What Makes His Innovative Work Unique
Theo addresses a critical blind spot in education: without self-esteem and agency, access does not translate into learning or mobility. His work strengthens equity by turning restored trust into sustained engagement, persistence, and real educational pathways for young people facing exclusion.
The Challenge
- Education and training often fail people in poverty, not because of a lack of programs, but because long-term exclusion erodes confidence, trust, and agency. Stigmatizing and hard-to-access learning environments further block engagement. Kanzo and Athena respond by first rebuilding agency and self-esteem, and then creating learning pathways that people can realistically enter and sustain.
- More specifically, Flemish education is under severe pressure. Despite being the fifth most expensive education system in Europe, 14% of students repeat a year, at a cost of over €1 billion annually, while inequality continues to widen, especially for newcomers and disadvantaged students.
The Innovative Strategy
- Kanzo (originally ArmenTeKort) works at a systemic level to strengthen family stability and housing security for people facing structural vulnerability. Building on this foundation, Athena extends the work into the education domain, providing learning security and talent development for the same population. Together, they form an integrated ecosystem addressing four key areas essential to breaking intergenerational poverty: housing, education, self-confidence, and meaningful employment.
- Kanzo addresses structural vulnerability by pairing families with trained citizen volunteers in long-term buddyships that rebuild confidence and the ability to navigate social systems.
- Athena brings self-directed learning pathways for young people who struggle in mainstream education. Through personalized guidance, language support, and alternative qualification routes, it helps students stay in school, reduce the risk of dropout, and move forward toward a qualification and a realistic future.
- This solution combines personal empowerment with open learning spaces to enable lasting engagement with education.
The Impact
- 1,000 volunteers trained, 800+ buddy pairs
- Hundreds of people re-engage with learning, training, and social participation
- Growing movement influencing citizens, institutions, and policymakers
- Building a strong evidence base and narrative to shift from ‘fighting poverty’ to ‘preventing poverty
Why is Theo Vaes a strong match for the Unlock Education Partnership?
Direct alignment with priority age group (14–18)
Athena is designed for adolescents excluded from formal education, supporting re-engagement, persistence, and orientation
Addresses root drivers of educational disengagement
Rebuilds self-esteem and agency as prerequisites for learning, orientation, and employability
Integrated, complementary model:
Integrated model: Kanzo restores confidence through trust-based buddyships; Athena Open Leercentrum turns confidence into learning pathways for young people
System-level prevention approach:
shifts responses from remedial support to early, human-centered educational inclusion
Strong alignment with AXA’s societal mission:
Mobilizes citizens, institutions, and decision-makers around social mobility and resilience