Who are we?

Our mission

We believe that every youngster has the right to dream big about the future. That is why TADA addresses inequality through long-term and high-quality educational programmes. Through these, we empower youngsters in Belgium from socio-economically vulnerable backgrounds in finding their place in society.

We do not act alone: we invite everyone to support our social project and we activate citizens, governments and businesses to share some of the responsibilities together. Because the future of our youngsters is the responsibility of us all.

Our concern

In Belgium, educational inequality is among the highest of all OECD countries; a child's socio-economic background still too often determines their academic performance, choice of study, and their chances of success.

National data highlights the widespread nature of this issue: nearly one in five Belgian children (19%) grows up at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This means that in our country an estimated 300,000 children and youngsters go through their school careers with significantly less access to promising networks and opportunities than their peers.

Without swift intervention, the social and personal consequences are severe:

School delay: as many as 69% of youngsters from vulnerable backgrounds complete secondary education behind schedule.
Early school leaving: at least 30% of them leave school without a diploma, compared to 10%, which corresponds to the national average.
Long-term unemployment: youngsters who leave school without a diploma spend on average 60% of their working life unemployed.
High cost to society: early school leaving does not only shatter individual dreams, it also costs Belgian society close to one million euros on average per early school leaver over their lifetime.

Our preventive approach

The underlying causes of school dropout or demotivation take root deeply, long before the difficulties become visible in secondary education. That is why TADA firmly believes in a preventive rather than a corrective approach.

TADA takes a preventive approach by stepping in early in the school journey – from the age of 10. We see that youngsters from socio-economically vulnerable backgrounds sometimes limit their dreams, and that is exactly what we want to counterbalance. Every youngster has the right to dream big about their future and to find their own place in society. You can read more about how we guarantee a safe learning environment in our integrity policy.

Our contribution to the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals

The major challenges in our society are all interconnected. That is why TADA’s broad impact aligns seamlessly with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through our long-term educational programmes, we tackle inequality at its roots. In this way, we contribute across various fields to an inclusive, healthy and equitable future where every youngster has the opportunity to thrive.