Information, support and community for multilingual families
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Belingual wishes everyone Happy Cultural Diversity Day!
One 21 May we celebrate cultural diversity around the world. Culture is all the things that are passed down from generation to generation, such as language, religion, customs and traditions. Belingual families represent the cultural diversity and richness of Finland! It important that children feel that all their cultures are valuable and worth celebrating. So celebrate your culture together this weekend, listen to music together, read a book about diversity or cook a traditional meal together!
Here are some fun ideas for diversity games.
A multicultural songbook for children (in Finnish)
Read and learn about more than 70 different holidays in the celebration calendar! (In Finnish and Swedish)
Meet the Belingual Family Network Steering Committee
Did you know that the Family Network has a Steering Committee made up of parents of multilingual families? The committee ensures that intercultural, multilingual families in Finland are represented in planning all our activities so that we can better meet your needs.
Belingual Blog: Strengthening multilingualism takes work, but its worth it
" As a new dad I had a lot to learn and passing on my language and culture to my own child wasn't so simple, even though I had taken it for granted. Hadn't I been taught Somali just by talking?" Mohamed Ali, our Belingual Expert, tells us about his own experiences as a father of a multilingual family.
Belingual Tips: 5 language baskets to support children's language development
Belingual Tips gives fun and easy ways to support your child's multilingualism. Have you tried language baskets yet?
We are looking for volunteers to help with our virtual reading groups!
Its not to late to sign up for our 2-hour training on 30.5!
Do you and your child read at home in your family language? Volunteer as a reading group leader and you can meet new families, read and discuss together in your language on Zoom!
Help us decide what words we use to talk about multilingualism
If you are in Helsinki or Espoo, come check out out Belingual Language Clubs!
Events
Bilingual Labs are online peer workshops for intercultural parents where you will discuss bilingualism and raising bilingual children.
21.5.2022 at 14-17 at Me-talo Meltsi, Ounasvaarantie 9. This event is for sharing, experiencing and learning from each other about diverse ways and cultures of raising children. Children will have their own programme during the adult discussion and workshop.
Russian story session for 3-5 year old children and their families at Myyrmäen kirjasto.
Resources
Online lectures on the everyday life of multilingual families: Did you know that Familia has online lectures on multilingualism for children and families from different perspectives. Watch a lecture on family well-being, children's experiences of multilingualism or learn about the disconnectedness of multilingualism and identity.
Raising Multilinguals interviews a different multilingualism expert each month. If you are interested in research findings related to language development in children, you are sure to find something of interest here. Recorded webinars are in English.
Belingual Advice
We offer on-call help and support in matters related to bi- multilingualism.
Call or message us: Mon 13–15.00 on 045 78352075 (calls, text messages + WhatsApp)
Pop by our offices for a cup of coffee and a chat: Fri 11- 13.00 at Lintulahdenkatu 10 (7th floor), 00500 Helsinki
