghent Festivities, newcomers help make the event better. It also helps them feel welcome.
