Share my language
Share My Language is an activity which helps bring people and communities together, sharing passions and interests as well as language. Thus, it centres around casual cultural exchange to improve two-way integration between host and newly arrived communities.
To help its continued implementation when delivery ends, MiFriendly Cities are in the process of creating a free resource pack for stakeholders that may want to learn how to put on Share My Language sessions and/or activities. It was decided that the best way to show the interactive and flexible nature of Share My Language would be through videos that act almost as ‘tutorials’.
Indy Donald, Share My Language Coordinator, and communications worked collaboratively to devise a projected plan based on her delivery sessions. From this, an ‘Introducing… Share My Language’ playlist on YouTube was created, which explores what Share My Language means and how it can be implemented almost everywhere.
The first video in the series aims to showcase the strand’s key principles, which are:
“Share My Language should be
- Fun and interactive
- Useful and purposeful
- Informal and social
- Accessible to everyone and in a safe environment
- A sharing of passions “
This video has received 28 views in less than one month. Whilst this is not extraordinarily high, it has also resulted in individuals and community organisations getting in touch to find out how they can get involved and/or deliver their own Share My Language sessions.
Additionally, the second video in the series has received more views in a shorter amount of time. This video shows Share My Language in action: colleagues at work sharing food they eat during the festive period and telling the stories behind the dishes. One person from America talks of the joys of eating chili during cold winter months, whilst another reminisces about the beigli’s her family would make when she was growing up in Hungary.
Elena Harrison, one of the participants, said: “Share My Language food ‘pitch ins’ have been a great way to get to know my team better – I’ve learned about their childhood, cultures, countries – all whilst enjoying some amazing dishes”
In the coming months, MiFriendly Cities will film Indy Donald delivering more Share My Language events, such as a children’s rhyming session and a poetry night held in celebration of ‘International Mother Language Day’. By creating more videos to show the different ways in which stakeholders can easily facilitate cultural exchange to create a more ‘Migrant Friendly’ West Midlands, MiFriendly Cities hope to help shape the project’s legacy.
See the full playlist here
Integration of migrants and refugees
