UNESCO Youth for Peace grantee connects communities through language in Edinburgh
For many people rebuilding their lives in a new country, chances to shape how their own stories are told can be hard to come by. Without room for their own perspectives, communities with lived experience of displacement often find themselves reduced to simplified portrayals and stereotypes that miss the complexity of who they are and what they've been through.
The project was strengthened by collaboration with the City of Edinburgh Council, public libraries, community organizations and local artist-led initiatives, which provided trusted forums for dialogue and exchange. These partnerships helped displaced communities contribute to Edinburgh's cultural life and forge connections with wider audiences.
During Languages Week Scotland, Edinburgh's public libraries became meeting places where communities could learn from one another and exchange stories - through language sessions in Arabic, Cantonese and Pashto, as well as storytelling, music, poetry and visual arts. The project also marked UNESCO International Mother Language Day with a celebration honouring linguistic heritage and intercultural dialogue.
Bringing together members of Edinburgh's displaced communities with school pupils, library visitors and residents, the project opened new ways to discover the histories, perspectives and lived experiences behind the city's many cultures.
For participants, the project fostered a stronger sense of recognition and belonging. For many, hearing their own languages spoken more widely across the city, was, as one described it, a way of finding a sense of home.
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