Helmet Fourchet’ Urban agriculture around a neighbourhood cantine in Schaarbeek/Helmet
Content Content History Main goals and premises Where do we stand today? Towards a proposal for Riga square Overview of activities 2012 - 2015 Projects we like Uit je eigen stad – Rotterdam Prinzesinnengärten – Berlin Skip Garden – London Boerse Poort – Ghent Site – Ghen Hackney city farm – London
History History Parallel to the activities of the VZW Kerncabinet and within the Quartier Durable contract, the initiative to start up a neighbourhood kitchen in Helmet started to grow with a small group of people living in neighbourhood. Soon this idea was being followed with efforts to create a nice meeting place for everybody in the form of a cantine. A first phase was the realisation of a communal kitchen in the Neighbourhood Community Center (MQH) a Riga square that was made possible through subsidies from the Boudewijn Foundation and the Delhaize Fund. This was also the start of a collaboration between Helmet Fourchet (the founding name for the cantine)the MQH/Women’s Educational Programme and the Institute Cha mpagnat primary school which is attached to the MQH. Helmet Fourchet started off setting up ateliers with women taking courses in the MQH while also taking part in activities with organisations in the neighbourhood, as well as cooking in public spaces with kids and other participants. The focus here remained meeting with the range of area residents, interculturality, healthy, sustainable food (production+serving) and creating food awareness. This vision was also taken to the development of kitchen ateliers in local schools. Helmet Fourchet grew from a wider base, being the Cooperative d’Helmet which until now remains the umbrella structure for a range of different projects that were being set up. These included the bicycle atelier, Helmet Bicyclette, Helmet Souperette (cargo-vehicle bringing soup around the neighbourhood) and a local food source, Helmet Markèt.
Main ain goa oals a s and nd condit conditions ions The neighborhood of Schaerbeek-Helmet has a diverse population, both culturally and in nationality, as well as in age and social position. Yet, between these groups there is very little connection and there are no places or organisations which have a mixed population. Next to this, Helmet has few inviting places where various people can meet each other in a relaxed, homey atmosphere, where children are welcomed and able to play freely and where you can have a healthy bite or drink at an affordable price. Our neighborhood has a lot of schools, yet there is not enough awareness of good food, how veggies grow, and how to prepare the food. So two important missions in our project are: bringing together various groups in the neighborhood; offering a welcoming, democratic environment; and creating awareness of healthy food - and offer possibilities for everybody to work on this locally , promoting a do-it-yourself, communal attitude. To be able to do this we would like to develop part of Riga square into a permaculture vegetable garden and build a pavilion in the middle of this. We should be able to build the pavilion ourselves, made from recycled materials and completely independent of fixed utilities. It will then serve as a place to meet and to serve food as well as store gardening tools. The actual cooking and preparation of food will still be done in the neighborhood kitchen already set up in and in coö peration with the local community center ‘Maison Quartier Helmet’ .
Wh Where d do we we st stand toda nd today? There is a sustainable and concrete collaboration with the MQH, different schools and a group of committed and engaged people from the neighbourhood. A professional neighbourhood kitchen has been developped in the MQH in collaboration with the Institute Champagnat (Fr)primary school.At the present time, the kitchen is being adapted to meet the standards of the local food health department. Helmet Fourchet has a role as a pop-up service in local festivities and activities of local social-cultural organisations. Several exploratory conversations have been held with innovative, sustainable design offices to explore the different possibilities to realise the cantine (Rotor asbl, Alive Architects, de Bouwery/Lode Vranken). Eventually we decided to continue working with Lode Vranken because of his expertise in social/durable architecture to be constructed with project and fellow participants. Lode proposed working with a sturdy and lockable base (i.e. a container) around which a free-form shell can be build through connecting triangular elements. The shell can take any form or proportion and can be made of re- used wood elements. We presented the project on July 14 at the ‘Social Innovation Factory; an initiative of the Flemish government, promoting social innovation in new forms of social entrepreneurship. With their help, we are setting up a realistic, long-term business plan and looking at the possibilities of setting up a crowdfunding campaign to be able to realize the cantine itself and the surrounding permaculture-vegetable garden. At the end of January 15 an adapted kitchen plan was presented atthe federal agency of food regulation (AFSCA). The adaptations needed will be made before the end of 2015. Architect Lode Vranken made a proposal for the cantine and the surrounding garden based on both durability and cradle-to-cradle principle, which will have the possibility to be constructed by participants of the project. Next phase will be to check the realistic possibilities to realize the plan on the Riga square and to create sufficient political support for this. A reunion with the different eldermen involved is planned. For the set up of the bicycle-atelier Helmet Byciclette, a new candidate has been found who will be trained by the original organization that was going to set up the atelier but ran out of space Sept14 so was forced to move elsewhere. In addition, for the atelier to dispatch soup and other food in the neighbourhood we will buy a second- hand cargo bike.
Towa Towards rds a a pro roposal f sal for or Riga sq Riga squa uare Research by architect Lode Vranken – de Bouwerij
Ov Overvie view o w of activities activities 201 2012 – 2015 015 Taking part in local free- time activity market within the ‘Brede School Helmet’; a project in which different neighbourhood schools work together on different topics. Workshops on healthy food for schoolkids / Sept 13 Excursion Ghent/Rabot to the local vegetable garden project, ‘De Site’, and the ajacent social restaurant ‘Toreke’ / May 13 Neighbourhood banquet in collaboration with the vegetable garden-project of Social Housing Project ‘Schaarbeekse haard’ / June 13 Reception/catering expo and book presentation neighbourhood project, ‘Helmet’, by photoprapher Kurt Deruyte r / Aug 13 Neighbourhood banquet, Apollo Square, on the Sunday Without ars / Sep 13 Set up and start activities in communal kitchen in Maison Quartier Helmet(MQH) /Riga square / Jan 14 From Jan 14, ateliers for women within literacy courses in MQH, set up regular public projects together Pancake-party for/with local kids at the vernissage of public art work Apollo Square / March 14 Commual meal together with MQH at Riga Square /April 14 Working together making school dinner party for all people involved in Inst Champagnat primary school, a partner in our kitchen /June 14 Excursion Ghent with the particiants o MQH; visit to several social (inter)cultural projects / June 14 Sunday Without Cars buffet ‘Asiettes gourmandes’ + local bio -market in collaboration with Bio-Concept / Sep 14 Sunday brunch: neighbourhood presentation future plans of Helmet Fourchet together with architect Lode Vranken; specifically for group of seriously engaged citizens/ Nov 14 Light-fest start of winter: gluhwein, hot chocolate, public information moment for Helmet Fourchet / Dec 14 . Apero-info for people living at the Riga square / Jan 15 Presentation of plan + live-size set up together with NGO Rocsa for Week of the vegetable garden / April 15 Presentation of plan + workshop ‘J ardinage- recyclage’ recycle gardening / June 15
Pr Projects we ojects we like like Boerse Poort – Ghent Skip Garden – London Uit je eigen stad – Rotterdam Prinzesinnengärten – Berlin Site – Ghent Hackney city farm – London
Boer Boerse se P Poor oort co community unity gar gardens s – Ghent nt We are a popular garden which is open to everyone. The organization of the ‘Boerse Poort’ is done by local residents. On site, we provide room and logistics for meeting, work together and having fun. By organizing joint activities, we contribute to a richer social fabric. We like urban agriculture, local production and nature made possible near the city. (Next to street gardens, exchange markets set up together as well ...) We also commit ourselves to making our garden a nice, cozy environment for all. The gardeners maintain their own piece of field or garden room but also make it possible for everyone to enjoy the ‘Boerse poort’ as a communal space. On the field there are 50 gardens of various sizes. These are rented to people (mainly from the nearby Brugse Poort neighbourhood) to grow vegetables, herbs and berries in a ecological
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