Mattias Buysens

Current occupation

Freelance trainer/facilitator

Work experience

For me it all started as animator on a playground somewhere in west flanders, Belgium. I did this for 7 years, and was lucky to work my first job here as support person for the volunteers.
From then on I knew I wanted to work with young people and groups in a supportive coaching way.

Throughout the years I worked as:
- Coördinator of playground and afterschool care ( 2009-04/2010)
- Day and night care worker with refugees (few months 2010)
- Groupworker/facilitator for youth (09/2010-2014)
in an non-formal way working on topics like groupdynamics, relationships, wellbeing, sexuality, their future, meaning of 'life', how to resist peerpressure for students in secondary schools. And creativity courses for students in higher education ..
The last 1,5 years I also was a mentor/coach for some of my colleagues.
- youth worker for Beroepenhuis. (2014)
A place where students of elementary school (11-12 year), could come for half a day to get to know different professions by trying them out.
- Educational worker for a Solidagro NGO (2015-2017)
Supporting a youth organisation, Dwagulu Dekkente, in organising intercultural exchanges between Belgium and Senegal/Burkina Faso for youth between 16 and 18 years old. And working on the topic of substainable farming in schools.
- Coördinator of Kiemkracht. (2017)
A small festival on substainability of labo vzw. An organisation focussing on critical citizenship (P. Freire, G. Boal, J. Macy, ..)
- Coördinator Climate Express. (12/2017-12/2019)
Working as only payed worker in this climate citizenmovement supporting our volunteers and mass actions organised by us ( Climate March of 100.000 people and Human chain around government buildings in Brussels).
- Lecturer/teacher in higher education (09/2020-10/2023)
The department I teached in, graduate Social Work in Brussels, mainly for students with a very divers background with the aim to bring in this diversity in the workfield. I gave two courses, one on getting to know themselfes as future professionals, and supervisor of students during their internship.

Between 2020 and 2023 I also worked as freelance trainer:
- Jint vzw (NA BE-FL). (2020 - ...
Working on online project during covid: WhatsUp as support/coach for Europeers developping this tool. Afterwards as trainer for NA-Fl to prepare and facilitate this online moments developped to support volunteers during the covid period and making sure they still feel connected with others. This sessions also took place in different city's when the lock down was over to reconnect volunteers after this difficult period.
Since 2023 also part of the TEC trainers pool.

- Trainer/developper of KA2 programme: Belonging to Nature: The heart of wellbeing. (2021-2022)

I also did a lot of voluntary work where I gained a lot of relevant experience:
- Don Bosco in international projects as groupleader to Zambia (2 times) and India (1 time), and in giving an animator course to zambian youthworkers. (2010 - 2013)
- Time-out projects for youth. (2013-2014)
Hikes of 5 days within Belgium as time out for boys.
- Working on campaigns to mobilize people for Climate actions: 10.000 Belgians to Paris and bicycle tour for 360 people from Brussels to Bonn ( coördinator) (2015-2017)
- ....

All the above experiences are important to me to mention, because they brought me to where I am now. And to the topics that are important to me at this point of my life: Wellbeing, Substainability, Coaching, (System) Change, Personal Growth, Diversity, intercultural learning and community building.

These topics I focus on in my work as trainer/facilitator. Since 2024 I can do this full time as self-employed trainer/facilitator.

In Flanders I share my knowledge and insights as partner in a trainers coöperation called Kwadraet. I give training courses and workshops on topics related to volunteering, group dynamics, non-formal learning and diversity.

Besides I am developing myself further on as trainer on topics linked with social justice, nature connection and mental wellbeing in a holistic perspective.