The project

“CARREFOUR” project: What is it?

A place  where Belgian and foreign students live under the same roof;
A philosophy  inspired by Vincent LEBBE (cf. historical background)
An open window on the world that emphasizes interaction and guarantees that a welcome is extended to others;
An invitation to engage in intercultural communication  in the realization that every human being is responsible for making the world a kinder and warmer-hearted place to live in;
An action that helps everyone to become more integrated into tomorrow’s world, both in Belgium and elsewhere.
A solidarity that unifies and brings people together while respecting differences.
A hostel  offering comfortable accommodation and where everyone contributes to running it on a daily basis.

To what is each student committed?

To putting the 'Carrefour experience' into practice on a daily basis;
To making Carrefour a relaxing and light-hearted place to live in;
To contributing to fostering a harmonious atmosphere;
To promoting one’s own culture and making efforts to familiarize oneself with the culture of others and showing respect for it;
To making others a party to one’s academic project while voicing the hopes and concerns central to its realization;
To devoting a proportion of one’s time to meetings and activities;
To ‘giving a hand’ with the domestic duties involved.

From where do “Carrefouriens” come?

From the four corners of Belgium,
From every corner of Europe,
From the world as a whole.

For instance, in the 2010-2011 academic year, Carrefour that accommodated 23 nationalities. Everyone, be it from Asia, Latin America, Africa or Europe, concluded that it had been a profoundly enriching experience predicated on caring and sharing.

Charter

1.      Carrefour is a place where people live, interact, exchange ideas and pool their energies.  

2.     Cultural differences. Respect must be shown to students subscribing to very different religious, philosophical and political convictions. Conceptually, such differentiation must be recognized as a source of intellectual wealth.

3.      Mutual respect, learned every day, is the cornerstone around which to generate understanding. 

4.    Dialogue is the key to any authentic relationship. It is essential to keep a listening ear to discover the cultural wealth underpinning others’ comments.

5.     Making life in Carrefour a warm-hearted place demands that everyone give a hand with essential daily domestic duties and ensure that their behaviour does not impact adversely on either other Carrefouriens or the neighbourbood.

6.    The daily anxieties and concerns of others should be identified and treated sensitively. Special attention         should be paid to problems related to the need to complete academic projects successfully.

7.    Everyone comes with Carrefour with a pre-determined project set out in his-her statement of purpose. It may      be spelled out more clearly during the year and students are free to implement it. Any additional initiative       spearheaded during the year will be welcomed.