Deutsche Version
About our project
The Run for Language Diversity, a DLV approved event, is an initiative of bilingual childcare facilities in Frankfurt. Markus Frank, the Economic and Sports Councillor of the City of Frankfurt, is our patron, and Irina Mikitenko, Germany’s most successful long-distance and marathon record runner, is the ambassador for our Run!
Our city is an international metropolis, which has plenty to offer linguistically and culturally. Because many bilingual and multilingual families live in Frankfurt, the offer has been greatly expanded, especially in recent years, to self-organized bilingual childcare facilities supported by the city. In addition to German-English, French-German, German-Italian facilities, there are now many other language combinations that can be found in a Frankfurt childcare landscape.
For example, Nezabudka became the first German-Russian childcare facility in Frankfurt in 2006. Meanwhile Nezabudka has grown to three locations and is known to many. Its founder and educational director, Julia Zabudkin, is a hobby athlete and an avid pleasure-runner who has already taken part in many runs. The theme of multilingual education is not only a professional area of interest for Julia. She herself has three children and brings them up bilingually. The idea of organizing a run, which promotes language diversity in everyday life and parenting, came after a running event for a charitable cause. Running connects people and thus forms a wonderful platform for the realization of charitable projects.
The idea was embraced by another enthusiast, Justa Pizarro, Head of the German-Spanish childcare facility 2SonMás that was founded in 2006. She immediately offered to cooperate in organization and hosting of the Run. “Dos son mas" means in Spanish “two are more”. Pre- school education provides space for learning playfully and for developing social and emotional competencies. The team of 2SonMás supports, develops and guides each child to learn to act independently and confidently. This happens in German and Spanish and is combined with sporting, artistic and musical activities.
“Two are more” fits not only for 2SonMas but is also a wonderful slogan for our language diversity event.
Since 2015, there is a new co-organizer: Le Jardin - Multilingual childcare facilities, which have been a cooperation partner since the first Run. Le Jardin Multilinguale Kindereinrichtungen charitable GmbH was founded by Mr. Frédéric Claude in 2003 and it is the responsible body for nursery schools, pre-school daycare as well as after-school childcare and holiday camps. As one of the first childcare centers in Germany, Le Jardin offered a multi-lingual activities in the nursery school with the motto "Two languages are a gift for any child!" This is based on bilingualism in everyday life in German - English, German - French or German - Spanish, which are brought by native speakers. Two other pillars of the strategy are the life with and in the nature and openness to the world.
These 3 organizers live language diversity and are passionate about the project, because “IT RUNS BETTER WITH LANGUAGE DIVERSITY!"
If you would like to be a helper, a sponsor or partner of our charitable event or want to write a report on the Run for Language Diversity, you are welcome to contact us at julia.zabudkin@nezabudka.de
Whatever you prefer, we encourage you to keep up your language diversity, be athletic and join us at our Run!
