Support for Creativity in Brussels: Sophie Clerfayt and Scan-R win the Creative Bruxsels Prize
Brussels buzzes with cultural diversity and ideas, and in the streets of Brussels, innovative and creative initiatives emerge in various domains. The Creative Bruxsels Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, is committed to supporting projects led by individuals, groups, or communities within the Brussels-Capital Region.
An independent jury selects a laureate from all project submissions, providing financial support to further develop their project. Innovative and creative projects contributing to the common good, social cohesion, or bringing citizens closer together are given priority. The jury also pays special attention to originality, innovation, and the butterfly effect generated by these initiatives, highlighting the unique characteristics of the people of Brussels.
Two Prize winners
Sophie Clerfayt believes that each street reflects the cultural diversity of a neighborhood. For her, the language of the other should no longer be a barrier but rather a playful game. She collects sound recordings of spoken languages on the streets and disseminates these poetic creations in the form of podcasts, testifying to the cultural richness present in every corner of the city. Residents meet through a street ambassador (an artist) and a sound artist, exploring each other's culture through language.
The idea behind Scan-R is that giving young people, especially the most excluded, a pen, ballpoint pen, pencil, or keyboard is better than giving them pebbles... A pebble breaks, destroys, damages, or stumbles. Writing, on the other hand, enables people to tell their story, to confide in others, to imagine and design new paths, which are not new dreams but a new reality. This project is about society and social prevention. The Scan-R team has dreamed enough and is now moving forward with the youth.
Transitioning from dream to reality also means exploring new paths. That's why Scan-R opts for an educational and media-focused system. Educational because they offer writing workshops to organisations that bring young people together (youth centers, prisons, schools, psychiatric hospitals, school counseling services, etc.). These workshops are led by an animator and a journalist. Finally, they also provide media attention because the texts written during these workshops are often published on the Scan-R website or on that of their partners.
Both laureates, Sophie Clerfayt and Scan-R, receive €5,000 each to develop their projects in Brussels. The ceremony for the presentation of the Creative Bruxsels Prizes took place on 13 March 2024, where they were honoured by the co-founder of the Fund, Haroun Atila.
On March 28, a new project call will be launched, allowing other innovative and creative initiatives to present themselves. Applications can be submitted until June 28, 2024, and the laureate will be announced at the end of the year, with the award ceremony scheduled for 2025.