The Multilingual Library for Children in Europe

In 2015, over a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe, creating a significant challenge for many countries.  Sweden, for example, received asylum applications at a rate of 1,667 per 100,000 residents in 2015 (Source: BBC News).  This influx raised important questions about how to address not only migrants' immediate needs but also their long-term integration into European societies, including schooling and the labor market, while ensuring respect for diverse cultures.

The MultiLib project aimed to contribute to addressing these challenges by focusing on children's education.  Recognizing the crucial role of primary school teachers in this context, the project sought to provide them with innovative tools to teach increasingly multi-ethnic and multilingual classrooms.  These tools included a multilingual e-book library with stories in various languages, including those spoken by migrants, along with activity sets and a teacher's guide.  The project aimed to foster social inclusion, enhance intercultural understanding, and celebrate the cultures and languages of all children, including those from migrant families.  It also sought to develop skills relevant to future employment, such as multicultural knowledge, language proficiency, and ICT competence.

The project consortium consisted of various types of organizations, including a primary school, a foundation with a European network of primary schools, a language school, an art and education provider, and universities.  All partners engaged with local primary schools and immigrant groups.  The project's outputs were integrated into the partner institutions' educational offerings and made available as Open Educational Resources (OER) for wider dissemination.  The project also included an international conference to discuss inclusiveness and multicultural approaches in education.