Interview: Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute President on Non-Profit's Mission, Projects

Chronicle.lu recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr Gudrun Ziegler, Founder and President of Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute asbl, to learn more about this local non-profit organisation which promotes learning and development in interaction and through diversity.

Just last month, Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute organised an outdoor exhibition, "Unplugged messages: Ofstand?", at Rotondes in Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, as part of the project "Unplugged messages (Stay connected to yourself and others during and beyond the pandemic)".

This interview sees Dr Gudrun Ziegler, on behalf of Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute, elaborate on this project, as well as giving an overview of the institute's purpose and other activities.

Chronicle.lu: Please tell us about the origins and mission of Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute. When was it created and for what purpose?

Dr Gudrun Ziegler: Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute was created in 2008 in the context of applied research, by university professors, students and connected initiatives. The full denomination of the association is "Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute for interaction and Development in Diversity".

The NGO promotes research-driven learning and development in interaction, particularly through cultural, social, professional and linguistic diversity. The association has been involved in the design and implementation of various initiatives (research, projects and research interventions) in Luxembourg and beyond. It offers a critical reflection on the processes related to the development of literacy, integration and interaction both in different areas of daily life and in institutional (education environments, waiting rooms, etc.) contexts. In addition to an in-depth analysis and assessment of a variety of topics, it offers practical solutions emerging from the field and issues recommendations - for the individual, the organisation and conceptual level.

Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute brings together an array of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers across the governmental, non-governmental, academic, and corporate sectors in order to set up multi-disciplinary collaborations for innovation and development.

Chronicle.lu: How has the non-profit evolved over the years? Was its operation / daily mission impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, how?

Dr Gudrun Ziegler: The NGO has kept (i) its research background over the years while, at the same time, (ii) being very close to the field(s) through projects mostly conceived as research interventions.

(i) On the research side, it conceptualises, implements, documents, analyses and publishes the result of the projects as project reports and promotes a multimodal and multilingual approach for interactions, participation, learning and documentation. The association also stays very open to integrate undergraduate, graduate students, interns (and largely anyone into a learning process) in its activities.  

(ii) The research interventions concern new interaction / workshop designs for interactions in a second language (project multi-LITTERACIES), a participative digital approach to collaboration among youngsters (Project TecPart), serious leisure activities (Project LEILU), the co-construction of information in interaction (Project Parlons santé) and various more.

The mission of the NGO includes working on the impact of the current global and local issues on a defined target public (teenagers, vulnerable public, etc.). The association has therefore responded to the call for projects at the local and European level, for instance, "ACTiON Jeunes: Bien vivre la pandémie" of the Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte with a project titled "Unplugged messages (Stay connected to yourself and others during and beyond the pandemic)”.

Having interaction as a founding pillar, mediated interaction (through learning platforms, etc.) allowed us to rely on previous (and assessed!) experiences, so that the transition to remote work was implemented without much ado. In terms of changes in interaction(s), it was an opportunity for us, as researchers, to document and analyse what was happening on screen and once the restrictions were raised, to reflect on the return to the classrooms and to face-to-face interaction.

Chronicle.lu: Is the team mainly composed of staff or volunteers (or a mix of the two)?

Dr Gudrun Ziegler: The association relies both on volunteers and employed staff, mainly confirmed researchers in a specific area. Some volunteers participate on a continuous basis, others support the association as project-based volunteers. Often, participants of a certain project become volunteers in another project (which is particularly rewarding).

Chronicle.lu: Please tell us more about the "Unplugged messages" project. Does Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute often work together with other organisations or schools in Luxembourg?

Dr Gudrun Ziegler: "Unplugged messages" responds to a thematic field (Role of the media around the COVID-19 pandemic) of the call "ACTiON Jeunes - bien vivre la pandémie" of the Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte. The call addresses the needs of young people aged twelve to 27 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute proposes an "unplugged" approach, supporting youngsters in creating and delivering their own discourse / vision around this topic. The workshops proposed take place either within the school premises or (when possible) in other locations (for example, Rotondes) and benefit from the presence of a professional facilitator (artist, illustrator, communicator, etc.). The workshops are conceptualised in a variety of formats, implemented and documented and then proposed to the professionals of the field (teachers, trainers, etc.) as interaction formats.

As one of the objectives was to make visible the youngsters' messages in the public space, the messages of the first four workshops realised with the students from Lycée des Arts et Métiers were exhibitedon the exterior walls of Rotondes between 7 and 21 July 2022. The exhibition was titled "Ofstand?" (translation: “Distance?”) and was designed by Bérénice Vialard and Sarah de Oliveira, fourth year students at the Haute École des Arts du Rhin (HEAR, Strasbourg, France). The topic of "distance" emerged with reference to the messages present in the media during the pandemic ("social distancing"), to "interactional" distance (eye contact, verbal and non-verbal communication, etc.), and to the impact this specific period had and has on us.

Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute partners with other associations and institutions (schools, local organisations) on a regular basis, for the benefit of all the parties. We thank them all for their support.

Chronicle.lu: What other events or activities does Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute organise?

Dr Gudrun Ziegler: Luxembourg multi-LEARN Institute shares the result of the data collected within the projects at conferences (for example: EARLI - European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction, AILA - International Association of Applied Linguistics). The association also offers concepts, insights, exchange, guidance and advice to anyone who has questions concerning the educational path in a diversified linguistic / educational landscape of kids and youngsters.