Short Stories
The short stories presented here are the result of an international CIRCE contest “Eliminate Discrimination, Embrace Integration!” that invited secondary school and university students from Portugal, Italy, and Bosnia to creatively explore themes of language, accent, and identity. Through different narrative forms, the contributors share personal perspectives, imagined stories, and critical reflections that reveal how accentism and linguistic diversity are experienced in everyday life.
Together, these works give voice to young people across different educational and cultural contexts, offering powerful starting points for discussion, reflection, and educational use.
1
A New Beginning
Sofia Cunha
Portugal
A young girl from Spain, Mia, moves to the USA to start high school and faces challenges due to her accent and cultural differences. Through the kindness of a teacher and classmates, she finds acceptance, pride in her identity, and a sense of belonging in her new environment.
2
Dear Diary
Jacopo Ruberti
Italy
The contribution consists of an imaginary narrative that tells the story of Kevin, a boy from Livorno, Italy, who is forced to move to France because of his parents’ divorce. He will later be teased by his classmates for the way he speaks
3
Combating Accent Discrimination – The Sound of our Voice
Farah Šehović
Bosnia and Herzegovina
This poem explores the unfair treatment people face because of their accents. It highlights the hurt caused by mocking or judging someone for speaking differently and the pressure to fit in by sounding the same. The poem reminds us that accents tell stories of where people come from and are a beautiful part of who they are. It encourages us to see the value in diversity and to stand together against discrimination, creating a world where every voice is respected and appreciated
4
In the Silence of an Accent
Mak Dujković
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nerma, a girl from a rural part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, starts high school in Sarajevo, where she faces prejudice because of her accent. Initially, she tries to hide it to avoid mockery. However, after a conversation with her Bosnian language teacher, she realizes she doesn’t need to change herself to be accepted. Gradually, she speaks with pride, and her classmates begin to appreciate her authenticity and show interest in her background. Moral: Our language and accent are integral parts of our identity. When we embrace who we are, others will also accept and respect our differences.
5
The Language of the Wind
Claudia Gonzalez Gonzalez
Italy
Often, when one has little exposure to a language, forming an opinion about it and the people who speak it is based on what little one has heard and, almost always, not understood. It would suffice, however, to stop and listen to understand the beauty that all languages have.
6
Perfection isn’t Always the Best
Aristides Pineda
Portugal
This is a story about a world where everyone cared about perfection, there was a town where people lived in a silent competition. Everybody had an accent, and they didn’t take anything less than “proper”. However they soon find out that accents don’t matter but actually the person itself.
7
Overcoming Prejudice: A Girl’s Voice in a Foreign Language
Agata Gualtieri
Italy
The story recounts the difficulties faced by a girl who moved abroad for a period of study and how prejudice against her home language affected her relationship with the language of the host country.
8
The Voice of my Heart
Maida Alić
Bosnia and Herzegovina
This poem is a powerful ode to diversity and acceptance, highlighting the beauty of different accents, languages, and cultures. The poet expresses frustration with prejudice against accents and emphasizes the universal human connection that transcends differences in speech.
9
Voices Of The World
Maria Ribeiro
Portugal
It’s a poem that talks about the discrimination of the accents. It’s very simple and it rhymes.