INTERVIEW. Our TikTok journalist Jonas Lips about why JEZ! is so important: “Young people are our future, we must take good care of them” | Domestic

“Once a year, JEZ! – it stands for Young and Crazy, but also for Young and Self-confident, or for Young and Careful – the largest charity campaign for young people and youth organizations in Flanders and Brussels. We give young people a voice and a face, with the help of HLN, VTM, Qmusic and Belfius. In the coming weeks and months, massive amounts of money will once again be raised during various actions, with a major final show on VTM in the last week of March. The amount we will then reveal will be distributed among a total of 200 charities, carefully selected by the King Baudouin Foundation. But of course with one constant: the organizations are all for young people.”

“It is important that we take good care of our young people and do not lose sight of them. Many teenagers feel lonely, spend a long time recovering from a debilitating illness, live in poverty… The organizations under JEZ! often give them the push they need. Because we must not forget: our children and teenagers are our future. If we invest in them, we invest in all of us.”

“Last year we relaunched the ‘Joepie’. 40,000 copies were sold at the time. More than 400 projects were set up to raise money. There were text message campaigns, 70 hours of live radio, hamburgers and ice creams were sold, there was a rubber duck race and a final week in every province with performances by Pommelien Thijs and Average Rob, among others. What are we going to do this year? I can’t reveal anything about that yet (laughs).”

“The great thing about JEZ! is that it becomes very concrete. The children at the rehabilitation center of Ghent University Hospital, for example, were able to do so thanks to JEZ! record a music video with Clouseau. During the previous edition I went to Center Parcs with vulnerable young people. I spoke with a girl who had ended up in a foster home at a young age. Nora (Gharib, ed.) visited Habbekrats, which organizes camps for young people with vulnerable home situations. The people we do this for get a face. That’s what makes JEZ! so relevant.”

“That is a collective of young people from all corners of Flanders and Brussels. They are the embodiment of our young people, they give them a face. They take to the streets for us, create fun content and mobilize their friends and other young people for JEZ!.”

“As a TikTok journalist for HLN and ‘VTM News’, I make news tailored to young people every day. Every day we reach hundreds of thousands, sometimes even up to two million young people. They send me thousands of questions. I know what’s going on with them. At the same time, as an 18-year-old young person who recently graduated, I also received help from one of the organizations. I struggled with panic attacks when I wanted to continue studying. I was then able to contact the non-profit organization Tejo, which offers free psychological help for young people between 10 and 20 years old. Tejo has meant a lot to me. The fact that I am now raising money for all these youth organizations gives me the feeling that I can give something back. I realize even more how important such institutions are.”

JEZ! supports? You can do that through this link.