Jacques Pluymaekers

After years as a psychologist in specialized educational institutions, he has created in Brussels in 1971 “la Gerbe”, community animation and mental health center applying the innovation of neighborhood practices in Belgium. With Mony Elkaïm from 1974 on they developed many initiatives. He is now responsible and trainer at the Institute of Family and Human Systems, president of the association “Réseaux et familles” in Montpellier, lecturer in higher social education in Namur (Belgium) and scientific advisor at the UCL School of Criminology.

Yara Doumit-Naufal: The first time I saw Jacques Pluymaekers was in Lyon, during a meeting of the EFTA board members at the IFATC premises. I had specifically come from Lebanon to be there. Reynaldo Perrone wanted me to put faces to the names I had read and to meet the great masters.
After their meeting, I accompanied them to Old Lyon. Jacques Pluymaekers then talked to me about his trips to Lebanon. At that time, I didn’t precisely know his contributions, but I sensed his generosity and benevolence.
A few months later, he wrote to me that he was coming to Lebanon. I met him again after a day of training he had led. During our discussion, I shared my observations about training Institutes and EFTA. He then told me the story of systemics…
A friendship was woven, marked by the same generosity. We met annually in Lebanon, and then, from 2015, when I moved to France, Françoise and he invited me, along with my four children, to Charrus in Ardèche.
I got to know a welcoming, benevolent, committed, and invested man. It was only years later that I fully realized who he was as a visionary, pioneer, and co-founder of EFTA.
Plum, thank you for your generosity. You are a humble and inspiring person.