Language Café n°1: Multiculturalism

For the summer, we decided to organize a language café. The goal of it is for participants to improve their capacity to communicate in a foreign language through activities.

For our first meeting, we focused on English and had seven participants. The theme was multiculturalism and getting to know each other. Participants also had the opportunity to learn about digital citizenship skills by using different digital tools during the activities. 

We had prepared different activities. First, we had a “People Bingo” as an ice breaker. Participants had a sheet and had to find other participants who corresponded to the different statements. Statements included “Find someone who is an only child”, “Find someone who likes pineapple on pizza”, or “Find someone who knows a great place for lunch”. The first one to fill everything yells “Bingo!” and wins. Participants were very involved in the game, and it was a great way to start getting to know each other, getting more comfortable and to find similarities with others.

Then, we played a stereotype game. Participants randomly picked a piece of paper with a stereotype about France, Spain, or Romania. They then had to mime or explain it to the others. This got very funny and allowed us to discuss whether they were true and about the culture of those three countries.

We finished with an activity related to food which made us all hungry. We had printed pictures of French and Spanish dishes. Participants had to guess what the different ingredients were.

This was a great start for our language café. Participants were very engaged in the different activities and open to talking with new people. The atmosphere of the whole café was friendly and everyone was included in the group. All said they were looking forward to the next café, and hope to keep this energy for the whole summer!

Location: Constanta, Romania
Date: 13th of July 2021