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.
The Sum of You
I am Polish. I have lived in Brussels since 2011. I am a convinced feminist and I do my best to empower women through workshops and conferences. I live in Forest, close to Park Marconi, a place full of dogs’ excrement and dog owners who just DON’T CARE.
As a mother, I care about the cleanliness of public space (for which we all pay through our taxes) and have taken action to have Park Marconi cleaned up. I want to vote. I want to choose responsible people. I want all of us to be equal.
Hello, My name is Sahar Salehi , I have been living in Brussels since June 2017. I study Business in VUB. I think I started to like Brussels after a few good memories with my friends. Little by Little I feel more and more connected. I would like to see we have right to vote because it brings more responsibility as a resident. If I know I can politically be effective then I feel more accepted. If I am more accepted then I am more willing to positively collaborate with other Belgians to have a better city.
In some places you can live all your life and never feel at home. In others you feel like a local almost from day one. Although I arrived in Brussels almost by chance, it’s now been six years that I call myself a Bruxeleir; six years of working and living in the city, of taking an active role in the city’s cultural and intellectual life, of engaging in civil society and public debates about the future of the city. It’s hard to tell whether it’s the atmosphere, the people, or even the food – but Brussels definitely feels like home!
Je suis arrivée à Bruxelles en 2005 et depuis j’habite toujours ici. J’aime bien la multi-culturalité et toutes les belles choses que Bruxelles a à offrir et pour cela je trouve que c’est un très bel endroit pour vivre et travailler. Depuis plusieurs années je m’implique aussi dans la vie active de ma commune en tant que conseillère communale et j’ai une grande satisfaction de voir les changements qu’on a pu réaliser pour les citoyens de notre commune. Je me sens concernée par la vie de la ville où je vis et c’est pour cela que j’aimerais aussi avoir la possibilité de voter pour participer à l’amélioration de la vie de tous les Bruxellois.
As a university student and a Brusseleir, I came in a very diverse society that I’ve never experienced in my hometown. Brussels is indeed a melting pot of cultures and languages, it has a lot to offer not only for tourists but also for residents. I think it’s unfair that non-Belgians in Brussels have to abide by the rules in the region and be represented by people they didn’t vote for, let alone the fact that most of the foreigners don’t know these politicians. It’s time for foreigners to be represented in the regional parliament and to participate in the regional decision-making.