Green playground of 50,000 euros goes to school for teenagers with disabilities: « done with Putten filling » (Aalst)

The students of BUSO joy of life thought they would leave on Friday morning on sports day, but suddenly the jury of the game appeared on a balcony on the playground during their morning gymnastics. « We won! », The children shouted, while teachers fell into each other’s arms. « Amai, I’m really overwhelmed by emotions, » said a teacher. « These young people fall out of the boat so often. This is really good. »

BUSO joy of life is the final winner of a competition of Nieuwsblad and Aveve that has released a lot, in hundreds of Flemish schools. 663 schools applied to win 50,000 euros to make their playground greener. There was a massive campaign and voting: more than 150,000 people preferred. Five provincial winners competed for the final prize and received the visit of the jury consisting of Stand-Upcomedian, ‘Maker’ and former teacher Henk Rijckaert, Content Creator Bert de Kock and Nieuwsblad editor-in-chief Lise Smout.

The Aalst School managed to get the jury deeply with its plans. In joy of life, young people with moderate or severe mental disability are also a physical disability. « Their story went straight to our heart, » says Henk Rijckaert.

Disarming and honest

« Because they already said downright in the beginning: it’s good here, » says Bert de Kock. « I found that so disarming and honest. And at the same time they really made a very beautiful and very thoughtful plan. »

Director Karen Vantilborgh shows the small closed playground where the students with serious multiple disabilities now stay. There you can see a lot of paving, and little challenge, few quiet corners and little nature. There is an improvised cycle path, but that is rather awkward, with straight corners and it turns every winter into a mud pool.

Waiting for a place

« The students are often at our school from the age of twelve to the age of 23, » says director Karen. It is often waiting until that age before they have a view of a place in a day center.

A tailor -made playground will therefore really make a big difference for the students. « The time they spend on the playground is most of the total time they are outside. Because of their disability, our students have no hobbies, they are not in a sports club or they cannot chill in a park after school. This playground is a large part of their childhood and their lives. »

Tireless

The tireless teacher corps recruited the voices to get the school in the final against all expectations. « And we already had a plan, who already had sympathizers who happened to be a landscape architect, already drawn for us, » says Miss Annelies.

“The time that our students spend on the playground is most of the total time they are outside”

Karen Vantilborgh

Director

That plan was not financially feasible. Unless the joy of life would win the game. « We also gave the students a say, » says director Karen. « They could show on prints what they still wanted. Something with water, that had to be added. So we still adjusted the plans. »

With the 50,000 euros and the advice of Bles, which unites landscape designers with teachers in order to arrive at high -quality playgrounds, those plans can now also become reality.

Also read: Can you help as a parent? Does it cost a fortune? How do you avoid a dirty place? The most important lessons for schools if they want to make their playground greener

There would be a vegetable garden, a sandbox, the playground must be a place that offers peace. « Where they can feel, touch and smell nature, » says Annelies. « That tactile is very important for our children. » On Buso’s joy of life they can close their school year at a peak soon. « We are so happy that we registered, » a teacher concludes. « The call came in just when we were busy filling the muddy wells on the playground. Again some papers. That we can really tackle the playground is so nice. Our children are going to enjoy this a lot. »