Michaël Vidon
Bilingual Poet, Teacher, Spoken Word Educator
Testimonials
Federico Bianchi
European Union Ambassador
"Sei una persona straordinaria e piena di talenti."
Michaël Rosen
Children's Author, Poet, Political Columnist, Broadcaster, Activist, and Academic
"Michaël Vidon is a challenging, creative person who starts fires in people's minds. He sparks off thoughts and ideas so that other people can think and create new things.
Sometimes he uses his own poetry, sometimes he plays with the language around and in us. So his poems aren't end-points; they are mid-points: the poems are the result of his energetic thoughts and experiences and the triggers for new creations by others.
This is good for poetry and good for life."
Liz Cook
KS2 Teacher
As I sat in the multilingual poetry workshop and saw lower ability and dyslexic children dipping confidently and creatively into their home and school languages, I got that magic feeling of "this is what learning is really about".
Vicky Macleroy
Professor of Language and Literacy, Head of MA Children's Literature programme, Head of Centre for Language, Culture and Learning, Goldsmiths University
"Michaël Vidon has made an invaluable contribution to the global Critical Connections Project for the past 3 years. He is a talented and inspiring bilingual poet educator who is able to devise and conduct multilingual poetry workshops across languages and countries.
Michaël Vidon devised both online and hybrid multilingual poetry workshops for the Critical Connections Film Festivals in June 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. He has supported young participants to experiment with writing bi- and multi-lingual poetry on the project theme of ‘Our Planet’.
He produced engaging resources and activities and was able to work with the wide age range of students on the project (6 -18 years old) and across 10 project countries (Australia, Cyprus, England, Egypt, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, Taiwan and Turkey). There are over 45 languages included in the films of the Critical Connections Project and Michaël Vidon created activities to encourage students to bring in all their languages to their poetry writing and performances.
In 2023, he worked with over 100 students to experiment and create multilingual poetry and the students loved the experience."
Kajal Guile
Head of MFL, St Albarn School for Girls
"The Multilingual Poetry Slam was a massive success - the students really loved the chance to work together and express themselves in such a unique and engaging way. The poets were first class and potentially opened up a door into a world of poetry that they never really know about. The theme of I come from… was perfect for the celebrations of language and culture."
Adélaïde Martin
French Teacher, Francis Holland School
(*Steve Larkin)
"What an unforgettable experience! Michaël and Steve* worked their magic with our entire Year 9 cohort—more than 80 students—and managed to get every single one of them fully engaged, thinking creatively, and even brave enough to perform in front of a packed assembly! The Multilingual Poetry Slam for the Environment was a whirlwind of energy, language, and powerful messages, with students blending an incredible mix of languages while tackling a hugely important issue.
The result? Thoughtful and moving poems about climate change and the significance of safeguarding our planet, all performed with confidence and flair. The atmosphere in the room was electric, and it was amazing to see students who might usually shy away from public speaking stepping up and owning the stage.
It was also a chance to recognize and appreciate languages that may be spoken at home but are not always acknowledged in school, which led to a wonderful and colourful mix of languages, and gave every student a chance to shine !
Michaël and Steve brought passion, expertise, and a real knack for inspiring young people. If you're looking for a workshop that will leave a lasting impact, look no further!"
Elfi Troi
Lehrkraft für Englisch
"The students discovered an exciting new way to express their thoughts and emotions. We are extremely grateful to Mr. Vidon for his brilliant workshop, innovative ideas, and appreciative feedback."
Francesca Knight
Assistant Professor in Education, MFL PGCE lead, University of Sussex
We commissioned Michaël to deliver a session as part of our [PGCE] curriculum studies programme at the University of Sussex. Michaël was really easy to work with and accommodating of our needs.
The student teachers really enjoyed learning about different engaging activities they could try out with their students to help minimise the time they spend planning but to maximise the learning outcomes.
The most enjoyable part from the student teachers' perspective was the opportunity to be creative which Michaël encouraged them to do, creating a safe space for them to share their compositions and inspiring them to consider how they could use such activities in their own teaching.
There was a real buzz in the room and student teachers made a point of telling me how I should rebook for Michaël for next year!"
Other feedback from CPD sessions
"It was phenomenal!"
Post- Grad student at KCL
"A breath of fresh air"
Head of Spanish and French, Shenzhen College of International Education
"It gave creative ideas in an easy to use format and I could put them into use."
Lead Practitioner MFL, Brockhill Park