Written by Mackenzie Manley, Content Specialist, Downtown Main Library
As Assistant Director of International Admissions at the University of Cincinnati, Seth Higginbotham has had the opportunity to interact with communities and cultures from across the globe right here in the Queen City.
"They're such incredible, awesome people, but most of the people around me don't get a lot of chances to interact with them, to hear someone speaking in Turkish or Armenian, or ask them about their country," says Seth. "I get the chance to do it every day. I figured: This is something that's super cool. What if it were in one place?"
Founded earlier this year, LingoMix is a community-driven language and cultural exchange organization based in Cincinnati. Through monthly social events, international residents, multilingual speakers, language learners, students, professionals, and curious community members can connect with one another.
LingoMix will host a language and cultural exchange at the Downtown Main Library on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Seth says LingoMix meets several community needs:
- Greater Cincinnati has a lot of residents with an interest in international cultures and languages, and they need connection. Long-term, LingoMix helps people by giving them repeated exposures to other community members from outside their culture.
- It creates a warm and welcoming environment for the international community to meet others in a new city and connect with resources.
- And, of course, provide a place to practice language and spark curiosity in language learning.
"I'm very excited for the Library event," says Seth. "I think that our event at the Library is, from all the research I've done in my experiences, is probably the first of its kind to combine an adult language and culture exchange with child and teen programming in this way.”
The event is open to all ages, from children to teenagers to adults. Participants can check in to get a sticker representing the flag of the language or cultures they identify with. After receiving the flag, walk around the room and meet new people. When you see a flag you recognize, join or start a conversation.
"There will be an open area mixer with free food and drinks available. [Attendees] will be able to look around the room and see, 'Oh, there's a person from Morocco and I also speak Arabic, so I want to connect with that person.' Or they're learning Spanish and see someone with the flag from Guatemala and they're like, 'Hey, here's my chance to practice.'"
Along with snacks, there will be free books and bilingual storytimes throughout the afternoon for children:
- French bilingual storytime: 11 a.m.
- English storytime with ASL interpretation: 11:30 a.m.
- Arabic bilingual storytime: Noon
- Spanish bilingual storytime: 1 p.m.
Fun activities for pre-teens and teens will also be available, including a passport for kids with 30 challenges across various difficulties and categories exploring languages, culture, books, connection, and more. Games and prizes will be available.
"It encourages younger people to be curious about the people who are around them, learn a little a bit, and have a unique experience," says Seth.
No matter the age, Seth says he can guarantee that those who attend will meet someone from a cultural background different from themselves. Seth says past attendees have met at least three or more new people during previous events. About 80% of LingoMix's attendees have reported being able to practice a language, and half rated the significance of their conversations at 5 out of 5. More than half of LingoMix attendees also exchanged contact information with someone they met.
When asked about the value of having space for cultural exchange, Seth replies that everyone has their own identity and, as part of that identity, different groups they're a part of.
“Depending on your own background, you may or may not encounter people who have different identities or come from different cultures than you,” says Seth. “This is a great opportunity to have positive interactions with someone who has those differences from you. It can help you develop a better understanding of others, taking what's unfamiliar and making it familiar. It creates a stronger community. The more we understand each other, the better we are at being decent human beings. It's a win-win!"
And if LingoMix can be that bridge, it has served its mission to foster cross-cultural connection.
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