Wim Huyzentruyt

I'm Wim Huyzentruyt, 44 years old. I'm a master in Geography and used to be a secondary schoolteacher for 11 years. I'm passionate about how we live, play and work together. More than 9 years ago I made an important choice in my life and career to become trainer and facilitator in Ligand (the training and development center of vzw Oranjehuis, a youth care organization in Belgium, and pioneer in restorative practices in Flanders). The past 9 years I had the opportunity to train, coach and support a lot of different youngsters, professionals, teams and organizations (in education, youth care, asylum and migration...) in dealing with conflicts in a more restorative and integral way to create a better living and working together within their own context. My practical based experiences embedded in the vision and mission of my mothership vzw Oranjehuis; in combination with the trainings and processes we facilitate with Ligand; made me grow as a father, husband, son, friend, colleague, process supervisor, ...

I hope every organisation whom is working with kids, youngsters and young-adults in Europe will know the EFRJ and its mission. I also hope more organisations will join the EFRJ and contribute and participate in an active way, so we can work towards a Europe where the restorative values are not just words, but values in action. We need the EFRJ to bring the restorative values to the people, so they can all strive for a better living and working together in their contexts...

I was a teacher myself for eleven years and afterwards I've been been supporting students, families, teachers, care-workers, to implement the restorative practices into their daily life and work. So I think, the quality you can expect from me, is that the way we look to restorative practices is really practice-based. I'm also a very good team player, like to think into opportunities and I also like to think outside of the box. Due to my link as an employee of vzw Oranjehuis (a restorative youth care organisation) and my work as a trainer and facilitator for Ligand (pioneers in restorative work in Flanders), I have a wide network of restorative practitioners and organisations.

I recommend Wim Huyzentruyt for the Board of the European Forum for Restorative Justice. A key strength is his daily presence in Belgium, which provides an important advantage for the organisation’s administrative and legal matters. Wim has extensive and substantive experience in the implementation of restorative practices. I have worked with him and highly value their professionalism, collaborative approach, and dedication. I am confident that Wim would be a strong, reliable, and valuable contributor to the work of the Board.

Wim Huyzentruyt, Ligand/Oranjehuis, Belgium is running for a seat in the EFRJ Board, and I strongly support his candidacy. Wim is a dedicated advocate for the use of Restorative Justic in working with youth and young adults. He is an experienced trainer and facilitator in all cases, that concerns work with young people. Furthermore, Wim has a long-time experience working in Ligand, an NGO, situated in Kortrijk, Belgium that works with young people. Through Ligand, Wim has long-term experience with NGO management, financial management, fundraising and communication. Wim believes in bringing restorative practices to the table in all work with young people across Europe whether they work in education, youth care, asylum and migration and/or justice. Wim’s ambition is that ‘Every youngster deserves to grow up with the restorative values in action, and a Europe where everyone knows how to deal with conflicts in a restorative, constructive and sustainable way.’

Email: wim.huyzentruyt@ligand.be

Organisation, job title: vzw Oranjehuis - Ligand / Trainer-Facilitator