Multilib

Multilib is an EU-funded Erasmus+ project also coordinated by Viksjöforsbaletten, Sweden. The IYMF, The Mosaic Art And Sound Ltd. (UK), the Pelican Language School (Czech Republic), Technical University of Crete (Greece) and the University of Cukurova (Turkey) are contributing partners.

Multilib offers a solution for primary school teachers who seek innovative methodologies to enable them to manage increasingly multicultural classes. The project proposes educational concepts, methodologies and tools for teachers to facilitate social inclusion and mutual understanding in the classroom, while providing fun ways to learn languages via stories and tales for children. Destined to “educate and enrich both the soul and the life of this world”, stories and tales are part and parcel of our cultural heritage since ancient times. Stories and tales nurture and develop the imagination, helping us to project our vision of the world and of ourselves to another level. By virtue of universality of the symbols they contain, stories address that part of humanity, which is common to all mankind, opening a world of possibilities and rousing a sense of pleasure. Their use can be a source of healing and stimulus for social cohesion.

For this project, several beautifully illustrated children’s stories have been created in the form of e-Books and translated into twelve languages, including those of six cultural minorities in Europe. These stories, some of which were written specifically for MultiLib, together with the illustrations, recount the traditions or peculiarities of each culture through a series of metaphors or symbolic narratives that enable children to recognize themselves and encourage transformation. Our contribution includes two sets of two stories (traditional and new), one set from Belgium (in French) and the other from Haiti (in Haitian Creole).

The e-Books, together with digital animations, videos and recordings in the various languages should help teachers to create fun and reassuring contexts, where speaking another language or coming from another culture enriches rather than detracts from the entire class. Primary schools, including immigrant families, have the opportunity to take part, by exchanging their own videos featuring their artistic achievements and performances related to activities based on the stories.

Learn more about Musilib, the follow-up of this project focusing on music!