A large mural has been unveiled outside the Heilig & Hart College school in the Flemish Brabant town of Halle. The mural is part of the Europe Street Art project, a series of seven murals that are being unveiled as part of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Headmaster Lander Van Medegael told VRT News that "Halle already has several murals, so the school on the Handbooghof came up with the idea of creating a fresco on the large wall next to the school. Talks were held with the town authorities and with the Treepac (the organisation behind the project) and that's how we were able to take part in the project".
"The mural features is a young fox ready to set off and discover the world. It is the symbol of this school, where we strive to teach our pupils in order to prepare them as well as possible for the society in which they will have their role to play", Mr Van Medegael said.
Pupil participation
"The artist held a number of sessions with the pupils during which they were able to say what Europe meant to them, and they then chose to focus on the theme of nature management and conservation. This is after all one of the pupils’ main concerns, and one that they hope future generations will continue to have an interest for".
Through the murals the European aims to initiate dialogue with young people in seven Belgian towns and cities. The first of the murals was unveiled on 8 April in Charleroi next to the city’s Central Station. Other murals will be unveiled soon in La Louvière (Hainaut), Leuven (Flemish Brabant), Sint-Lamrechts-Woluwe (Brussels), Wilrijk (Antwerp Province) and Habay (Luxembourg Province).