From March 9 to 13, 2026, Barcelona hosted the second Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) of the UniNet network, entitled Minority and Minoritized Languages in Multilingual Schools and Societies. The event was held at Blanquerna School of Psychology, Education and Sport Science (Universitat Ramon Llull), bringing together more than thirty students and several academics from eight European partner universities: Blanquerna (Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain), Partium Christian University (Romania), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Université de Strasbourg (France), Pädagogische Hochschule Schwäbisch Gmünd (Germany), NHL Stenden Leeuwarden (the Netherlands), Università degli studi di Bergamo (Italy), and Université Perpignan Via Domitia (France).
The week combined lectures and workshops with hands-on, collaborative learning. Academic sessions covered a wide range of themes: the Catalan education system from a sociolinguistic perspective, ethnographic strategies for school observation, minority language use and language landscapes, plurilingual and intercultural education, second-language teaching material development, and the often-overlooked linguistic legacies of colonial pasts. A particularly memorable session explored the history and current situation of Catalan in the Roussillon region — the so-called Catalunya Nord — on the French side of the border, offering a vivid case study of a language under institutional pressure. Participants also took part in a creative poetry workshop focused on multilingual expression, producing original works in their own minority and majority languages — a unique way of experiencing linguistic diversity from the inside.
A central element of the programme was the school visits embedded mid-week. Student groups visited three schools across the Barcelona metropolitan area: Escola Lurdes and Escola Piaget on Wednesday, and Institut Margarida Xirgu in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat on Thursday. Using ethnographic observation tools developed during earlier sessions, participants observed multilingual classroom practice firsthand and then gathered to compare their findings and reflections, bringing the academic content to life through direct experience.
Social and cultural events enriched the programme beyond the classroom. A welcome dinner on the first evening and a farewell dinner on the last gave participants from eight countries the chance to connect informally. The group also visited Park Güell — one of Barcelona’s most iconic landmarks — offering a shared cultural experience in the spirit of the city that hosted them.
The BIP week opened with ice-breaking activities to help students establish working relationships across national and linguistic backgrounds, and closed on Friday with group presentations in which international student teams shared their findings and conclusions. Certificates were awarded at a farewell ceremony, with participants earning 3 ECTS credits for their active engagement throughout the week and the accompanying virtual learning phases.
Looking ahead, participants were pleased to learn that the BIP series will continue: the next edition is planned for spring 2027 in Friesland, hosted by NHL Stenden Leeuwarden — a fitting venue given the university’s deep roots in Frisian language and minority language advocacy.
The BIP was carried out within the framework of the Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD) and the UniNet network, advancing their shared mission of knowledge exchange on minority languages, language rights, and multilingual education across Europe.
