Our kids speak on average three languages fluently by the time they leave school. How? They make each other laugh. Learn more about the European Day of Languages here
If you want to build a house, you don't start off with a brick. |
| | Explaining humour. |
Explaining a joke usually kills it.
Not so, if you're really keen to fully grasp a lingo. And it isn't just about jokes! Kids encounter all sorts of unfamiliar idioms and phrases, bewildering puns, local sayings and regional slang terms when they read a book, watch a film or listen to a song in another language.
It is an ongoing challenge to every youngster:
Every time you come across something you don't understand - particularly if you can't find it in the dictionary - ask your language partner and, if need be, even their parents or siblings, to put you in the picture. You'll be more than surprised how much you will learn about culture and country, about history and geography along the way. Context is everything.
Every time you feel you don't get the joke or don't understand the pun: Ask!
And whatever makes you laugh in your own tongue: Share it!
Not so, if you're really keen to fully grasp a lingo. And it isn't just about jokes! Kids encounter all sorts of unfamiliar idioms and phrases, bewildering puns, local sayings and regional slang terms when they read a book, watch a film or listen to a song in another language.
It is an ongoing challenge to every youngster:
Every time you come across something you don't understand - particularly if you can't find it in the dictionary - ask your language partner and, if need be, even their parents or siblings, to put you in the picture. You'll be more than surprised how much you will learn about culture and country, about history and geography along the way. Context is everything.
Every time you feel you don't get the joke or don't understand the pun: Ask!
And whatever makes you laugh in your own tongue: Share it!
| | What we find funny! |
Slapstick or black humour, simple comedy or highly political wit - not all laughter is equal.
In fact, the differences are amazing. Just take Mr. Bean.
You either love him or you can't stand him. Mr. Bean polarizes.
Back in the Sixties and Seventies, there was Luis de Funès. He made folks from all generations roll with laughter, others turned off their TV sets the moment they saw his face. And hundreds of millions of avid Monty Python fans cannot understand how anyone would not find them hilarious. But their antics don't resonate with everyone.
There is a strong bond in shared humour.
In fact, the differences are amazing. Just take Mr. Bean.
You either love him or you can't stand him. Mr. Bean polarizes.
Back in the Sixties and Seventies, there was Luis de Funès. He made folks from all generations roll with laughter, others turned off their TV sets the moment they saw his face. And hundreds of millions of avid Monty Python fans cannot understand how anyone would not find them hilarious. But their antics don't resonate with everyone.
There is a strong bond in shared humour.
| | If it's a good one, share it! |
Translating humour across a language barrier - it turns out to be a real favourite with all age groups. What better way to dive into a lingo than to make it your own! Kids love it, they love taking their parents on board too. So this is how we celebrate the European Day of Languages: We're having a good laugh together, we read between the lines, we check out comedy and satire in other languages!
Visit FAMILIAR LANGUAGES to see how Global Native kids grow up multilingual.
Find out more about the European Day of Languages here!
Find out here how to become a Global Native family and join the community!
  We speak the same language. In many languages.  Learn more about the wisdom of WIT | Care to give it a go? Try to translate some of these into another language ... Gandhi walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis. What did the beaver say to the tree? "It's been nice gnawing you!" Why can't a bicycle stand up on its own? Because it's two tired. Why was six scared of seven? Because seven "ate" nine. What’s the difference between a poorly dressed man on a unicycle and a well-dressed man on a bicycle? Attire. What's the difference between a cat and a complex sentence? A cat has claws at the end of its paws and a complex sentence has a pause at the end of its clause. |
For the last fifteen years we have asked for bad school reports and their stories.
Today, on Thursday, July 31st, 2025, we have hit the 100.000 mark.
Amazing.
Today, on Thursday, July 31st, 2025, we have hit the 100.000 mark.
Amazing.
This calls for a celebration and a huge THANK YOU to all mums and dads, grandparents,
aunts and uncles and all other relatives and friends, who have had the guts and taken
the time to search for their final - and fateful - bad school report. They have poured out
their hearts to show what failure in school did to them, what being laughed at and scorned,
humiliated and name called did to their self-esteem.
They wrote about their inability to put a finger on the problem at the time.
They told us how they could only name the causes many years later.
aunts and uncles and all other relatives and friends, who have had the guts and taken
the time to search for their final - and fateful - bad school report. They have poured out
their hearts to show what failure in school did to them, what being laughed at and scorned,
humiliated and name called did to their self-esteem.
They wrote about their inability to put a finger on the problem at the time.
They told us how they could only name the causes many years later.
What's more, they gave us their thoughts on what might have helped them.
They listed their grievances and accusations, against themselves and others.
And they wrote down what they believe will help young kids today.
They listed their grievances and accusations, against themselves and others.
And they wrote down what they believe will help young kids today.
All of this wisdom and experience is a tremendous help, for us and for the legions
of kids who will struggle in future and hopefully find a more understanding and
constructive environment to help them overcome this crisis.
It really should never be more than a crisis, certainly never a life-changer.
We will do our best to make the best of it.
Thank you once again. 💞🎶🥂🍾💐🙏🏻🍀
of kids who will struggle in future and hopefully find a more understanding and
constructive environment to help them overcome this crisis.
It really should never be more than a crisis, certainly never a life-changer.
We will do our best to make the best of it.
Thank you once again. 💞🎶🥂🍾💐🙏🏻🍀
We're allergic to MAGA.
We, the Global Natives Community, have decided to conspire against MAGA politics.
It is our global conspiracy therapy 😉 to save our children's future.
Find out more here.
It is our global conspiracy therapy 😉 to save our children's future.
Find out more here.
Can you be a patriotic Brit, American, Aussie or Indonesian without being a nationalist?
Of course. We all are.
Can you proclaim "We come first!" and still expect good neighbourhood?
Not really. National ego trips never work in the long run.
Global Citizens 2.0
Global Natives love their home country.
They cherish their language and their traditions.
They are patriots and passionate non-nationalists.
They cherish their language and their traditions.
They are patriots and passionate non-nationalists.
Only ten months ago, we had reached a tipping point.
In October 2023, our blog post said that now over 50% of all new applicants stated as a reason for wanting to join us: "The world around us has swung too far to the right."
In October 2023, our blog post said that now over 50% of all new applicants stated as a reason for wanting to join us: "The world around us has swung too far to the right."
Now, in August 2024, this has become a key motivation for over 75% of new members.
In effect, the far right and the xenophobes, the nationalists and misogynists, the racists
and the homophobes - they all promote new global citizenship as an alternative to their
hatred, their toxic attitude and their negativity.
In effect, the far right and the xenophobes, the nationalists and misogynists, the racists
and the homophobes - they all promote new global citizenship as an alternative to their
hatred, their toxic attitude and their negativity.
Upcoming elections, particularly now in the US, give extra power to this dynamic trend.
As passionate global citizens, we are proud to be there when we're needed.
As passionate global citizens, we are proud to be there when we're needed.
Lowering your expectations is not the answer.
Do your child a favour. Think bigger and bolder.
This is the time of the year, right between Mother's Day and International Children's Day
on June 1st, when panic truly sets in. Will my kid pass? Do we need a rescue operation?
Until late April there was this idea "We still have time." But now we don't.
on June 1st, when panic truly sets in. Will my kid pass? Do we need a rescue operation?
Until late April there was this idea "We still have time." But now we don't.
Here's what parents often get wrong:
They end up thinking their child just can't do any better.
In fact, most kids can do much better.
For some, it is a perfectly normal motivation crisis. Puberty's a bitch.
Others are under-challenged or on the wrong track.
They end up thinking their child just can't do any better.
In fact, most kids can do much better.
For some, it is a perfectly normal motivation crisis. Puberty's a bitch.
Others are under-challenged or on the wrong track.
So, if things aren't working out for your kids, don't narrow your choices!
Consider peer mentoring. Gary's story shows how this can work out.
Consider a new start, giving your kid the chance to find its own strengths.
Statistically, the chance to earn a grant for one of the most prestigious universities is five times higher for a young individual who had to find his/her calling first than for any of the youngsters who always had a smooth ride.
Here's more on that!
Consider peer mentoring. Gary's story shows how this can work out.
Consider a new start, giving your kid the chance to find its own strengths.
Statistically, the chance to earn a grant for one of the most prestigious universities is five times higher for a young individual who had to find his/her calling first than for any of the youngsters who always had a smooth ride.
Here's more on that!
March 2024. A jubilee! 🥂
1984. 40 years ago. We met in New Zealand and had an idea.
2009. A quarter of a century later. The idea turned into a community.
2024. We celebrate 15 years of international family partnerships.
 | "There must be millions of families out there just like our own. Families with curious kids. Keen to give them their chance to discover the world. What if they could communicate and pool their resources?" |
That's how we felt back in 1984, when we - twelve backpackers from four continents -
first met in a youth hostel on the Coromandel Pensinsula. We were full of wanderlust,
ready to meet the world. ... more here
first met in a youth hostel on the Coromandel Pensinsula. We were full of wanderlust,
ready to meet the world. ... more here
We've managed to keep our membership fee affordable for all. We're proud of that.
The community has grown and grown since, and now we welcome our kids from the
early days back as parents of new Global Natives babies. Isn't that great?
The community has grown and grown since, and now we welcome our kids from the
early days back as parents of new Global Natives babies. Isn't that great?
#zusammenland
| |
#Zusammenland is a wonderful initiative by DIE ZEIT, Der Tagesspiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, STRÖER, Handelsblatt and WirtschaftsWoche. These German media companies launched this project in February 2024 as a strong call for diversity and democracy. Over 500 companies took part straight away and their number is growing daily.
Togetherland. Diversity makes us strong!
Wherever you find Global Natives raising their kids, it's #zusammenland too.
Since 2009.
We proudly commit to being a part of this initiative.
Since 2009.
We proudly commit to being a part of this initiative.
| We have reached a tipping point. Over 50% of applicants now say, that politics have swung too far to the right. It worries and frustrates them. This is not how they want their kids to grow up. And make no mistake, conservative thinking is not their concern. Here is what worries them: |  |
The overwhelming pessimism, the depressing doomsday scenarios, the xenophobic search for scape goats, the suspicion towards everyone who doesn't conform to supposed norms, the denial of scientific facts and the constant lookout for potential enemies ... all of this creates a toxic environment for global minded parents and eager-to-explore-the-world kids.
Global Native parents say: "Our kids want to think in solutions, not threats.
Nationalists will not solve any of the challenges the world is facing."
Nationalists will not solve any of the challenges the world is facing."
 | Brexit is a demonstration of how the destructive dynamics |
As Michelle Goldberg wrote in the New York Times only recently, this "decisive
moment in the international rise of reactionary populism was a grave error".
moment in the international rise of reactionary populism was a grave error".
Right-wing nationalists never hold one possible reality against another for fair comparison.
No, it's their grim version of the future against a false, nostalgic memory of "better days".
It can't work. It is a lie. We know that, and so do the parents in our community.
No, it's their grim version of the future against a false, nostalgic memory of "better days".
It can't work. It is a lie. We know that, and so do the parents in our community.
Michelle Goldberg's article ends as follows, quoting London's mayor Sadiq Khan:
"... but there’s a larger lesson, one most Western countries seemingly have to continually relearn.
Right-wing nationalist projects begin with loud, flamboyant swagger. They tend to end unspeakably."
Trump and Brexit, climate crisis, pandemic and war have changed our world.
But we are ready to cope. Because we take a stand together.
But we are ready to cope. Because we take a stand together.
How nasty language helps us to predict election outcomes. Or, to be more precise, to predict outcomes for the right.
An experiment from the Free-from-MAGA-minds front.
The climate and our future, economy and politics, science and health - they're global issues.
Society, democracy, equal rights, education. Truly, everything that matters today is global.
Society, democracy, equal rights, education. Truly, everything that matters today is global.
It stands to reason: We better cooperate. Within and across borders.
But for nationalists, there's "them and us".
They feel threatened by diversity. We feel threatened without it.
So clearly, we have reason to care how much power they have.
But for nationalists, there's "them and us".
They feel threatened by diversity. We feel threatened without it.
So clearly, we have reason to care how much power they have.
Alas, we have some tools to predict the strength of the right!
Back to 2016: The Brexit referendum in June was a game-changer, so was Donald Trump getting elected into office in November. Two historic events with truly global ramifications.
What we observed then:
Too much nationalism changes our search patterns.
Global Natives start looking for kindred spirits in their own neighbourhood.
We asked them why.
Too much nationalism changes our search patterns.
Global Natives start looking for kindred spirits in their own neighbourhood.
We asked them why.
They say: "There's too much xenophobia and narrow-mindedness, it's stifling,
and it's depressing!" They long for open-minded company to raise their kids.
With better conversations, more empathy, more hope, wider horizons.
and it's depressing!" They long for open-minded company to raise their kids.
With better conversations, more empathy, more hope, wider horizons.
| We realized that search patterns are a great indicator. In fact, they help to predict the outcome of elections. And then, in the summer of 2018, one family had an idea for a highly unorthodox experiment: The Verbal Shit Statistics |  |
 | When Michael Moore, back in October 2016, predicted that Hillary Clinton would lose the election, he had done something incredibly smart. |
Richard is a maths professor in Manchester, he is the father of two sons and two daughters.
Pushed by his kids (it was their idea) and assisted by his brother, a behavioural scientist,
he started a new Global Natives tribe just before Xmas 2018: The Verbal Shit Statistics.
Richard's kids (13, 16, 17 and 19 years old at the time) were fascinated by Moore's
indirect approach. It clearly had an advantage over established opinion poll strategies.
Their idea now was this: Forget about asking the parents.
Too many adults give the answers they think you may want to hear.
Instead, let's listen to their kids.
Pushed by his kids (it was their idea) and assisted by his brother, a behavioural scientist,
he started a new Global Natives tribe just before Xmas 2018: The Verbal Shit Statistics.
Richard's kids (13, 16, 17 and 19 years old at the time) were fascinated by Moore's
indirect approach. It clearly had an advantage over established opinion poll strategies.
Their idea now was this: Forget about asking the parents.
Too many adults give the answers they think you may want to hear.
Instead, let's listen to their kids.
Now, every Monday, well over 17,000 teenagers worldwide count swear words.
"Fucking" is the term most frequently used to describe an unwanted human being.
So, in English, that term might be used for fucking foreigners, fucking unemployed,
fucking bitches, fucking homeless, fucking poof, fucking retard, etc.
In German, for instance, it is the prefix "Scheiss-", as in Scheiss Ausländer etc.
Sounds nasty, of course. It is. But it is part of daily life.
So, in English, that term might be used for fucking foreigners, fucking unemployed,
fucking bitches, fucking homeless, fucking poof, fucking retard, etc.
In German, for instance, it is the prefix "Scheiss-", as in Scheiss Ausländer etc.
Sounds nasty, of course. It is. But it is part of daily life.
 | Every language has its equivalent. There is no point in not spelling it out |
To be clear: The focus isn't on dirty language, it's on dehumanizing language.
Which is in daily use everywhere, including schools, school yards and school buses
- all the places where kids repeat and pass on what they hear from others, in particular
from their parents.
- all the places where kids repeat and pass on what they hear from others, in particular
from their parents.
However, the frequency of the use of "verbal shit" has distinct ups and downs:
It rises considerably in the weeks before an election, in keeping with political propaganda.
More than anything else, it mirrors the language of the far right.
More than anything else, it mirrors the language of the far right.
| For over four years by now, a rising number of teens kept count of just how often they hear "fucking" (or their own language's equivalent) within a set timeframe every Monday, and they have entered their results into the tribe's verbal shit statistics. They do this on Mondays, because after the weekend, use of this kind of language tends to be strongest. And, lo and behold, these numbers make precise predictions possible! |  |
The power of language - for better or worse
Just as Michael Moore listened to the neighbours, Richard's experiment focuses on the kids.
Kids repeat what they hear when the family sits around the dinner table. Or the telly.
It shapes their attitude. It shapes their language.
Kids repeat what they hear when the family sits around the dinner table. Or the telly.
It shapes their attitude. It shapes their language.
When they hear racist and misogynistic remarks, when xenophobic and homophobic opinions prevail, when dad feels that the unemployed need a stronger hand and mum believes that vaccines are devil's work, when both are sure that parliament is a bunch of incompetent dimwits, that there is no such thing as man made climate change and Brussels is to blame for absolutely everything - then their kids want to tell others about it. In the same language.
This means: Measuring such language in countable terms lets us measure exclusion.
Want some examples?
Want some examples?
| A "fucking foreigner" isn't just someone from abroad. He's unwanted here. Does a seven-year-old, calling his neighbour a "fucking poofter", really know what he's saying? What about the teenager who calls his teacher a "fucking bitch"? There are refugees at the railway station. To some kids, they are "dirty fucking parasites". And what about this 11-year-old girl demanding that fucking climate activists ought to be kneecapped? |
So this is powerful. How do we use it?
Our findings stay within the community. They will never be made public.
Nor do they come with any scientific claims. Their purpose is this:
We aim to empower the next generation to become better global citizens and,
if they feel the call for it, better politicians (click to see how they think about it).
Nor do they come with any scientific claims. Their purpose is this:
We aim to empower the next generation to become better global citizens and,
if they feel the call for it, better politicians (click to see how they think about it).
They need to be able to understand and interpret wisely, to analyse with insight.
For this, predictions for elections are a helpful tool, and their accuracy proves a point.
Moreover, the stats drastically show them how divisive language changes a society.
For this, predictions for elections are a helpful tool, and their accuracy proves a point.
Moreover, the stats drastically show them how divisive language changes a society.
1.) This teaches young people first-hand what language does to the mindset.
In the family, amongst peers. And how words translate into action.
In the family, amongst peers. And how words translate into action.
2.) Young Global Natives understand that many voters want strong language to express
their emotions. And they see how populists use language to kindle their fear and anger.
their emotions. And they see how populists use language to kindle their fear and anger.
3.) Anticipating political swings allows us to address issues in time.
We, as a community, want to have our ear on society's heartbeat.
It helps to create better conversations, and to act more than to react.
We, as a community, want to have our ear on society's heartbeat.
It helps to create better conversations, and to act more than to react.
| ... because we do give a shit. | 😉 |
The Global Natives Blog
