Telling our Lives – Connecting People from all over the World in Lyon
The Local Challenge
Newly arrived migrants in Lyon, particularly those from outside the European Union, often face a complex mix of challenges: administrative hurdles, language barriers, economic difficulties, and limited personal contact with local residents. Many live apart from the wider community, reducing opportunities for everyday interaction and slowing the process of integration. Without spaces that encourage informal, personal connections, both migrants and non-migrants miss the chance to share experiences and build mutual understanding.
The Initiative
The Goethe-Institut Lyon and Singa Lyon run a year-long series of creative, informal workshops where migrants and non-migrants meet, collaborate, and exchange cultures. Participants co-design the programme with workshop leaders, ensuring it reflects their interests, talents, and personal stories. Activities include language exchanges, sewing, cooking, gardening, theatre, photography, and music, each designed to spark conversation and foster collaboration.
In the cooking workshops, recipes from participants’ home countries are prepared alongside French classics; in theatre, participants co-create a play drawn from their life stories; in language exchanges, attendees improve their French while sharing words and expressions from other languages.
What’s Next?
The workshops will culminate in a festive community gathering on World Refugee Day, bringing together all participants to showcase the creativity, friendships, and shared experiences built over the year. The project will leave behind a network of personal connections that extend beyond the events themselves, reducing isolation and encouraging lasting cross-cultural relationships. The documented approach may encourage similar initiatives that bridge communities through creativity.
Contact theeuropechallenge@culturalfoundation.eu if you have any questions or want to be connected with the team behind the project.
