Chiro
Encyclopedia
| Chiro | |
|---|---|
| Established: | 1934 |
| Founder: | Jos Cleymans |
| Website: | http://www.chiro.be |
Chiro is a Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
youth organisation, founded on Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
values, now only tenuously held, with 94,311 members . While mainly focusing on having fun, it also aims at developing youngsters' responsibility and skills.
The name Chiro is a combination of the Greek
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
letters chi (χ) and rho (ρ), which are the first letters of Christos, the Greek form of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. It was introduced by Jos Cleymans in an issue of Het Katholiek Patronaat, describing the youth of Chiro (Chirojeugd). At first, it was only about a new way to entertain children on sunday, while also teaching Catholic values. In 1941 Jos and some of his fellow priests founded the actual organization.
The members are divided into several sections according to their age. This division is not strict and not always applied in every individual group.
- Ribbels: 6–8 years old (not in every Chiro group)
- Speelclub: 8–10 years old, if there are ribbels, else 6–9 years old
- Rakwi: 10–12 years old, if there are ribbels, else 9–12 years old (rakkers (boys) & kwiks (girls))
- Tito: 12–14 years old (tippers (girls) & toppers (boys))
- Keti: 14–16 years old (kerels (boys) & tiptiens (girls))
- Aspi(rant): 16–18 years old
Famous Chiro members
- Bert AnciauxBert AnciauxBert Jozef Herman Vic Anciaux is a Belgian politician, a founder and former member of Spirit...
(Flemish politician) - Rutger BekeRutger BekeRutger Beke is a retired Belgian triathlete living in Leuven. Beke competed for the Uplace Pro Triathlon Team until he announced his retirement from professional triathlon on May 31, 2011....
(triathlete) - Jean-Luc DehaeneJean-Luc Dehaene-Early life and political career:He was born in Montpellier, France, when his parents were fleeing German troops. He got into politics through the Algemeen Christelijk Werknemersverbond , a trade union which was closely linked to the Christelijke Volkspartij .In 1981, he became Minister of Social...
(politician, he later transferred to scouts) - Stijn DevolderStijn DevolderStijn Devolder is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He rides for UCI ProTeam , having ridden for Discovery Channel between 2004 and 2007 and from 2008 to 2010. Devolder won his first professional race at the 2004 Four Days of Dunkirk, winning stage 4...
(cyclist) - Luc De Vos (Flemish singer GorkiGorki (band)Gorki is a Belgian rock group, consisting of lead singer and guitarist Luc De Vos, Luc Heyvaerts on keyboard and clarinet, Erik van Biesen on bass guitar and Eric Bosteels on the drums....
) - Piet Goddaer (singer: Ozark HenryOzark HenryPiet Goddaer is a Belgian musician, better known by his stage name Ozark Henry.-Biography:In his early life, Piet Goddaer was involved in several local bands...
) - Marc HerremansMarc HerremansMarc Herremans is a Belgian triathlete and motivational speaker.-Triathlete:Because of his 4th place finish in the Ironman of Australia, he secured a place for the 2001 Ironman World Championship held in Hawaii. On 6 October 2001, he finished in 6th place in the Ironman of Hawaii, widely regarded...
(triathlete) - Leif HosteLeif HosteLeif Hoste is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist since 1998. He rides on the UCI ProTour for . His career highlights include winning two stages and the overall title at the 2006 Three Days of De Panne, the 2001 and 2006 Belgian national time trial championships, and a second place finish...
(cyclist) - Herman SchueremansHerman SchueremansHerman Schueremans is a Flemish politician and concertpromotor. Schueremans was involved from the start with Rock Werchter and Torhout-Werchter. Now he still organises Rock Werchter for Live Nation, that bought the two festivals. Since 2004 he is also a member of the Flemish parliament for the...
(CEO Rock WerchterRock WerchterRock Werchter is a Belgian annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, since 1974. It is one of the five biggest annual rock music festivals in Europe...
) - Thor SaldenThor SaldenThor Salden from Schoten was the winning contestant in the Belgian pre-selections of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006 and he represented Belgium in the international final on 2 December 2006 in Bucharest, Romania where he reached seventh place in a field of fifteen...
(Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the fourth edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for young singers aged 8 to 15. On 2 December 2006, the contest was broadcast live from Bucharest, Romania making it the second time the contest had been held in a capital city...
) - OliverOliverThe surname Oliver is of several different origins.-Etymology:The surname Oliver is derived from the Old French personal name Olivier. The Oliver surname seems to be French Norman in origin. The Olivers were probably part of William the Conqueror's Norman Invasion of Britain in 1066...
(Eurosong for Kids 2008) - Peter Van de VeirePeter Van de VeirePeter Van de Veire is a well known radio personality in Flanders.-Early life:Van de Veire grew up in the town of Waarschoot...
(radio presenter) - Stan Van SamangStan Van SamangStan Van Samang is a Belgian actor and singer.- Career :He played the role of 'Kevin' in one of Flanders' famous soaps called Wittekerke...
(actor, singer) - Johan VerminnenJohan VerminnenJohan Verminnen is a Flemish singer.-Discography:*2005 Hartklop*2003 Tegenlicht *2001 Swingen tot Morgenvroeg*1999 Vroeger en Later*1999 Het beste van Johan Verminnen...
(singer) - Inge VervotteInge VervotteInge Vervotte is a Belgian politician for the Christian Democratic and Flemish party . She was Belgian federal minister for Civil Service and Public Enterprises in the Leterme I Government, which was in office in 2008 from 20 March to 30 December.Born in Bonheiden, she graduated in 1998 at the...
(politician) - Kris PeetersKris PeetersKris Peeters is a Flemish politician and member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party who is currently Minister-President of Flanders, the northern region of Belgium....
(politician)
For a more elaborated list, please refer to the Chiro website .
Chiro Organizations worldwide
Belgian MissionariesMissionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
brought the ideas of Chiro into third-world countries. Today there are Chiro organizations in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(since 1952), Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Botswana, Lesotho, D. R. Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
(as "Kiro") and Haiti (as "Mouvement Kiro D'Haiti", since 1960).
All these organizations – including the original Chirojeugd Vlaanderen – are member organizations of Fimcap
Fimcap
The Fimcap, which is short for Fédération Internationale des Mouvements Catholiques d’Action Paroissale , is an Umbrella organization for catholic youth organizations. It has got 35 member organizations who are based in 33 countries...
, which is an Umbrella organization
Umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
of catholic youth organizations.