ECMI Infochannel

The ECMI recently hosted a workshop at which eminent experts presented innovative minority language revitalisation initiatives that are ongoing in the Basque Country (for Basque), Upper Lusatia (for Sorbian), and Fryslân (for West Frisian). These initiatives focus on three levels that are crucial for minority language revitalisation: society, community, and family. The presentations were followed by a round-table discussion about how these initiatives could be 'translated' into the North Frisian context. The workshop was attended by select stakeholders, practitioners, and academics from key organisations in the region. Representatives from all North Frisian islands as well as the mainland were in attendance. Showing that we don't always have to reinvent the wheel, the workshop provided inspiration for potential future endeavours to aid in the revitalisation of North Frisian.

On 5 November 2025, we hosted the presentation of an outstanding book that sheds light on the history, culture, and current realities of the indigenous people of Crimea. The event featured a moving reading by author and activist Elnara Nurieva-Letova, alongside excerpts from a documentary series tracing Crimean Tatar heritage in Germany. Our heartfelt thanks go to the editors Sarah Reinke (Society for Threatened Peoples, GfbV) and Dr. Mieste Hotopp-Riecke (Institute for Caucasica-, Tatarica- and Turkestan Studies, ICATAT) for their dedicated work and inspiring insights.

The Denmark-Germany border region is home to Danish, German, Sinti & Roma and North Frisian minorities – a place shaped by shifting borders and history, today seen as a model for peaceful coexistence.Our former intern Sophie Cooper (University of St Andrews) collected personal stories from members of some communities. Through interviews, she transformed their lived experiences into short digital stories (2–5 minutes), combining voice, images, and music. These stories explore identity, belonging, and life between cultures. 👉 The videos invite you to listen, watch, and reflect on what it means to live as a minority across borders.

UPDATE: 

We are delighted to announce that the project “Promoting Intercultural Dialogue through Digital Storytelling” has been selected as a winner of the Student Minority Projects Challenge 2025, organized by the Academic Network for Minority Issues! 

As part of the award, Sophie Cooper and Dr. Kyriaki Topidi have been invited to present their work at the UN Forum for Minority Issues in Geneva, taking place on 27–28 November 2025. The award ceremony will be held by UN Special Rapporteur Nicolas Levrat and Governor Arno Kompatscher of the Province of South Tyrol.

Maddi Dorronsoro Olamusu delivered a public lecture in Azkoitia (Basque Country) as part of the Euskola series, which focuses on the Basque language and sociolinguistics. Organised by Maxixatzen euskaldunon taldea, a local Basque-language activist group, the event brought together community members interested in arnasguneak—communities with a high concentration of Basque speakers—which she examines from an attitudinal perspective. The lecture received coverage in local media, was recorded, and made available online. A few days later, Maddi participated in the International Conference on Territories of Higher Speaker Density in Minoritised Language Communities and presented her research in Zestoa and Segura (both in the Basque Country).