Mission
Every child and youngster has a right to different artistic expressions in function of their own cultural development. Therefore, ASSITEJ Belgium will develop, enrich, stimulate and promote Belgian performing arts for young audiences.
ASSITEJ Belgium will improve Belgian performing arts for young audiences, in a quickly changing international context, with a focus on (inter)national collaborations in performing arts, where the richness of the differences between the artistic partners can uplift the work in the own local context.
ASSITEJ Belgium explicitly works in a Belgian framework, bringing together the Flemish, the French speaking and the German speaking communities.
Aims
Belgian professionals of performing arts for young audiences have decided to connect, to exchange and to stimulate collaboration between the performing arts for young audiences from the three cultural communities in Belgium.
1. Assitej Belgium supports and improves existing (inter)national collaborations, and shares them in an (inter)national context. Assitej Belgium gives people the opportunity to learn about the work of colleagues from other countries and cultures, thus enabling them to enrich theatre for children and young people in their own country.
2. Assitej Belgium challenges the artistic partners in the performing arts for young audiences to cross mental and concrete borders. We establish and support international networks that work on a multinational basis on different aspects of artistic work for young audiences, to increase the artistic competence of the artists.
3. Assitej Belgium creates and supports an academic, philosophical, political and social context where performing arts for young audiences can find their proper place in society. We defend the right of children and young people to artistic experiences especially designed and created for them.
Board 2015-2017
For the first two years, the board of ASSITEJ BELGIUM consisted of the initiators, with Gerhard Verfaillie as president: Yannick Boudeau – Compagnie de la Casquette (treasurer), Marijke De Moor – Kunstenpunt / Flanders Arts Institute (secretary), Johan De Smet – KOPERGIETERY, Zita Epenge – Theater De Spiegel (treasurer), Roger Hilgers – Agora Theater, Veerle Kerckhoven – BRONKS, Pierre Lambotte – Théâtre de la Guimbarde, Séverine Latour – Wallonie-Bruxelles Théâtre/Danse, Vincent Raoult – les Pieds dans le Vent, Tom Rummens – HETPALEIS, Ditte Van Brempt – Théâtre de la Galafronie, Karel Van Ransbeeck – Theater De Spiegel and Gerhard Verfaillie – Krokusfestival (president).
Every organization / individual becoming a member of ASSITEJ BELGIUM is automatically part of the general assembly and has the right to vote. Every two years, the general assembly chooses a new board. The board then chooses a president. Board members can only be re-elected twice. We think we can keep the organization fresh and dynamic this way.
Current board members 2019-2021
Elected by the general assembly of 11 June 2019:
- Yannick Boudeau (Compagnie de la Casquette) – President
- Gino Coomans (BRONKS)
- Peter De Bie (Laika)
- Marijke De Moor (Kunstenpunt / Flanders Arts Institute) – Secretary
- Stef De Paepe (DE MAAN)
- Johan De Smet (KOPERGIETERY)
- Zita Epenge (Theater De Spiegel)
- Roger Hilgers (AGORA Theater)
- Cali Kroonen (La montagne magique)
- Véronique Laheyne (Wallonie-Bruxelles Théâtre/Danse)
- Steve Piens (4Hoog)
- Julie Praet (La Roseraie)
- Vincent Raoult (Les Pieds dans le Vent)
- Gaëtane Reginster (Théâtre de la Guimbarde)
- Stéphanie Mangez (La Tête à l’Envers)
- Julie Verdickt (hetpaleis)