The second Brussels Multilingualism Day will highlight the diversity of languages in Brussels schools.

Since the last regional elections, the Brussels Region has acquired a new competence: the promotion of multilingualism. This competence was entrusted to Brussels Minister Sven Gatz who, since then, has set up an annual Brussels Multilingualism Day. After a successful first edition, we will again celebrate the linguistic diversity of our capital during the second edition, which will be held on Saturday 25 September in the Brussels Parliament and in other places in Brussels.

Multilingualism in schools at the heart of the debate (Location: Brussels Parliament)

In both French- and Dutch-speaking schools in Brussels, many pupils speak one or more languages at home that are different from the language spoken at school. Is it possible to make room for these languages at school? And if so, are they useful or useless, harmful or necessary? Also, more than 90% of Brussels residents are in favour of multilingual education in Brussels: What are the obstacles to the creation of multilingual schools in Brussels? Shouldn't Dutch-speaking and French-speaking schools work together more?

All these questions will be debated in separate workshops with the participation of Minister Sven Gatz in charge of the Promotion of Multilingualism, the Mayor of the City of Brussels Philippe Close, the Rector of the VUB Caroline Pauwels and also the expertise of members of the Brussels Council for Multilingualism such as Philippe Van Parijs (President) and Nadia Fadil (Vice-President) or the experience and testimonies of 6 Brussels teachers.

Launch of the bilingual brochure: "Meer taal in het onderwijs in Brussel" - "Grandir en multilingue à Bruxelles, à l'école et en dehors" (Venue: Brussels Parliament - Hemicycle Room)

Minister Sven Gatz will officially launch the bilingual brochure: "Meer taal in het onderwijs in Brussel" - "Grandir en multilingue à Bruxelles, à l'école et en dehors". This brochure offers an overview of the most important information, methodologies and projects concerning multilingualism in an educational context. The aim is to provide a tool for teachers who want to learn about multilingualism. A print run of 4000 copies will be distributed to all primary and secondary schools in Brussels.

Poetry competition (Venue: Brussels Parliament - Hemicycle Room)

BeTalky will launch its poetry competition and invite French- and Dutch-speaking pupils in Brussels between the ages of 10 and 18 to participate. How can they participate? By writing a poem about Brussels and using a combination of different languages (NL, FR, EN and others)

A jury will announce the winner on 21/03/2022 during the World Poetry Day. The winner will have the opportunity to read his/her poem in the Brussels Parliament in the presence of Members of Parliament and Ministers and to have his/her poem displayed in the Brussels Parliament.

Graduation of OKAN students as social interpreters (Venue: Brussels Parliament - Hemicycle Room)

In the framework of the BeTalky call for projects, OKAN & DASPA have been working with newcomer minors, helping them to develop multilingual skills through pre-training as social interpreters. They will symbolically receive their diploma and congratulations from Brussels Minister Sven Gatz.

Kids! Are you ready for a language bath? (Location: Muntpunt - Munt 6, 1000 Brussels- Presence of Minister Sven Gatz from 11:00 to 12:00)

BeTalky provides children with an inflatable pool filled with balls that are marked with a word and where each colour of the ball corresponds to a different language. ​ The children will have to translate or discover the translations of words in different languages. A good idea to learn and have fun while the adults also enjoy their day.

Multilingualism in the European Parliament (Location: Brussels Parliament)

BeTalky offers you the opportunity to discover the workings of the European Parliament in Brussels, which is the most multilingual parliament in the world. It will also be an opportunity to see what it offers to educators and students.

The partners of the event:

On 25 and 26 September, the asbl Le Foyer , in collaboration with the Museum of Migration, will focus on the theme of "language as cultural heritage". ​ Through personal stories of migration, you can explore, travel, discover languages and plan your visit here: https://migratiemuseummigration.be/?lang=en

On Brussels Multilingualism Day, you will once again have the opportunity to learn new languages! Het Huis van het Nederlands is organising the first physical Patati Apéro since the coronavirus crisis. This aperitif will allow you to practice languages - in different language groups. You can register via this link: https://www.patati.be/nl/activiteiten/patati-apero ​

Brussels Multilingualism Day live via livestream

Due to the covid measures, the presence in the Brussels Parliament is limited. That is why it is possible to follow the day live from the BeTalky website.

You can find all the information via the following links:

As a member of the press, we would of course like to invite you "physically" to the Brussels Parliament on this day. However, due to security measures, it is necessary for you to signal your arrival. This can be done via adjellal@gov.brussels ​ or evanhengel@gov.brussels ​

European Multilingualism Day

We would also like to remind you that on Friday 24 & Saturday 25^th of September 2021, the European Union will also hold its traditional Multilingualism Day.

For more information, please visit: https://visiting.europarl.europa.eu/en/events/brussels/multilingualism-day

We look forward to seeing you at our Let's BeTalky Again events.