5th Community Event on 23 October 2026 at the Altes Spital in Solothurn

Presentation by Shqipe Sylejmani

Shqipe Sylejmani was born in Pristina, Kosovo, in 1988 and has lived in Switzerland since she was four years old. She studied journalism and communication in Zurich. As a writer, she draws on her experiences of the Albanian-Swiss diaspora and the cultural richness of her homeland(s), thereby building a bridge between two worlds.

Following ‘Burden & Blessing’ and ‘Dignity and Forgiveness’, she will publish ‘Pride and Resistance’ in 2025, the third novel in the series about Shote Hoti and her travels. 

Presentation by Ali Dönmez 

Ali Dönmez is a speech and language therapist and an expert in multilingualism. He works with children and adults and is a public advocate for inclusive and non-discriminatory language education. His work focuses on promoting multilingualism and addressing issues of educational equity and anti-racism within the education system.

He is regarded as a committed advocate for equal opportunities in education and linguistic diversity.

Host

Angélique Beldner specialises in issues relating to migration, inclusion and racism.

Angélique Beldner has been working as a radio and television journalist for over 25 years and presented the Tagesschau news programme on SRF for 10 years. Since 2015, she has been the host of the successful weekly quiz show ‘1 gegen 100’. For many years, she also coached journalists as part of training and further education programmes at various radio and television stations and the Media Training Centre (MAZ) in Lucerne.

Angélique Beldner has published two books on the subject of racism: ‘Der Sommer, in dem ich Schwarz wurde’ (co-authored with writer Martin R. Dean, Atlantis Literaturverlag, 2021) and ‘Rassismus im Rückspiegel’ (Limmatverlag, 2025).

Nicole Gysin 

Nicole Gysin is an expert in migration and integration policy as well as federal cooperation. At the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Governments (CCG), she works on current political issues at the interface between the federal government and the cantons, whilst also being responsible for communications. Her work focuses on social cohesion, cooperation between different levels of government and the further development of Swiss integration policy.

Mira Song

Mira Song has headed up the Social Affairs unit of the Social Commitment Migros Group division since May 2026. In this role, she is responsible for the Migros Pioneer Fund, the Join-in initiative, the Migros Culture Percentage’s national social activities and the "ici. here together" programme.

From September 2024 to April 2026, she was the Head of the Social Affairs and Culture department at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. In early 2023, she was appointed Head of the Culture unit within the department.

Before joining Migros, Mira Song held various national and international management roles in sponsorship at Credit Suisse over the period from 2008 to 2022. She was responsible for cultural and sports sponsorship portfolios as well as leading specialist teams.

Mira Song holds a degree in biochemistry from ETH Zurich.

She has presided at the Forum Kultur und Ökonomie since October 2024.

Multilingualism in practice

2 to 3.30 p.m.: Interactive workshops

How do you put multilingualism into practice? Take part in the workshop of your choice and learn from the experiences gained during other projects:

• Workshop 1: A Diversity-Sensitive Approach to Multilingualism
  Hosted by Ali Dönmez (in German)

• Workshop 2: How can Multilingualism and Language Awareness be Promoted in Childcare Settings? A Book as a Bridge for Intercultural Transitions.
  Hosted by Marie Girard from ProEnfance, Stéphanie Bonvin from Crans-Montana Library and Muriel Perruchoud, Integration Officer for Sierre (French)

• Workshop 3: Amahoro. A Journey of Discovery Through Switzerland’s Multilingualism
  Hosted by Lea Conconi and Sofia Santi, Cooperativa Baobab (in Italian and French) 

• Workshop 4: Parents – Bridges between Languages and Cultures. Growing Up in a Multilingual Family 
  Hosted by Rita Kobler from MIFA - Fachstelle für Migrantinnen und Migranten (German)

• Workshop 5: How Stories and Creative Expression Bring People Together Across All Languages 
  Hosted by Amina Ahmadi and Arna Villiger from MegaMarie / Marie Meierhofer Institute for Children (German)

• Workshop 6: Storytelling Cafés: ‘Growing Up Multilingual’
  Hosted by Anne-Marie Nicole and Kerstin Klau from Netzwerk Erzählcafé (German and French)

Info:

Where will the 2026 Community Event take place?

At the Altes Spital in Solothurn, right on the banks of the Aare. How to get there:

• It is a 950-metre walk (13 minutes) from Solothurn railway station. 

• Take the bus from the main station towards Amthausplatz (lines 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9) to the Vorstadt stop, then walk the rest of the way (Google Maps).

• The nearest car park is Berntor Parking.