Mission & Action

Opening more doors for more people with three ICT keys.

Not everyone has equal opportunities in education, healthcare, employment or leisure activities. The doors to the digital world also remain closed to many. This increases inequality and social exclusion.

MAKS vzw works in Kuregem and in the Brussels-Capital Region to promote the digital empowerment of young and old residents.

She increases their knowledge and use of ICT through courses and multimedia projects.

These are two keys to opening closed ICT doors. MAKS vzw also regularly carries out creative projects in the Brussels-Capital Region. It does so alone or with other partners in Kuregem. They form the third key to giving more people access to the digital world.

Thanks to ICT, digital forms of communication have become more accessible than ever before. They are also inexpensive and easy to use. Think of digital video and films, photo reports, websites, games, blogs, music, etc., but also posters, leaflets and other graphic work.

During these creative activities, participants learn how to use these latest media professionally.
They become skilled at applying these techniques in inventive and appealing ways. They learn how to use all of this in a simple way in their daily lives or work.
To express themselves. To give shape to ideas. To improve their chances on the job market.
To examine and process personal or social problems.

MAKS vzw maintains a critical stance with regard to measures and initiatives taken to reduce the so-called “digital divide”. These may be initiatives from associations or government bodies. Eliminating the digital divide should not simply mean providing everyone with a cheap computer and a few lessons. Information and communication technology (ICT) should be deployed based on a vibrant vision of active citizenship. MAKS vzw formulates measures and proposals to this end.

These relate to increasing citizens’ knowledge, skills, access and use, but also to adapting the language and forms of communication used by public authorities. Efficient and targeted use of multimedia thus promotes an open and accessible relationship between citizens, organisations and policy.

MAKS vzw plays an important role in the movement for digital empowerment and media literacy.

MAKS vzw uses a wide range of technologies, ranging from the internet, cameras or photo equipment, computers, printers, scanners, MP3 players, etc. It works with software programmes that are accessible to a wide audience. These are usually standard applications from Windows, Adobe or other graphics packages. However, where possible, open source software is also used. In both cases, these are computer programmes for processing and presenting text or figures, sound and music, photos or moving images.