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Belgium-Flemish-Community

Belgium-Flemish-Community

Glossary

Last update: 28 November 2023

Glossary

Administration for youth policy: the administrative entity of the administrative services who are responsible for the implementation of youth policy. 

Ambrassade: support centre for youth work and youth information, secretariat of the Flemish Youth Council. Supported by the Flemish Government.

Better Administrative Policy: In the frame of a programme for ‘Better Administrative Policy’ the Flemish public administration has been subjected to a reform in 2006 (Flemish government, s.d.). This programme was designed to make the public administration more efficient, to make Flanders a place where people enjoy working and living.

Citizen’s Cabinet (Burgerkabinet): this is an initiative of Flemish Minister for Culture, Media, Youth and Brussels Sven Gatz. The goal of this initiative is to give people a voice and discuss cultural and youth policies. 

Commision: A commission is a group of Flemish representatives, who are specialised in a particular subject, such as education, welfare or economy. A commission has fifteen permanent members and fifteen alternates, divided according to the strength of the political groups. Commissions prepare the decrees, check the Flemish government policy (e.g. through questions or interpellations to the Minister).

Community fund (gemeentefonds): this is a source of income for local authorities. Approximately one fifth of the income of local authorities arises from this Flemish fund. The fund is divided amongst the municipalities based on different standards. Municipalities can define the allocation of the fund and can use these financial means as they see fit. It only has to be divided between the local authority and OCMW.

Community Schools: schools who have an active cooperation with other sectors to create a rich learning and living environment for children and young people.

Cross-curricular attainment target (VOET): Attainment targets are minimum goals which the government deems necessary and attainable for pupils in a certain level of education.

Division youth: the ‘Division Youth’ is embedded in the Flemish department of culture. In short, the Division Youth has five main tasks: preparation, follow-up, evaluation and implementation of legislation (e.g. the Flemish Youth Policy Plan), funding support structures, youth organisations, youth projects, youth hostels and accommodation centers, as well as municipal and provincial youth (work) policy, providing material support for youth work: e.g. the lending service for camping equipment for youth associations, providing information on youth (work) policy (e.g. via website and e-zine) and representing Flanders at international forums.

EUROSTAT: statistical organisation of the EU.

EVC policy (Eerder Verworven Competenties): Early Acquired Competences policy values competences acquired elsewhere. In other words, EVC provides the opportunity to people to have their relevant experience recognised, independently of the context they acquired these competences.  

Flemish Parliament Act or decree: Flemish Parliament Acts or Decrees are Flemish laws approved by the Flemish Parliament and are applicable to all persons in the Flemish Region, and to Flemish institutions in Brussels.

HBSC: Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children.

JoKER (Child and Youth effects report): it is an impact study of new legislation directly affecting the interests of children. This specifies that any draft Act affecting the people under the age of 25 and submitted to the Flemish parliament has to be accompanied by a report regarding its impact on children and youth. By decree of July 18, 2008 (decree on the conduct of a Flemish youth and children's rights policy the child impact report (KER) has been extended to a child and youth impact report (JoKER).

National Youth Associations: these are associations engaged in youth work covering the entire Flemish Community. An association can be recognised as a National Youth Association if it offers a sufficiently large range of activities: such as support for local youth associations, an own range of activities for young people, training for youth workers, products specifically for youth work – or a combination of the above. Recognised National Youth Associations receive funding for their operational costs and can apply for additional project subsidies.

Point of contact: all bodies of the Flemish government have to appoint one staff member as the contact point for the youth policy. These Contact Persons assess the impact of the regular policy activities of their departments on youth and children.  

Political youth movement: is a membership association of persons up to thirty years old, which encourages young people to take up active citizenship and that sensitizes and develops young people in view of their participation in political decision-making, in the operation of a particular political party and in public debate.

Primary education: Primary education in Flanders comprises both pre-school education and primary education.

Youth: The Flemish Community formally defines 'youth' as the group of children and young people up to and including the age of 30.

Youth ambassadors: Youth ambassadors of the Flemish Youth Council are young people who think about social themes and represent the Flemish youth in the Flemish policy.

Youth and children’s rights policy: the comprehensive and integrated vision and a government’s resulting systemic and plan-based measures which aim to have a perceptible effect on youth, with a special focus on children’s rights, as moral and legal framework.

Youth Paragraph: The youth paragraph is an effect report preceding a decision. It is a policy tool that assesses certain municipal decisions on child-friendliness.

Youth Progress Report: a scientific report, to be produced every five years, describing the state of the youth in the Flemish community.

Youth Research Platform (JOP): JOP is an interdisciplinary and interuniversity partnership of three research groups: (1) Research group Tempus Omnia Revelat (Vrije Universiteit Brussel); (2) Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy (Ghent University); (3) Youth Criminology research group (LINC, KU Leuven).

Youth sector: youth associations subsidised by the Flemish Parliament Act of 20 January 2012 on conducting a renewed policy on youth and children's rights.

Youth work: socio-cultural work based on noncommercial purposes by or for young people of three to thirty years, during leisure time, with educational guidance and to promote the general and integral development of the young people who participate in it on a voluntarily basis.

Youth worker: any person who takes responsibility in youth work and who has verifiable experience, or makes efforts in the area of education and training in relation to youth (work).