mum.international: the synergies
A few selected case studies from the amazing 93% ... |
All the ladies introduced below have been Global Native members for longer
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Sophie S., mother of two teenagers, is a meteorologist and lives in Paris. She has established an ongoing dialogue with seven other meteorologists in three continents. Together they combine regular and quite intense professional exchange with connecting their children for language exchange. A total of twenty-one kids and teens aged between 3 and 22 benefit from "The Weather Group's" hospitality. The weather knows no borders, nor do they: A multilingual upbringing comes with the advantage of having an international social life! |
Antonella G. in Sicily is one of many parents with a handicapped child, her son (17) has cerebral palsy. Within her close network of seven European and two Canadian families in similar circumstances, the kids of all nine families have been abroad on language holidays multiple times and have always been with caring and competent hosts. Being able to travel, learn and socialize this way has turned out a major motivation boost for them.
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Mary F., mum of four in Massachusetts, founded her WhatsApp group of Global Native paediatricians three years ago. 16 mothers and two fathers from all parts of the world exchange professional knowledge and personal experiences regularly. Mary's close personal connections with partner families in Cologne and Barcelona means that her kids all speak Spanish (even Catalan!) and German. |
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The most popular kind of cooperation by far is teamwork with and/or amongst teachers. These teams cover languages as well as all the classic subjects and swap their own kids (as exchange students!) as happily as they exchange teaching materials. Many teachers like to connect with people who are professionals in the field they lecture on, ranging from physicists and microbiologists all the way to accountants and investment bankers, providing real life input for their lessons. |
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Mio's roots are in Japan.
Until six years ago she had never been there and did not speak the language. Like thousands of other parents she decided to connect with families from her original background and catch up with her heritage. But Mio doesn't entertain a lively relationship just for herself and her three children. She and her American husband invite other parents with a similar fate to get involved. Twelve families in and around Chicago currently pool their resources and coordinate their travel arrangements throughout the year. They encourage new families to connect early enough to give their kids a chance to start learning Japanese (and English respectively, of course) when they are toddlers. |
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Berit travelled extensively in her twenties. Today she runs a really popular Mexican restaurant in her hometown Oslo.
Her family partner Maria in Oaxaca City has twin boys like herself and is an accomplished chef too. Maria and her husband are famous for their experiments in the kitchen and Berit receives and tries out every new recipe as soon as Maria has decided it can go on the menu. Their sons are born in the same year and they have, two by two, swapped places in school for a semester each. Although Maria's sons have not really picked up any Norwegian, their English has improved considerably and Berit's boys speak Spanish really well now. And Berit's cuisine continues to surprise her customers. |
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