GENK - history• 19th century rural village • 1901 the discovery of coal• 1917 1988 3 coalmines• W.W.I 1960’s 4 migration flows miners• 1960 Ford Genk

industry: 3rd city in Flanders (highway, water, rail)

population: 23rd city in Belgium (# 64.000)

city structure: center - 3 garden cities – suburbia

010.00020.00030.00040.00050.00060.00070.000

Genk – history of population

64.000 inhabitants: 9% higher educated 10% unemployed 14% with other nationality (# 90) 66% Belgians with foreign origin

(50% births from Turkish/Moroccan origin) 60% T/M marriages through marriage migration 40% children in primary school: mothertongue ≠ Dutch 22% children repeat at least 1 year in primary school

GENK – some key figures 2008

GENK – some key feelings / signals

Us <-> Them (Muslims)

Segregation

‘I don’t belong here (anymore)’

Intolerance

3 objectives: equal opportunities! strong social cohesion multiculturalism = asset

essential: living together in diversity citizenship dialogue & co-creation

2009 = FASE 12009 = FASE 1

after 25 years of exemplary efforts time to talk things through with people we haven’t reached yet appointing worries and frustrations stressing everyone’s possibilities & responsabilities listing effective actions for all city actors in a new, open approach

43 challengers…

recruted on a voluntary basis

according a matrix of diversity

choose their own theme(s) and methods

recieve personal training on theme and

method invite 100 inhabitants for a good

conversation together with a professional for support &

report

The essence of every conversation:

How do we experience living in Genk today?What can I do as a citizenWhat can we do as a groupWhat can the local gouvernment do?

And thén what ? 2010: The first report: a newspaper gives an overview of the inhabitants’

priorities, suggestions & own actions

2010 - 2011: fase 2 new challengers initiate new conversations, focussing on ‘what can every citizen do to push this society forward’? leading civil servants organise debates with local actors (schools, employers, social housing,…), looking for concrete actions to achieve the main goals of ‘De Genks’

2011 - 2012: fase 3 an action programme for all city actors, with the city as an example a communication strategy to inform all inhabitants budgets for initiatives that help achieve the main goals of ‘De Genks’

STAD GENKKatrien.colson@genk.be

CHANGE DESIGNERS, Brussels

Ewoud@changedesigners.be