Vlaamse Scholierenkoepel

What Vlaamse Scholierenkoepel does

Vlaamse Scholierenkoepel is a Belgian non-profit association (vzw) founded in 1999 that serves as the officially recognized advocacy organization for all secondary school students in Dutch-language education across Flanders and Brussels, representing an estimated 500,000+ students. It is structured as a student-governed body: a board of six elected students plus one adult board member, approximately 30 students on the General Council drawn from across Flanders (max two per school), and six student representatives holding formal seats in official Flemish education councils including the Vlaamse Onderwijsraad (VLOR). The organization operates from Bloemenhofplein 12 in Brussels within the Vlaams Scholieren- en Studentenhuis.

Its product surface combines a content/research layer (a Kennisbank knowledge bank of 300+ articles, policy advisories, and the periodic Grote Scholierenbevraging large-scale student survey that drew 34,288 respondents in January-February 2026), a student-benefit layer (the free Leerlingenkaart discount card and the Leerlingenkaart aanbieders partner network), and a school-support layer (free formation programs on student participation, the Zorgeloosdoos wellbeing toolkit distributed physically to 100 schools with a free digital version, the Wij Pestvrij anti-bullying toolkit co-developed with the Vlaams Netwerk Kies Kleur tegen Pesten, the Welbevindinges interactive board game, and the Conflixers peer-support program). Technology is commodity: the website (scholierenkoepel.be on Webflow), Google Forms for surveys, MailerLite for newsletters, Google Analytics, YouTube embeds, and AddThis — no proprietary platform or AI capability.

The business model is non-commercial: all student-facing activities, surveys, and toolkits are free, with travel expenses reimbursed. Revenue consists primarily of Flemish government subsidies supplemented by project-based grants (e.g., De Warmste Week funded Zorgeloosdoos and Buitengewoon Verbonden) and in-kind partnerships (graphic design by Kris Buedts/Dirty Harry). GTM is community-led — peer-to-peer recruitment via the Scholierenbende volunteer group, school visits by formation staff, social media (Instagram, TikTok), earned media through press releases, and an annual Inspraakdag event that convenes students with politicians at the Brussels office. Adult staff (11) execute operations while students retain strategic and content authority.

Name

Vlaamse Scholierenkoepel

Legal name

Vlaamse Scholierenkoepel vzw

Website

https://scholierenkoepel.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vlaamse Scholierenkoepel is a student-led Belgian non-profit (vzw) founded in 1999 that represents all 500,000+ secondary school students in Dutch-language education across Flanders and Brussels, delivering policy advocacy, large-scale surveys, free school toolkits, and peer-support programs through a student-governed structure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education Advocacy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy Advocacy & Lobbying Organizations (EDADADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF)

Keywords

• Student advocacy
• Education policy research
• Student council support
• Youth participation programs
• Peer support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussel

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Subsidies: The Scholierenkoepel receives government funding (subsidies) from the Flemish government to fund its operations, activities, and staff. This is the primary source of funding for the nonprofit organization.
2. Project-based Grants and Donations: The organization receives grants and donations for specific projects, such as the Zorgeloosdoos project which was made possible by funding from De Warmste Week (a charitable initiative).
3. Leerlingenkaart (Student Card Discount Program): A student card program offering discounts to students from partner providers. Revenue model for this stream is not clearly disclosed as commercial; it appears to be a free benefit program for students rather than a revenue-generating product.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Vlaamse Scholierenkoepel is a student-led non-profit that represents all secondary school students (500,000+) in Dutch-language education across Flanders and Brussels. It amplifies the student voice in education policy through large-scale surveys (the Grote Scholierenbevraging), policy advice, free toolkits, peer support programs (Conflixers), training for student councils, and the Leerlingenkaart student discount card. The organization is governed entirely by elected students and funded primarily by Flemish government subsidies.

Product overview

The Vlaamse Scholierenkoepel is a student advocacy organization that functions as a platform offering multiple interconnected products and services. Its core offerings include the Leerlingenkaart (Student Card) for student discounts, the Kennisbank (Knowledge Bank) containing research and policy positions, the De Zorgeloosdoos toolkit for student councils, De Conflixers peer support program, and the periodic Grote Scholierenbevraging (Large Student Survey) that collects student opinions on education. The organization also provides training programs for schools and organizes the Inspraakdag (Participation Day) event. Together, these products serve to amplify student voice in education policy while providing practical tools for student participation and wellbeing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• De Grote Scholierenbevraging (Large Student Survey) Large-scale periodic survey of secondary school students in Flanders and Brussels that gathers opinions on education policy. Results are compiled into reports (De Scholierenstem) and submitted to the Minister of Education, parliament, the Vlaamse Onderwijsraad, education umbrella organizations, and the education inspectorate.
• Leerlingenkaart (Student Card) Free student discount card program offering discounts and benefits to secondary school students in Flanders and Brussels from participating partner providers (aanbieders). Students access deals through an online portal listing partner offers.
• De Zorgeloosdoos (The Carefree Box) Free toolkit package for student councils (leerlingenraad) and Conflixers groups to help create a safe and connected school environment. Includes practical tools, action plans, surveys, and inspiration materials; available as a digital download and as a limited-run physical box.
• De Conflixers Peer support initiative in which students (Conflixers) support fellow students at their own schools through meters/peters programs, trust students (vertrouwensleerlingen), or student mediators, supporting student mental wellbeing through peer-to-peer assistance.
• Vormingen en Trajecten (Training and Programs) Training sessions and support programs delivered by Scholierenkoepel staff at schools, providing tailored support for building and strengthening student participation structures, including training for student councils and Conflixers peer supporters.
• Welbevindinges Interactive board game developed by the Scholierenkoepel that allows student councils to gather input on school wellbeing policy from fellow students, identifying priorities and producing a mirror list of action items for teachers, student guidance, CLB, student councils, or school management.
• Wij Pestvrij Toolkit Free anti-bullying toolkit based on the 10 building blocks of Kies Kleur tegen Pesten, co-developed with the Flemish Network against Bullying. Available in variants for schools, youth organizations, and sports clubs.
• Inspraakdag (Participation Day) Annual in-person event where students share their opinions about education directly with politicians and policymakers at the Flemish Student and Youth House (Vlaams Scholieren- en Studentenhuis) in Brussels. Open to individual students and groups of up to 4 from secondary schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34,288 students surveyed in the 2026 Grote Scholierenbevraging, providing representative data on student opinions for policy use
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• De Warmste WeekcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025De Warmste Week (a charitable initiative by Cardon) funded the Zorgeloosdoos project, enabling the distribution of 100 physical packages to schools free of charge. This partnership was central to the wellbeing initiative targeting student councils and Conflixers groups across Flanders.
• Kris Buedts (Dirty Harry graphic design studio)minorOthers · 1 January 2025Graphic designer Kris Buedts from Dirty Harry created the visual design for the Zorgeloosdoos, contributing to the professional appearance and brand identity of the toolkit.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Area (Japan) - Student ExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025A student exchange initiative where a delegation from Tokyo Metropolitan Area visited the Scholierenkoepel office in March 2025 to share best practices on youth participation in education policy and child-friendly urban planning. Five Flemish students are planned to visit Tokyo in return.
• ÇavariaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Çavaria, the organization advocating for gender and sexual diversity, serves as a model for the Scholierenkoepel's pronoun usage practices. The Scholierenkoepel follows Çavaria's example by including preferred pronouns in staff descriptions and email signatures to promote gender diversity awareness and break gender binarity.
• Vlaams Netwerk Kies Kleur tegen PestencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Scholierenkoepel co-developed the Wij Pestvrij toolkit with the Flemish Network against Bullying (Kies Kleur tegen Pesten). This toolkit, based on the 10 building blocks of anti-bullying work, is available for schools, youth organizations, and sports clubs.
• Vlaamse Onderwijsraad (VLOR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The VLOR serves as the official advisory body for the Minister of Education and Flemish Parliament. The Scholierenkoepel's elected student representatives participate in VLOR meetings, bringing student perspectives directly into official education policy discussions.
• Minister of Education (Zuhal Demir)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Following the 2023 Scholierenstaking, the Scholierenkoepel established regular dialogue with Minister Zuhal Demir. After the March 2026 conversation, the Minister promised to listen to students more frequently and to base policy decisions more on student input. Regular meetings are now planned.
• AanstokerijminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the Aanstokerij for the 2025 Children's Rights Day participatory program for primary schools.
• Katholiek Onderwijs (Catholic Education umbrella)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scholierenkoepel engages with the Catholic Education umbrella organization on matters of student rights, participation, and policy. Student representatives participate in meetings with this umbrella.
• GO! (Official Education umbrella)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scholierenkoepel engages with the GO! official education network on student participation and policy matters, with student representatives attending meetings.
• SmartschoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scholierenkoepel works with Smartschool (a school management platform) on student rights matters, including the anti-bullying reporting button system used by some schools.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Vlaamse Vereniging van Studenten (VVS): The umbrella Flemish student association representing university and college students in Flanders, operating in the same Belgian non-profit ecosystem. While focused on higher education, VVS shares advocacy methodology, government relations, and student governance philosophy with Scholierenkoepel.
• National Union of Students (NUS UK): UK-wide student union organization with comparable advocacy, surveys, and representation functions. While primarily focused on higher education, NUS's policy research, training, and government engagement approaches parallel Scholierenkoepel's secondary-education focus.
• Landelijke Studentenvakbond (LSVb): The Dutch national student union representing higher education students, adjacent to Scholierenkoepel in function (student advocacy, policy influence) but focused on university/HBO rather than secondary education. Comparable in advocacy and policy engagement style.

Direct peers

• Österreichische Schülervertretung: Austrian student representation body advocating for secondary school students at federal level. Directly comparable in representing the student voice to government, conducting surveys, and supporting school-level participation structures.
• Conseil National de la Vie Lycéenne (CNVL): The official French national council representing high school students in dialogue with the Ministry of Education. Highly comparable in mandate: official student representation, surveys, policy advice, and school-level participation support, though serving the French secondary system.
• Sveriges Elevkårer: Swedish national association for student councils and student influence in secondary education. Highly comparable in offering student council support, surveys, training programs, and policy advocacy for the secondary school population.
• BundesSchülerInnenVertretung: The federal student representation body in Germany, analogous to Scholierenkoepel as the officially recognized voice of secondary school students. Comparable in structure: student-led governance, policy advocacy to the federal education ministry, and representation on official advisory councils.

Emerging players

• Jeunesse Étudiante Catholique (JEC): French Catholic student movement that combines secondary school student advocacy, participation training, and policy positions. Comparable mission of student voice amplification but with a values-based framing rather than strictly governmental mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/scholierenkoepel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scholierenkoepel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vlaamse Scholierenkoepel