Fresh-faced JEZ!-ambassadors Nora Gharib, Tom De Cock and Jonas Lips kick off the greatest charity campaign for and by young people

29/01/2023

This morning on Qmusic, the morning show of Maarten and Dorothee, the brand new winners of a Kastaar, was hijacked by Tom De Cock. Together with his fellow JEZ! ambassadors Nora Gharib and Jonas Lips he took over the programme from a separate studio with a special JEZ! Radio broadcast. JEZ! is a new youth collective that VTM, Qmusic, HLN and Belfius are backing all the way. A new, catchy and creative story that aims to give a voice to all young people.

The 3 fresh-faced JEZ! ambassadors officiallylaunched thebiggest charity campaign for and by young people. Together with the youngsters of JEZ!, they are appealing to people to launch campaigns and raise money for some 200 organisations working for young people that aim to give them the opportunities they deserve. As the icing on the cake, there will also be a JEZ! festival week in the week before the Easter holidays, including a floating radio studio on the JEZ! party boat that will visit 5 cities and towns in Flanders.

JEZ!-ambassadors Tom De Cock, Nora Gharib and Jonas Lips: When we were asked to help get this unique project off the ground, we jumped at the chance. After all, who wouldn’t want to ensure that so many young people get that extra bit of support thanks to JEZ! A little push can often make a big difference. So we hope Flanders will launch massive campaigns to raise money for the 200 wonderful youth projects selected by the Koning Boudewijn Foundation. We are already saying a wholehearted “yes” to JEZ!’

Watch the JEZ! clip here:

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200 youth organisations will get support from JEZ! fund

Interested organisations could submit a project proposal to the Koning BoudewijnFoundation for the very first edition of JEZ! for a chance to win support from the JEZ! fund. The foundation selected some 200 projects in Flanders and Brussels. All these projects highlight and strengthen the resilience, positivity and creativity of young people, and also give young people the push they need to develop further.

The full list of projects can be found at www.jezofficial.be. The final amount collected by JEZ! will be distributed to these projects by the JEZ! fund.

You can now make a donation to support the JEZ! fund at www.jezofficial.be. Campaigns to raise money for the selected projects can also be registered there.

Kris Vervaet, CEO of DPG Media Belgium: 'DPG Media believes in the power of young people and the talents they possess. JEZ! wants to give all young people every opportunity and I am happy that with Qmusic, VTM and HLN we can contribute to building a strong, young generation. It’s fantastic that so many organisations in Flanders and Brussels support young people and I look forward to working with them to bring the whole of Flanders on board. I am convinced that together we can make a difference.'

JEZ! festival week with a floating radio studio on JEZ! boat calling at 5 cities and towns.

As icing on the cake, JEZ! will whip up a stir across Flanders with the JEZ! festival week just before the Easter holidays. From 27 to 31 March, the JEZ! boat will moor in five cities and towns. The JEZ! boat leaves Bruges on 27 March and then sets sail for Deinze, Aalst, Boom and Antwerp. Qmusic will broadcast live from the deck all week, and wherever the boat moors there will be a serious party on the quay. The whole party week will also be broadcast live on HLN's app.

On 31 March, the end of JEZ! festival week will be celebrated with a closing event on VTM. Together with a lot of young people, the first edition of the JEZ! Festival week will end with a bang.

More details will follow soon on www.jezofficial.be or @jezofficial.be.

Olivier Onclin, member of Belfius' executive committee: 'JEZ! wants to give young people every opportunity, just as Belfius does. That's why we are such natural partners and why we fully support this initiative that helps local organisations that are close to young people. Because they are the future.’

An initiative of, for and by young people

JEZ! is the new youth collective that VTM, Qmusic, HLN and Belfius are backing all the way. A new, catchy and creative story that aims to give a voice to all young people.

JEZ! stands for Young and Foolish, but also for Young and Self-Assured, Young and Caring, in short: Young and So Much More!

JEZ! strives to put young people back at the heart of society, to connect them and ensure they are seen and heard. JEZ! firmly believes that motivated, engaged and well-supported young people possess the power to shape the future and solve the most difficult problems in their own environment and in the world at large. It is a project for and by young people.

Besides creating content and organising events, JEZ! also throws its weight behind the biggest charity campaign for and by young people. Across Flanders, JEZ! raises money for some 200 organisations in Flanders and Brussels working for young people aged 6 to 21.

Anyone in Flanders can now donate or set up campaigns to support JEZ! via www.jezofficial.be

Youth projects in the spotlight

One of the youth projects that will receive support from JEZ! is Doof & Jong Vlaanderen. This charity aims to organise a drama camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing youngsters, supervised by deaf teacher and actor Serge Vlerick and volunteers. During the camp, the youngsters will work on a stage performance in Flemish Sign Language.

The charity Lovesafely is committed to raising awareness of toxic relationships among young people aged 15 and over. With the slogan 'Love is no excuse' it encourages young people to think about their relationships in an approachable and active way. Check outtheir appeal here.

The Missing You charity offers hundreds of children, adolescents and young adults across Flanders the opportunity to learn how to cope with loss every year. Through appropriate counselling and contact with peers, they emerge from their experience of loss stronger and can grow up to be resilient adults. To keep the operation as accessible as possible, participation in the grief groups is free, based on the belief that everyone is entitled to the appropriate support.

The full list of projects can be found at https://www.jezofficial.be/projecten