Chiro

Chiro is a Flemish youth organisation, founded on Christian 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 letters chi (χ) and rho (ρ), which are the first letters of Christos, the Greek form of Christ. 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

Read more about Chiro:  Famous Chiro Members, Chiro Organizations Worldwide