“Whose girl are you?” Oudenaarde launches clothing badges in local dialect

Oudenaarde is putting its local dialect on people's clothes in an effort to get neighbors talking. The Belgian city is launching badges with phrases such as “Whose girl are you?”, “Do I know you from somewhere?” and “Hey, shall we have a chat?”

The campaign has a specific target: by 2030, the city wants every resident to know at least one neighbor. Oudenaarde included that goal in its multi-year plan as officials respond to what they see as increasingly harsh interactions, especially on social media.

“People who do not know one another sometimes use harsh language against each other,” alderwoman Elizabeth Meuleman of Meer dan Groen said. “Society is becoming harder, and we notice that.”

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People who do not know one another sometimes use harsh language against each other.

Meuleman described the badges as conversation starters. A familiar local phrase, she said, can lead to a simple chat and create a first contact. That may make it easier for people to approach one another later and more likely that they will help a neighbor.

Residents can collect the badges at September fairs in Oudenaarde, Mater, Mullum, Nederename, Eine and Volkegem. Other districts will receive them next year as the campaign expands gradually, with volunteers helping distribute them. “We want to be a city where people help each other when needed, where we feel safe with one another,” Meuleman said.

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We want to be a city where people help each other when needed, where we feel safe with one another.