Sint-Lievens-Houtem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Reflex youth centre in Sint-Lievens-Houtem, led by Chairman Jaron Verbraekel, is closing its doors and cancelling its annual Youth Festival due to a volunteer shortage. Alderman Arno Ponnet urges youth support to sustain programs.
As VRT News reported, the Reflex youth centre in Sint-Lievens-Houtem, in the province of East Flanders, Belgium, is closing and will not hold its Youth Festival this year. The festival normally marks the start of the school year and attracts teenagers and young adults for music, games, and community activities.
Chairman Jaron Verbraekel said the centre does not have enough volunteers to organise the event.
“With the team we have now, we are just managing to keep our regular Friday evening programs running,”
he said.
“Organising a large event like the Youth Festival is not possible.”
What causes Sint-Lievens-Houtem’s Reflex Youth Centre to cancel the festival?
The lack of volunteers also affects the centre’s weekly activities. The centre is asking residents and local supporters to help. Alderman Arno Ponnet (Nieuw Houter) said this is a clear warning.
“If no new, committed young people emerge, not only is the Youth Festival at risk of disappearing, but the youth centre itself might have to close its doors. We can’t let that happen,”
he said.
Alderman Ponnet said the help of enthusiastic youth is essential to keep the centre running.
“We’re also going to put our heads together as a municipal council to see what we can do,”
he added.
“It’s a great opportunity to learn, make lifelong friends, and help organise events,”
explains Jaron.
“We really need a new generation.”
The Reflex Youth Festival in Sint-Lievens-Houtem has been organised for more than 25 years, every year. It came into existence in the mid-1990s as a small get-together for local adolescents, including music, games, and other activities, and grew into an important, large-scale event for the area’s youth and young adults.
In 2005, organised workshops and performances were added. In 2010, outdoor activities were expanded, and in 2015, a volunteer program was introduced to involve more youth in running the event.
Comments
14 responses to “Closure Looms for Sint-Lievens-Houtem’s Reflex Youth Centre”
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Lovely to see the youth centre closing up shop – because who needs community spirit when you can have a complete lack of volunteers? 👏 If only enthusiasm could be bottled and sold, eh?
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Looks like Sint-Lievens-Houtem’s youth are too busy scrolling through their phones to save a beloved festival. Perhaps next time they should try organizing a TikTok challenge instead of waiting for volunteers. 😂
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Closing a youth centre due to a lack of volunteers? What’s next, cancelling the café because no one wants to brew the coffee? ☕️ Typical, innit?
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Looks like the youth festival is getting a well-deserved holiday – who knew that rallying a few enthusiastic teens could be as hard as herding cats? 😂 Maybe they should consider a “Bring Your Own Volunteer” policy for next year!
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Oh, brilliant! Just what we need—a youth centre that can’t find any volunteers. Maybe the kids are too busy perfecting their TikTok dances to bother with, you know, actual community events. 😏
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Closing a youth centre due to a volunteer shortage? Classic move! Maybe they should just hire a troupe of clowns—seems like the only thing missing is a bit of circus flair in Sint-Lievens-Houtem! 🎪🙄
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Closing the Reflex youth centre? Just what every teenager craves—more free time to scroll through their phones instead of attending a festival. Brilliant move, really! 🎉
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Closing a youth centre because of a volunteer shortage? Brilliant move, lads! Who needs young people having fun when we can just watch the tumbleweeds roll through, eh? 😏🎉
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Closing the Reflex youth centre? Brilliant idea! Who needs a festival when you can have a quiet Friday evening, right? 🎉🙄
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Another day, another youth centre bites the dust in Sint-Lievens-Houtem! Who knew volunteering could be as trendy as a pair of Crocs? 🥴
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Just splendid! Nothing screams “youth empowerment” quite like closing the doors on a beloved festival because, shocker, no one’s keen on volunteering. 🙄 Guess it’s time for the kids to learn the real meaning of “growing up” – like watching the same four walls of bureaucracy! 🍻
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Looks like the youth are a bit too busy these days, eh? Who needs a festival when you can just scroll through Insta all day? 😂
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Just what every youth needs – a lesson in disappointment! 🎉 I mean, who wouldn’t want a fun festival turned into a ghost town because nobody can be bothered to volunteer? Classic! 🙄
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Closing the youth centre? Brilliant idea! Who needs community activities when you can just let the teens roam free like a pack of wild cats? 🐱👤
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