Make your own Quilt of Welcome!

If you are a larger organisation, school, town/city, etc., you might want to make your own Quilt of Welcome, capturing the languages spoken in your context, and creating a relevant multilingual artefact for the children or people you are supporting. There are many different ways to do so, and we have carried together some useful resources, such as templates and quilting tips, on the "Make your own Quilt of Welcome" page. The Sheffield Quilt of Welcome involved a bit of additional work to create the colourful corners, but simpler designs are possible - check out the page to see how. Although a bit labour intensive, the result is a co-created, visual commitment to multilingualism and inclusion, supporting the linguistic and cultural identities of all involved. The sense of pride and belonging it fosters, and the conversations it initiates, are most definitely worth the effort.

Have the Quilt of Welcome visit your setting!

Whether as part of your plans to make your own, or as part of an exhibition or other event, the Quilt of Welcome is available to visit as part of ongoing efforts to support the inclusion of multilingualism in public spaces. We are currently planning a touring exhibition, involving museums, libraries, and other settings. The visit can go hand in hand with either public engagement activities and/or CPD for staff, considering multilingual pedagogies and provision. Contact Sabine Little at s.little@sheffield.ac.uk to discuss.

Whether you are a teacher thinking about running a multilingual story-writing workshop, a published author willing to contribute, a child or young person with a desire to write, an illustrator - or someone who enjoys drawing/painting ... we are hoping to, over time, build a large collection of stories in as many languages as possible, which will be made available on the website. You could have a look at the "Quilt of Welcome Stories" part of this website to give you ideas. Stories should be suitable for children, and should be sent in two languages - the original language, and an English translation. To find out more, and submit your story, see here, or email Sabine Little at s.little@sheffield.ac.uk.