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A theme-based shared flat (called kot-à-projet or Kap's in french) is a unique concept created by the université catholique de Louvain which consist of sharing a flat between six or twelve students.The flat consist of a bedroom for each student and shared kitchen, toilets and bathroom. This concept is original because these students agreed to work together on a one-year (one academic year) project. This project can be either of a cultural social or humanitarian dimension. In total there are about 130 Kap's in Belgium gathering more than 1000 students .For example, one of them helps primary school students for their courses, another one takes care of handicapped peoples and another one is organizing all the sport events in Louvain-la-Neuve. If you are an Exchange student, you would be able to find your place in one of these kap's. Indeed, some of the Kap's have a reserved room for you. For you, to live in a theme-based shared flat is a really good way to be participate in interesting projects,to be integrated in the Belgian culture and to improve your french.

History
Theme-based shared flat were created in 1972 in Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium. This young students city was built after the Dutch students chased the French students from the Catholic University of Leuven. This situation led to the fact that new forms of social relations and a new innovative culture's conception were created. During its creation, the city included the concept of kot-à-projet which was a perfect way to meet the new objective of socialization. Is the reason why the university directly began to support, to fund the kap's, and make them attractive for the students in the first year of their creation.At the beginning, these theme-based shared flat were recognized as "student organizations" and were inspired from the community houses (mostly Christian) existing before this dutch-french separation. In this period the issue of mixing sexes in accommodations occupied an important place. Although it remained officially banned,the university was used to allows the theme-based shared flat's occupants to choose their flatmates. It's the reason why, despite the university authorities not really realized this, the theme-based shared flats were the first mixed accommodation in Louvain-la-Neuve.

Organization
Most kap's are just association but those who want can organize a non-profit organization in case of they have to manage a significant amount of money. The internal organization is really special because its adapted to the student's lifestyle. Indeed, students generally stay in the same theme-based flat, depending of their academic career only two or three years and sometimes even less. This turnover has to be compensate by finding every year new people interested in taking the lead of the kap. For this existing members organize dinners meeting to welcome newcomers. Furthermore, to stay alive and continue to proof their utility, kap's must defend their lives each year in front of a commission. This commission is composed of officials from the UCL and students, it examines the whole year covered by the kap, reads the file summary and plans for next year and then decide whether to give to the kap an additional year on the campus.

How does it work ?
All the kap's are organized round a committee called "the organ". This committee has three mains functions :

The presidency
The Chairman is responsible for the kap's official representations and govern the commission in charge of listening kap's defense about their renewal.

The treasury
The treasurer receives subsidies from the university and from the municipality and is responsible for redistributing them to the different kap's.

The external relations
The manager is responsible for coordinating contacts between the kap's, the University and the City

Categorization of the projects
The different proposed projects of the kap's are numerous but they can be categorized :

Benefits

 * For the university : implementation of a social and cultural climate
 * For the organizer : discount on the rental fee, rooms and subsidies available to achieve the projects and opportunity to enjoy their life out of the study context. Furthermore, its a complement to their personal experience (can be useful on a CV)
 * For the users : small events organized every week which answer to student's needs.

Specificities of each city
Theme-bases shared flat started in Louvain-la-Neuve but this concept has been expended to Liège, Namur and Brussels. In total there are about 130 kap's in Belgium. Precisely 80 kap's in Louvain-le-Neuve, 16 kap's in Namur and 30 kap's in Brussels. Liège city is still developing the concept.

Reference and links

 * http://www.sustainable-everyday.net/lacambre2005/?p=33
 * http://www.organe.be/les-kots-a-projet
 * Translated from the french kot-à-projet wikipedia page.