European day of languages: As many languages you know, as many times you are a human being!

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Eurocentrum Liberec / Europe direct Liberec

Organisation:

Eurocentrum Liberec / Europe direct Liberec

Country:

Czech Republic

About organisation:

The Eurocentre Liberec is an information point where citizens can address their questions about the European Union. The Eurocentre provides information about the EU for the general and professional public. It offers information materials and a range of other services for those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the European Union and aspects of the Czech Republic's EU membership. For example, we organise educational and cultural events, we give lectures at primary schools, high schools and universities. One of our main target groups is young people. All Eurocentre services are free of charge. From 1 May 2021, the Eurocentre Liberec is also a Europe Direct information centre under the European Commission.

Title of the project

European day of languages: As many languages you know, as many times you are a human being!

Start date:

26/9/2022

End date:

26/9/2022

Objectives:

The main goal of the project is to motivate young people to learn foreign languages, to get to know different people and cultures from different countries and to travel and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the EU across Europe. The event was organised in the modern Regional Scientific Library Liberec and it was held from 8 am to 2:30 pm. During the day, a total of twelve classes from primary and secondary schools from our region took turns. The total attendance was 310 people. Each group was able to try several activities. The first was a speak-dating with 15 foreigners from our region. Each of them had a table with a flag and the children were able to stop by and have a brief conversation with them. The students were also able to try out a sign language workshop with a tutor from the Center for the Disabled. Then they could try dubbing foreign language films or compete in the "Take a risk with languages" knowledge competition, where they competed in teams and answered different categories of language-related questions. There was also a stand with Eurodesk information and promotional materials where we could advise them on current opportunities or motivate them for the future. Additional activities included the opportunity to complete a giant puzzle of the European Union, or to see the best works from the European Day of Languages art competition held in September. 271 students from 29 schools took part in that competition.

Why the project was: empowering young people, adapting to changing realities, or thinking out of the box:

Thinking out of the box. Our innovation was mainly in the variability of the activities, their interactivity, duration and execution, and perhaps the involvement of a lot of diverse actors from the region. For the speak-dating, we used a large spectrum of people from the region as speakers (we can say "living books"). Some of them were international students who are here on Erasmus+, so they could share their experiences of the programme and studying abroad in addition to their language. We also had middle-aged speakers (e.g. even a mom with a 2-year-old who made a great atmosphere and entertained the participants, or teachers, business people, etc..). And we also had representatives of the older generation. It was important for us to share not only the languages but also the cultural aspects of the country represented and the personal experiences of the speakers. Among the speak-daters there was also a mute person to give the languages another dimension. The sign language trials were also very popular. The workshop was organised directly by a person from the Centre for the Disabled. At the signing trials the young people could try out signing, one of the ways they might be able to make a living in the future. The Risk with Languages competition was interactive and focused on teamwork and, as well as entertaining the participants, it also aimed to teach them something new and show them languages in a different light. Visually, the whole day was decorated with the exhibition.

How the project was inclusive:

In the Czech Republic, young people still underestimate their ability to speak foreign languages. At the same time, our region is one of the smallest in the Czech Republic and there are relatively few foreigners and few opportunities to speak foreign languages. It is therefore important to give young people the opportunity to speak with native speakers and encourage them to learn and to give them the necessary confidence. By meeting students who are here on Erasmus at university and listening to their stories, they can visualise themselves somewhere abroad taking advantage of some of the opportunities the EU offers. Meeting people from foreign countries also allows them to understand how open the EU is and that we don't have to live, work, study, or volunteer only within our national borders, but perhaps all over Europe. As well as motivating and offering opportunities for cultural enrichment, we also try to actively inform young people about ED and what the EU has to offer. While the young people were looking at an exhibition of the best drawings, where they had to illustrate typical cultural aspects of an EU country they have visited or would like to visit, we approached them and talked to them about what opportunities they have now, and what opportunities will open up for them in the future. The idea was simple, not just to inform them simply about the opportunities. But to show them the culture of each country and to offer them a real opportunity to go to that country.

Green aspect:

When choosing the location of the event, we chose a place that would be easily accessible by public transport and not too far away from the majority of the participants. Registration and promotion of the event was done online. We kept the printing of event materials to a minimum. For example, we only had 4 posters printed for the event. For serving refreshments (coffee, water, tea etc.) we used washable dishes. We avoided using plastic completely. We used eco-friendly, durable, recycled and recyclable promotional items. We minimised use of physical handouts. We informed participants about our choices and explained to them why we serve food like this etc..

How the project has given a European dimension to your event and ensured the visibility and promotion of Eurodesk?

In the Czech Republic, young people still underestimate their ability to speak foreign languages. At the same time, our region is one of the smallest in the Czech Republic and there are relatively few foreigners and few opportunities to speak foreign languages. It is therefore important to give young people the opportunity to speak with native speakers and encourage them to learn and to give them the necessary confidence. By meeting students who are here on Erasmus at university and listening to their stories, they can visualise themselves somewhere abroad taking advantage of some of the opportunities the EU offers. Meeting people from foreign countries also allows them to understand how open the EU is and that we don't have to live, work, study, or volunteer only within our national borders, but perhaps all over Europe. As well as motivating and offering opportunities for cultural enrichment, we also try to actively inform young people about ED and what the EU has to offer. While the young people were looking at an exhibition of the best drawings, where they had to illustrate typical cultural aspects of an EU country they have visited or would like to visit, we approached them and talked to them about what opportunities they have now, and what opportunities will open up for them in the future. The idea was simple, not just to inform them simply about the opportunities. But to show them the culture of each country and to offer them a real opportunity to go to that country.

Impact:

The first outcome is the attendance itself, with 310 young people from 12 schools attending the event and a further 271 from 29 schools taking part in the art competition, which was displayed in the library during the event and then displayed in the V-Club youth leisure club until the end of the year. The event was also attended by dozens of other people who normally visit the library.Young people were actively informed about the opportunities offered by the EU and according to the reactions, most of them were not aware of many of them (e.g. Discover EU, or Erasmus+ youth exchanges, etc). In order to multiply the results of the event, we prepared a package with information materials for each teacher and also explained the basic opportunities that they can disseminate among young people and introduced them to the Eurodesk network. We were also able to bring together partners from different sectors. We worked with the Technical University of Liberec which connected us with international students through the Erasmus Student Network. We also included the Disability Centre who prepared a workshop on sign languages and the young people also had the opportunity to communicate and get to know a deaf person. All of this took place at our regional library. The result was also to create a connection between different groups of people who do not normally meet so much.