OUR MISSION:
Tibetan Cultural Center in Belgium started on 23rd November 2008 out of a strong wish to promote and protect our language and culture. After HH Dalai Lama’s visit that year in which he reaffirmed the importance of preserving our customs, a few Tibetans in Belgium took it to heart and started the Tibetan Cultural Centre. In the same year, a wave of unrest leading to several acts of civil disobedience across Tibet grabbed the attention of the international media and of our supporters. The backlash that followed made us Tibetans realise anew how under threat our language and culture are. Equally, there are now many young Tibetans being born all over the world and it is vital they are educated about their background, culture and language. It is now crucial to protect our heritage before it is too late.
On 13th May 2011, the association was officially registered as a non-profit organisation (asbl) in Brussels under the Tibetan name of༼བྷེལ་ཇམ་བོད་ཀྱི་ཆོས་རིག་འཛིན་སྐྱོང་ཁང་།༽ Our main mission is to provide Tibetan language lessons to children and to introduce them to traditional Tibetan identity.
OUR ACTIVITIES:
Our school is called Jamyang Lophel School; a name gave us by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 28th February 2013 is responsible for running 6 programs of weekend language classes in these 6 cities: Brussels, Antwerpen, Oostende, Leuven, Brugge and Ghent. There are currently 311 families, 549 students, 47 teachers and volunteers 17. When His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave us our name, he also sent us a statement supporting and inspiring us in our work.
On the 4th of June of the same year, the Office of Tibet Brussels and other Tibetan associations got together to officially name the school Jamyang Lophel.
The lessons taught are Tibetan grammar, alphabet, history, geography, introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, drawing, traditional songs and dances and how to play traditional instruments if they wish.
In the beginning, we had some difficulties finding appropriate teaching materials and establishing a clear curriculum. But now we faithfully follow the teaching guidelines issued by the Department of Education of the Central Tibetan Administration.
A) Jamyang Lophel schools:
1. Antwerpen: the school opened in February 2009, it had 10 students and 1 teacher. Now it has 160 students, 14 different classes and 28 voluntary teachers. Address: Tibet. School address. Tan de londenstraat 45. 2000 Antwerpen. Address: Londenstraat 43 2000 Antwerpen
2. Brussels: the school opened in March 2009, it had 2 students and 1 teacher and was held at the Tsampa restaurant. Now it has 146 students, 10 different classes and 15 voluntary teachers. Address: Rue d’Angleterre 53, 1060 Saint-Gilles, Brussels
3. Oostende: the school opened in March 2009, it had 4 students, and 1 teacher and was held in a family home. Now it has 73 students, 7 different classes and 16 voluntary teachers.
4. Leuven: the school opened in April 2012, it had 8 students and 1 teacher. Now it has 28 students, 4 different classes and 7 voluntary teachers. Address: J.P. Minckelersstraat 192
3000 Leuven
5. Brugge: the school opened on the 3rd January 2016, it had 18 students, and 3 teachers. Now it has 40 students, 4 different classes and 6 voluntary teachers. Address: Karel Ledeganckstraat 3. 8000 Brugge
6. Gent: the school opened on the 8th of May 2016, it had 8 students and 2 teachers. Now it has 26 students, 3 different classes and 5 voluntary teachers. Address: Eendrachtstraat 85, 9000 Gen
B) Summer camp
The purpose of this camp is to bring together Tibetan children from various cities in a Tibetan speaking environment where they can make new friends and enjoy outdoor activities while re-affirming their Tibetan identity and learning more about their ancestral culture. We currently have 120 students taking part in it.
The first summer camp took place in 2009 at Dharma City in the Ardennes with only 20 students. By 2014, with the support and sponsorship of the RangDang Association, we developed the annual summer camp to be able to deal with a fast-growing number of participants.
Another aim of the camp is to encourage youngsters to become more independent, self-reliant and to encourage them to take initiative; for example to learn to work as part of a team, to learn to become independent and self-reliant, to realise the responsibilities that go with becoming a young adult and to pass on to younger children the skills they have acquired.
In 2014 due to a large increase in the number of participants, TCC ASBL and Rangdang ASBL joined forces to help create a bigger, better camp. Since that date, Rangdang has provided all the funding, equipment, First Aid kits as well as insurance. Rangdang has also been in charge of liaising with the owners of the Ardennes property and has taken care of the administrative side of things
C) Cultural events for the public
These events are open to the public and we welcome anyone interested in spending time with us at the joint celebrations for the anniversary of the Tibetan Cultural Centre and the birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; the anniversary of His Holiness being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the annual children concert. It is also a good opportunity for children to show what they have learnt and what they can do. In addition to these, every branch of TCC also holds other cultural events such as Losar (New Year) celebrations as well as special days when our culture is presented to the Belgian community.
FINANCES:
TCC’s main source of income is the profit from the public events, profit from the various food stands and the fee each child pays to attend classes. TCC sometimes receives some small donations from friends and supporters.
NEW PROJECT :
2021 will be the year when our first-ever students graduate from Jamyang Lophel school. We will take them to Dharamsala as we feel that visiting a place where Tibetan culture is the everyday norm would be a fantastic eye-opener and might encourage teenagers to go back and spend several months as volunteers in Dharamsala. Even if they don’t go back to Dharamsala, at least they will be aware that there is a huge amount of things they can do for their own community.
This project would help students realize that there is more to being Tibetan than just learning the language.
Empowering Tibetan Youth: Educational Initiative in India, 2023
In 2023, the inaugural class of students proudly graduated from the Jamyang Lophel School. To commemorate this milestone, we organized a transformative trip to Dharamsala, a place where Tibetan culture thrives as part of daily life. We believed that immersing our students in such an environment would not only broaden their perspectives but also inspire them to consider serving their community.
Our aim was to cultivate a spirit of service and awareness among teenagers, encouraging them to envision themselves as agents of positive change, whether in Dharamsala or within their own communities. We wanted them to understand that being Tibetan encompasses more than just language acquisition; it entails a rich tapestry of heritage, traditions, and a deep-rooted sense of responsibility towards one’s people.
The journey culminated in a profound meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Ladakh, an experience that left an indelible mark on our hearts and minds. His words of wisdom and encouragement resonated deeply within us, reaffirming our commitment to our mission. His message served as a beacon of hope, reminding us that even in the face of challenges, perseverance and determination are key virtues.
As we reflect on this remarkable journey, we are filled with gratitude for the opportunity to have brought this project to fruition. We are energized by the prospect of what lies ahead, knowing that our efforts have ignited a spark of inspiration in the hearts of our students. With unwavering resolve, we pledge to continue empowering the next generation of Tibetan leaders, guided by the timeless wisdom imparted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
TCC wants to create more opportunities for children and parents to become involved in Tibet related work. It would help create a bridge between the two cultures and help children to feel they belong to both.
Our aim is to make sure every Tibetan child grows up to be a real Tibetan and brings up his own children as real Tibetans when the time comes.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Tibetan Cultural Centre
Clos du Mudra 31, bte101
1070 Bruxelles, Belgium
Bank account :
IBAN : BE25 0016 8448 1182
BIC : GEBABEBB
Contact:
Centre Culturel Tibétain
Tel: 0032 (0) 487 85 74 80
Email: tccasbl@gmail.com
Website: www.tccbe.org
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