Koen Wynants

Koen Wynants (1979) transformed into a commoner and a commonist. After his master studies (Biology), Wynants started his career in 2003 as one of the first 13 ‘local environmental health workers’ in Flanders. As a ‘neutral’, governmental mediator/facilitator, he brought together different actors and stakeholders to co-govern complex, heavy metal hotspots in the Campine area. In 2010 he ‘switched’ his career/role. He started working for the citizens collective ‘Antwerp speaks’.  For more then seven years he tried to start up participatory policy processes. But now from the bottom up in his hometown Antwerp. In 2018 Wynants founded Commons Lab, the first citizen driven ‘Commons lab’. Commons lab got structural funding from the Flemish government since January 2021. Since January 2022, Commons Lab and CCQO collaborate started a ‘academic-collective’ partnership, they share their office, networks, knowledge, …