Call for proposals: «Growing up Multilingual»

Organisations based in Switzerland may apply for this call for proposals if they: 

• are not-for-profit organisations and have a charitable legal form (e.g. an association or a co-operative) 

• Are managed according to the principles of good governance (transparency, balance of power, effectiveness). 

• operate at a local and/or regional level 

Projects that have previously received mini-grants from ‘ici. here together.’, funding of up to 2,500 Swiss francs, coaching or project space are also eligible to apply. 

Public authorities can only apply for funding in partnership with a non-profit organisation. 

Funding is provided for initiatives and projects that promote multilingualism amongst pre-school children (aged 0 to 6) and their parents or carers, and which explicitly also address families facing financial or social difficulties. The programmes and projects can be categorised into the following themes:

1. Strengthening cooperation with parents and carers, for example:

   • Parenting support services with childcare provided by multilingual staff

   • Programmes to promote multilingual parent-child communication

   • Parenting programmes, e.g. on how to achieve a multilingual upbringing

2. Expansion of multilingual infrastructure and resources, for example:

   • Development of multilingual materials

   • Partnerships with libraries to provide multilingual books and programmes for families with pre-school children

   • Reducing barriers to accessing leisure activities for multilingual families

3. Expansion of existing services to include, for example, the following sub-projects:

   • Implementation of multilingual leisure activities for families with pre-school children

   • Training for volunteers and staff to promote multilingualism in their work with families and in day-to-day project activities

   • Use of multilingual key personnel

4. Specific projects on multilingualism, for example:

   • Multilingual parent-and-child drop-in sessions at family centres

   • Support for peer groups for children in their first language

Please note: The examples given are not exhaustive and may be supplemented by further initiatives and projects within the four areas mentioned.

You can find all eligibility criteria in the guidelines / guidelines in simple language. Please read this carefully before submitting a project outline.

The following quality criteria are important to us in the call for proposal ‘Growing up Multilingual’:

• Accessibility: The services and projects are designed to be open to all interested families and explicitly also address families facing financial or social difficulties. They are easily accessible and, as far as possible, free from linguistic, financial or organisational barriers. They should be accessible to anyone, even without any preparation or prior knowledge, offer flexible opportunities for participation, and have designated contact persons.

• Participation: The organisation outlines how it works with or actively involves parents – and, where possible, their children – when developing or implementing the project. It highlights opportunities for participation and decision-making.

• Volunteering: The service is made possible through the involvement of volunteers (families, parents and carers).

• Quality of implementation: The project to promote multilingualism within families is based on the above themes, has ambitious objectives and is realistically planned.