9. Ivo Shimwa
A creative thinker and mover, Ivo is brimming with energy and wants to commit himself fully to Brussels. He is a member of the Flemish Youth Council and works as a youth worker, media coach and educator at an organisation that helps young people navigate and create with digital media.
"In the Flemish Youth Council, I came into contact with politics early on, which gave me the chance to make young people's voices heard."
I myself grew up in and around social inequality and know the consequences of unequal opportunities. Fighting that inequality is my motivation to campaign for others.
At the RITCS, I studied Image & Sound Editing, majoring in video editing. I then started working at Canvas, VRT, Stampmedia and Mediaraven.
The most important themes in my life and career are media and young people.
My goal is to listen to young people's concerns and pass them on to ministers and/or the Youth Council. Our young people talk about a lot of different topics, such as the upcoming elections, the price of a train ticket or cybersecurity. I want to have a positive impact on the lives of the younger generations and on the organisations representing them in Flanders and Brussels.
My dream for Brussels
I dream of a clean Brussels, with room for young people and with affordable housing. Together with Vooruit, I fight for fewer homeless people on the streets.
"Our city needs to be cleaner. I want children and young people to be able to grow up safely here and to have and seize opportunities. That they can live affordably and in turn raise their children here and see them grow up."