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A Youth-Led Newsroom for a More Inclusive Brussels

Brussels is Europe’s most multilingual city, but too often, its local media landscape fails to reflect that diversity.

What is WeSpeakBXL ?

WeSpeakBXL is a new media innovation project that brings together up to 20 young people from across the city to create inclusive, multilingual journalism, covering the issues that matter to them, in the languages they live and breathe.

Over 6 months, selected participants will be trained in digital storytelling, mobile video, and cross-linguistic journalism. Working together in small editorial teams, they will produce a series of original multimedia stories—videos, podcasts, articles—focusing on feminism, post-colonialism, local politics, climate justice, and youth activism.

WeSpeakBXL is independently run by TotalEU Production, a Brussels-based media initiative, in collaboration with investigative multimedia journalist and Fulbright fellow at Columbia University’s Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, Michele Calamaio. 

The project is designed for people aged 18-30 who live in Brussels, regardless of background or language. While content can be created in multiple languages (French, Dutch, English, Italian, Spanish, and others), the working language of the newsroom is English.

Key features

Free workshops

Free workshops with experienced journalists and trainers

Hands-on

Hands-on newsroom experience and professional mentoring

Public events

Public events to showcase your work and connect with local communities

Publication

Public events to showcase your work and connect with local communities

LIMENet logo color

Powered by LIMENet

WeSpeakBXL is part of the LIMENet initiative, coordinated by the MDI Global Office in Brussels. Funded by the European Commission, LIMENet aims to strengthen local and community media across Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, and Serbia. The initiative supports media outlets and projects that promote inclusion, pluralism, and quality journalism in underrepresented communities. Through a €720,000 sub-granting scheme, LIMENet equips 80 local media actors with the tools, training, and peer support they need to remain viable in the face of disinformation, shrinking revenues, and digital disruption.

Key objectives of the LIMENet

Enhancing Media Access

Improving equal access to media for disadvantaged groups.

Promoting Quality Reporting

Supporting local outlets in producing high-quality journalism.

Building Community Trust

Strengthening the relationship between local media and their audiences.

Fostering Democratic Participation

Encouraging active engagement in democratic processes among all community members.

Project Partners

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