Belgium
On UCLouvain’s campus in
Louvain-la-Neuve, Mons,
Tournai and Woluwé
Global citizenship and solidarity education
We live in a world where discrimination and relations of domination are omnipresent, but it is not always easy to understand and grasp them.
This programme encourages and strengthens individual and collective action by citizens who are aware of global issues and who feel co-responsible for them.
Continuing Education
Continuing Education fosters critical analysis, active citizenship and the exercise of rights with a view to individual and collective emancipation.
The aim is to transform society by creating spaces for reflection, discussion and action to build a fairer, more caring society.
Outside the curriculum
Campus in Action
Campus in Action is a dynamic, participatory training weekend organised every year in November for students at French-speaking Belgian universities. The aim of this unique event is to bring together students together to discuss social, environmental and political issues, by raising their awareness of crucial themes that change every year.
The weekend is designed to be both a theoretical training course and a space for creative collaboration. In addition to lectures, interactive workshops and debates led by experts and activists from a variety of backgrounds, students work together to create an awareness-raising tool that they can deploy on their respective campuses.
Campus in Action not only enriches students' knowledge of key issues, but also equips them to become agents of change on their campuses, while strengthening solidarity networks between universities.
Interactive training
Our interactive courses are designed to respond to the concrete concerns and questions that young people have about major contemporary issues. Each course is designed around a specific question posed by the group of participants, making the course directly relevant and adapted to their realities. Based on this question, we organise a participative learning space where young people are actively involved in the process of reflection and exchange.
The themes addressed during these courses are varied. Whether exploring issues related to decolonisation, ecological transition processes, gender inequality or political advocacy tools, each course aims to provide keys to understanding while strengthening young people's capacity for action.
Our courses are not limited to theoretical learning. They are also spaces where young people can co-create concrete solutions, exchange innovative ideas and develop strategies to make their voices heard in public or political spheres.
Are you a student and interested in organising this activity? Contact us!
🎥 Example : Afro-Récits: Empowering oneself to combat racial discrimination – training course given to Afrika United KAP
Internship or thesis
Louvain Coopération opens its doors to students wishing to immerse themselves in the international solidarity sector, offering them rewarding and formative internship opportunities. Whether it's their first professional experience or a chance to deepen their understanding of global issues, interns have the chance to see first-hand how an NGO active in a variety of fields works.
In addition to internships, Louvain Coopération offers specific support to students wishing to write a thesis on themes related to its activities, whether in the North or the Global South. This support gives students access to valuable resources and field data, while benefiting from the expertise of the NGO's professionals. Thesis topics can cover a wide range of issues, such as the impact of projects or the NGO's strategies.
So, whether through an internship or a thesis project, Louvain Coopération offers a stimulating learning environment that is deeply rooted in the reality of international dynamics. Students have the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the field of solidarity while making a practical contribution to the NGO's projects.
Pre-departure training
Question yourself about the dynamics of intercultural encounters by taking part in a pre-departure training course before embarking on a trip abroad. This course will prepare you to navigate in diverse cultural contexts and understand the issues surrounding cultural differences, perceptions and interactions between people from different backgrounds. By asking yourself the right questions about your own assumptions, your role and your stance as a visitor to another country, you will be able to develop a critical awareness and intercultural sensitivity.
By engaging in this process of reflection before you leave, you maximise the chances of making your trip a profound learning experience, both personally and in terms of relationships. You'll return with a more nuanced understanding of the social, political and cultural realities of the country you visit, while developing valuable intercultural skills needed in an increasingly globalised world.
This training course is organised on request, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to organise one with us!
Solidarity Student
Solidarity Student is a programme of civic engagement and intercultural encounters designed for students at UCLouvain. Offered as soon as they enrol at the university, the programme aims to encourage students to become actively involved in solidarity initiatives, while strengthening their social awareness and sense of responsibility towards society.
One of the pillars of the programme is the Solidarity Fund, which provides financial support to Solidarity Students each year to help them implement concrete projects. This fund, which is accessible to all participants, is designed to give life to solidarity initiatives, whether in Belgium or in the countries of the Global South. Students can propose and develop a wide range of projects, from organising awareness-raising activities on their campus to international solidarity initiatives.
In addition to financial aid, Solidarity Students benefit from personalised support throughout their project, in the form of advice, training and support from members of Louvain Coopération.
Virtual library
Ecology, Gender, Decolonization, Intersectionality… These fundamental issues shape our understanding of the world and challenge the ways we live together. Our virtual library aims to encourage you to deepen your reflection on these key themes, which lie at the heart of today’s social, political, and environmental debates.
Designed as a space for discovery and learning, this library offers a wide selection of books, articles, podcasts, and films… What makes it so rich? The diversity of voices expressed within it. Researchers, activists, artists, people from diverse backgrounds, share their thoughts and experiences here. So many intersecting perspectives that will help you better understand the challenges of our time and find your own path to engagement. Take the time to explore, make these resources your own, and draw from them what resonates with you. Because it is by better understanding the world that we can transform it.
Within the curriculum
Campus Plein Sud
What is it?
Campus Plein Sud is a two-week campaign organised during the month of March. It tackles a different theme every two years: water, migration, the financial crisis... many different and creative activities are organised, such as inter-university quizzes, banquets, exhibitions, conferences.
The campaign is co-organised with students, the Dévlop'Kot in Louvain-la-Neuve, the Humanikot in Woluwé and the Partenariat Sud in Mons.
Citizenship Education Teaching module
The Teaching module is a training programme specially designed for students preparing for become teachers in the secondary education. Developed in collaboration with Uni4Coop and the association Annoncer la couleur, the course aims to encourage in-depth reflection on the role and posture of the teacher in the school setting. By focusing on the relations of domination present in educational dynamics, this module invites future teachers to become aware of the inequalities and biases that can influence classroom interactions.
The module addresses central issues such as institutional power, social inequalities, gender stereotypes and discrimination linked to social or ethnic origin. The aim is to encourage students to question their teaching practices and consider how these may contribute, consciously or unconsciously, to the reproduction of relations of domination.
Using tools for critical analysis and discussions with professionals and players in the field, this course helps to develop more inclusive and equitable teaching methods. In this sense, it prepares teachers to practise their profession with an enlightened view of societal issues and to play an active role in promoting fairer, more egalitarian education.
Are you a Professor in any subject area and would like to offer this activity to your students? Contact us!
DJESA
DJESA is a series of half-day discussions on food sovereignty, organised by the Uni4Coop consortium (Eclosio, FUCID, Louvain Coopération, ULB-Coopération), Humundi and Vétérinaires Sans Frontières, on various French-speaking campuses in Belgium.
By combining cultural events (plays, films, dance, etc.) and in-depth workshops in sub-groups led by experts in the field or from the voluntary sector, DJESA helps students from all backgrounds to gain a better understanding of today's food systems so that they can envisage other models for tomorrow! This gives them the opportunity to step outside the academic framework, debate, adopt new perspectives and imagine alternatives to meet the challenges of access to land, globalisation and agricultural policies, in order to support the development of healthy, humane and sustainable agriculture.
Are you a Professor in any subject area and would like to offer this activity to your students? Contact us!
Ethical and emotional challenges of field research
The ‘Ethical and emotional challenges of field research’ seminar gives doctoral students the opportunity to reflect on the emotional aspects of their research through theatrical activities.
Are you a researcher facing ethical or emotional dilemmas in your fieldwork? This seminar invites you to think about these issues. It draws on readings and personal accounts to explore how to navigate ethical and emotional challenges in relations with the populations studied and field partners.
The course covers fieldwork in both the North and South, is tailored to each profile and is aimed at researchers using qualitative or mixed methods, with or without field experience.
Inter’discourses
The aim of the Inter'discourses is to promote encounters and a diversity of perspectives within the academic curriculum. This initiative consists of bringing together a teacher and an external speaker, whether from civil society or from another country, around a common theme.
By creating a dialogue between these different voices, the activity encourages the exchange of ideas and enriches students' thinking, while opening up new horizons on contemporary issues. The Inter'discourses provide an opportunity to cross-fertilise knowledge from a variety of backgrounds, bringing an international and interdisciplinary dimension to academic debate.
Are you a Professor in any subject area and would like to offer this activity to your students? Contact us!
Seminars and conferences
Louvain Coopération organises seminars and conferences in collaboration with professors on themes related to global issues and discrimination, highlighting the interdependence between the countries of the global South and those of the global North. Louvain Coopération is committed to providing stimulating and enriching learning spaces, where students can explore a variety of subjects and deepen their understanding of contemporary issues.
These seminars are designed to be interactive and participatory, encouraging a dynamic dialogue between students and speakers who are experts in their respective fields.Louvain Coopération prides itself on creating an environment conducive to critical thinking and engagement. By taking part in these seminars, students develop not only their theoretical knowledge, but also their skills in analysis, debate and advocacy. As a result, they are better prepared to become agents of change.
Are you a teacher of any subject or a student who would like to organise this activity? Contact us!
Contact
Are you a student or a teacher and interested in organising an activity?
- Fiona Nziza, Head of Education and Citizenship Department
- Anne-Claire Willocx, Educational Coordination and Experimentation Officer
Our programme evolves with your ideas. Let’s build it together!