1st edition of the VUB Autumn School on Multilingualism

From 12 to 16 November 2024, 20 students from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the University of Ljubljana and the University of Warwick participated in the very first edition of the VUB Autumn School on Multilingualism, which is part of the newly developed EUTOPIA Minor, co-created by the Connected Learning Communities ‘Multilingualism & Diversity’ and ‘Text & Discourse Analysis’.

Through lectures, seminars, and workshops, students got to explore multilingualism in Brussels, as well as other superdiverse environments such as South Africa, but also sign languages, street poetry, literature, language policy, etc. On the last day, students enjoyed cultural activities: a visit to the Parlamentarium and a street poetry workshop. Students were highly engaged throughout the week and had excellent discussions. One undergraduate from the University of Warwick stated that this “transformative experience” enhanced his understanding “of the numerous, and often complex, ways in which language interacts with history, politics, economics, culture and society”.

In 2025, we hope that students from other EUTOPIA partners will join this exciting initiative, stay tuned!