In time for UNESCO’s International Mother Language Day 2024, which celebrates students’ universal right to study their heritage languages, a new global think tank of academics and practitioners have created an easy-to-use list of recommendations for everyone – from students to mainstream schools to policy-makers – to help improve heritage language and culture education for multilingual children worldwide.
See the full text of the press release here.
“A simple step that everyone can take is being aware of which heritage language programs are operating in your community.” – Dr. Sabine Little from Sheffield University
What can you do?
The recommendations made in the Global Call to Action give concrete examples of how students, caregivers, mainstream teachers and principals, heritage language teachers, libraries, non-profit initiatives, universities, journalists, local businesses, and government officials can work collectively to improve the quality and reach of heritage language education.
February 21, International Mother Language Day, marks the launch of the Global Call to Action. Throughout the year, the Call will be added in other languages, and events will be organized to promote it, discuss it, and raise awareness about it. For updates, follow FOHLC Europe (Forum of Heritage Language Coalitions in Europe) on Facebook.
Pledge commitment
If you want to help heritage language educators and the children they support, please be sure to pledge commitment to the Global Call to Action publicly on social media and share widely within your networks.
Find and share the Global Call to Action for Heritage Language Education
For inquiries:
U.S. Coalition of Community-Based Heritage Language Schools
joy@peytons.us
Forum of Heritage Language Coalitions Europe (FOHLC Europe)
fohlceurope@gmail.com
This press release has been prepared by members of the Heritage Language (HL) Global Think Tank. The HL Global Think Tank advocates for the sustainability of heritage language education at local, national, and international levels. For a full list of members of the think tank, see
www.hlenet.org/thinktank
#GlobalCallToAction #HeritageLanguageEducation #InternationalMotherLanguageDay
