Since its founding, the Interessengemeinschaft mehrsprachiger Familien e.V. (ImF, Interest Group for Multilingual Families) has grown to include about 155 members. The ImF's membership has also expanded far beyond the Rhein-Main region around Frankfurt and now covers all 16 German states and a few other European countries, such as France and Italy. Besides German, the other language in bilingual/multilingual families is not always English. Combinations include German-Czech, German-English-Italian, German-Spanish and German-French. As the editor commented in one edition of the ImF newsletter, the "uniqueness of each ImF family" is striking. Although they all have bilingualism or multilingualism in common, every family's situation is different.

We have listed the ImF's Web address for some time now in our "Bilingual Families" Net Links. But recently, ImF board member and co-founder Marina Zvetina contacted me and offered to send me sample copies of the Interest Group's quarterly newsletter or Rundbrief called Polyglot (English edition) or Polyglott (German). (Members can choose to receive either the German or the English edition of the newsletter.) After reading the four issues that Frau Zvetina sent me, I wanted to share some of the information with parents in Germany and elsewhere, and encourage them to consider joining the ImF.

In order to support bilingual families and parents who want to raise bilingual children, the ImF publishes articles on German dual citizenship, school issues, a calendar of events, useful Web sites and other helpful resources. The ImF also publishes family portraits, learning tips, personal ads, letters to the editor, ads for translation and international schools, and contact information for parents seeking support groups or local language groups to help their children learn a particular language. In one recent issue the newsletter published the results of a member survey. (Two thirds of the families surveyed are "satisfied with the language development of their children.")

The organization also holds an annual meeting in March and maintains a database of "other-language" Spielgruppen (play groups) to help immerse children in a second language. The ImF also cooperates with other bilingual/multilingual groups, such as the German Forum für binationale Paare und Familien in Deutschland, a support group for international families, and the Berliner Elternnetz, a databank listing organizations and events of interest to bilingual families in the Berlin area.

To find out more about the ImF and other bilingual parenting organizations, see the ImF Web site and the other links below, plus many more on our Bilingual Families subject page (link on left).

Also see: Bilingual Parenting - A personal account of raising kids to be bilingual in German and English. A guest feature by Nadine Lichtenberger.

Interessengemeinschaft mehrsprachiger Familien
The ImF (Interest Group for Multilingual Families) publishes its Web site and printed materials in both German and English. Also see the ImF forum below.

ImF-Familienkontakt-Forum
The ImF forum (in English and German) helps families stay in contact and set up other-language play groups.

Verein FIBEL
Fraueninitiative Bikulturelle Ehen und Lebensgemeinschaften. An Austrian organization for bilingual and bicultural families. New and improved Web site. In German.

Forum für binationale Paare und Familien in Deutschland
In German. A support group for international couples/families. Once a helpful site, it now seems to have a lot of gaps.

International Couples Homepage
A Web site for binational couples. Includes a mailing list and chat.

Bilingual Upbringing in the Home
A helpful site by Bernd Klein, but it hasn't been updated for a while.

Bilingual Parenting
A personal account of raising kids to be bilingual in German and English. A guest feature by Nadine Lichtenberger.

Bilingual Parenting
German and English bilingual resources.

Reading Resources
A comprehensive link list for German-language magazines and newspapers, including children's resources.