This tailored language course focuses more on the trainees’ Achille’s heel. As a trainer, I have constructed a special test to determine the trainees’ level of language comprehension. After the assessment, the trainees are then being drilled intensively according to their level of understanding and capacity to learn- taking into account their personal ability, character, background and culture. Each learning scheme is uniquely design to fit the dress of the wearer.

After two consecutive months of intensive training with two different trainees, I honestly discovered that all roads lead to Rome. It is not at the end of the road yet, nevertheless, so far as I can tell, it has been a very fruitful journey for both the trainees and the trainer. 

it’s time for us to reveal

 The Safety Net Project is a program associated between Lingua  Lingua Franca Foundation and Hotel Abadi Sdn Bhd (Hotel Abadi Melaka) to promote safe and harmonious ‘win-win’ international exchanges as well as diversity between nations. This project aims to deal with domestic violence against women from abroad and to help them to integrate in the welcoming country or to go back safely to their country of origin and to inform local authority, potential partners and contributors of the current situation and what plans for improvement. It is also a discussion platform for future collaboration from both sides to promote and maintain the durability of the project.

 “  Somebody you know may need these information badly. The speakers are people with first hand experience on the subject, and have worked with people with similar predicaments. The lesson from their experience is that some problems can be prevented, and it is best if you are prepared before making that big decision! Read the brochure to find out more! “

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To enable you to be from where you are  to where you want to be, you have move. Yes! Move. Move from one side to another, and one place to another. Just, literally…move.

Making contact is like building a bridge. It connects you from one end to the other. Once you cross the bridge, there is no turning back. Along the way, you will encounter little stops that either help you build a bigger picture of what you want to construct or just simply destroy what you hope to build. It’s as simple as that. If your journey helps you to build and contruct, then once you implement all the information, you are able to lay down some structure later. These structures will help you re-build your global-view plans so that you can narrow them down to more concrete measures and whence, you manage to see what you can and cannot accomplish.

Using this concept, I decided to extend the Foundation’s bridge to another continent; initiating new projects so that the Foundation can continue to pursue and develop its goals. Knowing I will find new territories, I packed my bags; along with the toys donated by the kids4kids club for the needy children, off I went to the country with the oldest rain forest in the world. The moment I touched down at the international airport, I realised that this country has a lot of potential. Upholding their slogan, Truly Asia; Malaysia is not only enriched with multinationals and culture, but also considered as one of the well-developed countries in the Asian continent.

During my stay in Kuala Lumpur, I have engaged with several types of crowd; from business to politics, and  journalists to hotel management. Between us, I could see that we have one thing in common: to make contact and to expand our bridges. We share the same vision: to expand our horizons and to globalize our mission. We want to reach out beyond our borders and we want (and hope) to do it together.

One of the main cores of the Foundation is education.  The Foundation wishes to establish an international learning network to connect and get the best out of both worlds. The Foundation strongly believes that education plays an enormous role in stripping the veil of ignorance and naivety, thus assist our evolving mind to be more responsible and productive. Connecting two worlds by creating a bridge and a platform would be a big project for the Foundation – such project can only be achievable through constant networking and getting international partners for full-time involvement.

Another project is to introduce one of our activities to the Asian audience – The Safety Net Project. This special project has been under experimental in the Netherlands since the middle of 2009 and we are hoping to launch it officially somewhere in Kuala Lumpur. The Foundation hopes that the meeting with a few relevant and motivated people will be fruitful and the project will be introduced to the public in the up coming months. The project is targeted mostly for women audience and how to exercise prevention and educating women their rights, responsibilities and capacity. The Foundation is promoting safe international exchanges between the West and East; and by trying to connect both worlds, women from all over are able to participate in a programme to learn to grow out of naivety and being motivated at the same time.  

Besides trying to make proper introduction about the Foundation’s activities, I have taken the opportunity to launch our first international exchange project. Kids4kids club (a club formed by the Foundation) has been active in collecting toys for the needy children since January 2010 and my journey to Malaysia has enable me to deliver the hard work the children have poured into to make this charity project a success. I have brought more than 20 kilos worth of toys to be distributed to several needy children from everywhere in West Malaysia.

Doing charity work is part of the Foundation’s establishment. I wish that this charity project will always exist and continue throughout the existance of Lingua Franca Foundation.

Yes, Mind Mapping can do that… and much more !

It all began at the end of the sixties, when a young student in psychology searched for more efficient ways to jot down notes and to prepare for the exams.  Later on, he designed educational programs for the BBC and wrote an encyclopedia on the brain, still using and promoting the amazing technique that helped him so much as a student : Mind Mapping !

His name is Tony Buzan.  Now, he is a star, one of the most fashionable speakers and consultants throughout the world.

And his tool, Mind Mapping, is spreading around the world and is used by students as well as doctors, bank moguls, Boeing engineers and many more…

For a very simple reason : IT WORKS !

Why Mind Mapping ?

Today, we want to share this fantastic technique with you and that’s why we are organizing a workshop called “Mind Mapping Basics” in two cities in the Netherlands : Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

But before, let me tell you a couple of things about mind mapping…

Firstly, it is a powerful technique because it calls on the two sides of our brain.  Most of the time we use the left side of the brain, the rational one, the one that loves figure and logic and straight lines so much.  That is also the side that schools are favoring.  And we forget that we also have a right brain, the one involved in creativity, colours, sounds, sensations, organic lines…

With its strong hierarchic structures, mind mapping appeals more to our left brain.  But its images, its spatial disposition and its colours are more appealing to our right brain.  That is the reconciliation of both that makes it so efficient.

Mind Mapping Workshop

How does it work ?

As Tony Buzan puts it, Mind Mapping is a radiant thought : it starts from the center of the page – and not from the superior left corner – and radiates towards the edges of the blank sheet.  At the center of the page, firstly put your central idea, but do it with a picture rather than with words : that will help you to be more creative !

It uses no sentences, but keywords written on organic branches and associated with images.  This association of images and keywords is a wonderful guide to understand and to remember everything…

The place of each item on the page also provides a spatial marker which helps to memorize concepts.

Each branch constitutes a secondary idea, related to the central one.  Each branch is organic, is a flux, going thinner as the flow goes on…

This gives mind mapping its powerful structure : you can see everything in one glance at the page.  Or you can examine every minute detail on each branch.  It is a unique way to get the analysis and the synthesis of any project at the same time on the same device !

Try to do this with something else !

A mind map of Marion Chéreaux

Our Workshops in the Netherlands

The Lingua Franca Foundation is a member of the Hub in Brussels and collaborates with the other Hubs throughout Europe and beyond.  That’s why we decided to organize several workshops in Belgium (in French) and in the Netherlands (in English).

Mind Mapping Basics ? What will we do in these workshops ?

This workshop is aimed to teach you the basic principles of mind mapping.  So, we’ll learn how to draw our first mind map.  We’ll see how to associate words and pictures, how to reconnect with our own creativity, to feel the pleasure to draw and to write on the same page, to find out what are our deepest feelings and our unconscious thoughts.

We’ll also practice efficient notes taking with mind mapping : the grey linear notes are over, up with the full colour mind maps !  You’ll find out a very powerful way to jot down short but precise and useful notes, using only keywords, branches and small sketches of your own…

You’ll summarize a short text, written or spoken and you’ll see that it is much simpler and accurate that way.  You’ll discover that each participant has his/her own way to read or listen, his/her own way to understand, to remember and to summarize.   This is also part of our human richness…

You’ll structure some documents too : generally we are not too good at planning documents’ structures.  We tend to jump on the writing without paying too much attention to the general frame of our papers…  and, of course, our texts lack  any structure…  Forget about this and start giving a sturdy and impressive backbone to your future papers !

And, last but not least, you’ll design yourself some time management tools.  You’ll see, once again with mind mapping, it is simple, easy and strikingly efficient !

Taking notes during a workshop in Paris

Practical information

Our workshops will take place at the Hub’s Summerschool :

• In Amsterdam : on the 20th of July from 9 am to 5 pm.
• In Rotterdam : on the 21th of July from 9 am to 5 pm.

Address Amsterdam :

The Hub Amsterdam Westerstraat 187 1015 MA Amsterdam

Address Rotterdam :

The Hub Rotterdam Heemraadsingel 219,3023 CD Rotterdam

Prices :

For Hub Members : 190 euros including VAT

For non Members : 232.50 euros including VAT

All the material are provided by the trainer

Booking :

For Amsterdam : just click here !

For Rotterdam : just click here !

Because of this great interest, the Foundation has created a club for kids – which one of the objectives is – to also initiate such project among children.  It is also another approach to reach out to all types of children despite their nationality, race and religion. What more of a better way than children reaching out to other children? They can learn to encourage and support each other – giving hand to-hand guidance – while having fun together and getting to know one another more thoroughly and put aside their differences to find a common ground between them so that they can live in a more harmonious way.

So, there it is! It’s now OFFICIAL ! The Stichting Lingua Franca Foundation is now a member and supporter of the Piccolingo Campaign. For your information, the Piccolingo Campaign is an initiative from the  European Union under Education and Culture DG.

Marco Bertolini, the co-Founder of Lingua Franca Foundation, has been appointed as a supporter  for the Piccolingo Campaign for Belgium from PICCOLINGO.

Stichting Lingua Franca Foundation realise the importance of  each client’s individuality and uniqueness. We acknowledge the existence of the client’s own specific needs and demands. We also acknowledge that each client needs to take total control on the development of his/her need(s) through out the entire course and everybody has his/her own pace to tackle the need(s) according to the level of understanding and acceptance.

Walking through the sand

We want the client to know that we actually understand their needs and the manner of wanting their needs to be fulfilled. Face-to-face interaction is one of the basic methods we use to penetrate the client’s true wish. Some people are afraid of spilling out what is truly in their hearts; thinking that others might make a mockery out of them. Some even think their needs and demands are too impossible to achieve. We are here to break that barrier of endless fear. We are here to assure them dreams can be realities if you work hard to achieve it. Dreams are not impossible. It is solely up to YOU to make the impossible possible.

Tailored Made Programme

The services offered by the Stichting Lingua Franca Foundation are specifically designed around YOUR NEEDS. Yes, YOUR NEEDS. We will propose to you a programme/service/workshop/course specially for YOU. A tailored made programme to solely suit YOUR EXACT NEEDS.  Considering all factors and wishes from YOU the client, the Foundation will evaluate seriously all levels of the individual’s potential and achievement. From there, we will create a course that you are comfortable with to enable you to  finally achieve your goals.

Personal Development and Performance

]]> http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/01/13/uniqueness-of-service/feed/ 0 Suziana Salleh walking through the sand personal development and performance http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2009/12/17/a-newcomer-in-the-lingua-franca-foundation-trouve-ta-voie/ http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2009/12/17/a-newcomer-in-the-lingua-franca-foundation-trouve-ta-voie/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:50:15 +0000 Marco Bertolini http://linguafrancafoundation.org/?p=728 Continue reading →]]> In French, “Trouve ta voie” means “Find your Way“. This is a new blog in French, destined to people in Belgium and France who want to know better about job search, job coaching, business creation, communication techniques, positive thinking and much more.

The Lingua Franca Academy will soon develop activities in Brussels, the Belgian capital, and this blog is aimed to inform Brusselers about our courses, job opportunities, coaching, and the goals of the Lingua Franca Foundation.

We will tell you soon where we will settle our Academy in Brussels.  You can already find this blog by cliking here.

You can already see the cover here under and you can see the whole thing on our Issuu page or you can download it from our Box.net space on the right side of this website.

Enjoy your reading!

It’s so simple : in a few clics you build a tree of pearls that contain your web contents and people can connect to your pearls.  So, in the same time. you organize your info and you broaden your network…

See the video below and you’ll be convinced.

]]> http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2009/11/22/pearltrees-organize-and-share-your-information-in-a-few-clics/feed/ 1 marcobertolini http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2009/11/20/east-vs-west-the-myths-that-mystify/ http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2009/11/20/east-vs-west-the-myths-that-mystify/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:40:54 +0000 Marco Bertolini http://linguafrancafoundation.wordpress.com/?p=454 Continue reading →]]> Devdutt Pattanaik is a self-taught mythologist.  He is currently Chief Belief Officer at Future Group in Mumbai.

In this video of a TED India Conference 2009, he is explaining how myths can shape our vision of THE World and My World and how we can understand each other.  Through the story of Alexander the Great and a gymnosophist, 326 years before Christ, he analyzes how their beliefs about life and death shaped their thoughts and feelings.  This is a great intercultural lesson with loads of humor…

But ancient myths can also provide resources to understand our modern world and the cultural conflicts that prevent business people around the world to work together…

Find more on Devdutt Pattanaik’s home page.