– Villa Veerkracht –

Villa Veerkracht is a new pre-OKAN phase organised by Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen in collaboration with DON Bosco Brussels that wants to prepare young people who are illiterate or have literacy problems for the OKAN process. The young people in this phase have had no or very little time at school and could not even go to school for a long time due their circumstances and the long waiting lists for OKAN.

They are offered a fixed, daily routine, the opportunity to escape their social isolation, to make social contacts, learn the language and become more resilient. This occurs with friendly mentoring by specialised teachers and volunteers, giving them the time to prepare step by step for learning. This trial phase started up on 1 February 2023 and was immediately widely approved.

Like at La Petite Ecole, there is great focus on the well-being of these young people by giving their emotions and traumas a place and offering them aids to deal with them. This occurs by means of creative activities, discussions, rest and helping them build their confidence.

This phase wants to function as an example for other schools in Flanders and Brussels with regard to preparing these young people for their school careers using this new approach.

The Joseph Schepers – Germaine Lijnen fund has also agreed to offer Villa Veerkracht financial and other support for an initial period of three years.