Vivant à Bruxelles et alentours depuis plus de 10 ans, mes deux enfants y sont nés et y vont à l’école. C’est devenu notre « chez nous ». Notamment pour son volet multiculturel.
L’aspect multiculturel de Bruxelles est l’une des nombreuses richesses de la cité, bien souvent mis en avant par les femmes et hommes politiques qui animent le territoire. Cette caractéristique si précieuse se doit d’être (enfin !) représentée au niveau démocratique.
Vivo a Bruxelles da più di 20 anni con la mia compagna tedesca e i nostri 3 figli, nati e cresciuti qui. Bruxelles è la nostra città; in questa città così multiculturale ci sentiamo a casa. E ancora di più ora da quando ho lanciato la mia nuova attività a Ixelles, una libreria Europea multilingue.
Vorrei fare sentire di più la mia voce a Bruxelles ma il mio voto è limitato al comune dove vivo, Uccle. Ciò non ha alcun senso. Bruxelles è l’unica capitale europea dove non si può votare per il governo della propria città. Sono convinto che si debba cambiare.
Founding Member.
Arrivé il y a bientôt 20 pour débuter ma carrière professionnelle dédiée à l’Europe et pour finir un doctorat à l’ULB, au final je ne suis jamais reparti. J’ai été séduit par le cosmopolitisme bruxellois, l’ouverture d’esprit et la richesse culturelle de ses habitants. Mes enfants sont nés à Bruxelles, et je me suis aussi engagé en politique locale car j’avais envie d’être acteur du changement. Sans voix, citoyen de seconde zone et pourtant bruxellois à part entière, je voudrais aussi pouvoir m’investir pour ma ville-Région notamment sur les enjeux de qualité de l’air, de mobilité, d’enseignement, de protection du patrimoine, de stimulation de l’économie !
Founding Member.
I came to Brussels for 6 months and never left. I’ve lived in 4 different communes and loved the diversity of each. My 2 children were born here and attend a Belgian school. Brussels has a lot to offer, but there is much we can improve. We need to work together across communes, at city-region level, to tackle issues such as mobility and air quality, to build a coherent vision for our shared urban space with more kid-friendly spaces and better accessibility for people with disabilities. By getting involved at local level, I’ve seen how small actions can lead to big change. But I can only become truly engaged when I have the right to vote.
Founding Member.
I love Brussels’ many facets, its many bottom-up festivals and initiatives. Yet I dream of a more human city, not least for my daughter to grow up in. Less cars, more space for its people. Green space, safe space, clean streets, and above all: clean air! All I know share this vision – but many feel helpless facing the administrative lasagne. Too many are not eligible to vote – at least where it matters.
#1Bru1Vote
Founding Member.
New York-born, I moved here as a student then got a job with a U.S. newspaper. Once a provincial town, this city has become a fabulous melting pot. But the government institutions and their governance remain stuck in a Belgo-Belgian time wrap. It’s time to move on.
Founding Member.
In 2005 kwam ik naar Brussel en ik heb de stad zien veranderen: ik heb de trams groter zien worden; het aantal fietsers zien groeien; gebouwen eindelijk schoongemaakt zien worden.
Maar het is pijnlijk om te zien hoe sommige dingen de gemeentegrens niet overkomen. Het wiel wordt hier 19 keer uitgevonden. Ons dagelijks leven stopt niet bij de gemeentegrens: we wonen in één gemeente, ontmoeten vrienden in een andere en geven geld uit in weer een andere. We ademen allemaal dezelfde lucht in; we delen de infrastructuur. Dit zijn Dingen Die Er Toe Doen, en het frustreert me dat ik hierin geen rol kan spelen. Ik wil dat wel, maar ik heb geen hiervoor geen stemrecht.
Founding Member.
I left the USA for Belgium in 2006 because I believed more in Europe’s future as a place of solidarity, cultural richness, diversity and resilience. I celebrated my naturalisation in 2012 because Brussels had become my home – the place in Belgium and in Europe where I felt free and welcome. Over the years, I’ve grown to see the challenges lying underneath a city like Brussels. I fear that its institutions will not be able to respond and prevail without the engagement of all of its residents. And I fear that our European project will not survive if we are not working with our neighbours to improve our local communities. We must open up our ways of working to give life to our democracies.
I reached Brussels when I was 2 years old, born from a Anglo-German couple. After finishing my studies in the UK, I returned to make Belgium my home. My two children were born and raised here and we consider it home. Brussels is an extraordinary city with a diversity and cultural richness that most people are unaware of. But more importantly many people from all over the world have made Brussels their home, because they feel they belong there. By inviting this community to join the political life of the city Brussels will continue on its journey to becoming a global and cosmopolitan city that is both inclusive and outward looking.
I am Spanish and I arrived to Brussels already more than 15 years ago. Since then, my life has been attached to this region and today I feel part of Brussels. I met my couple here and my baby has just been born in this city. I would love to be more involved with Brussels life and I feel that being able to vote on the regional would be a good step ahead.