Following visits and discussions of representatives of Móðurmál and the International and Heritage Languages Association in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in fall 2015 and 2016, spring 2017, and summer 2017, the two organisations concluded that formal collaboration would strengthen and profit them on many levels.
During the 5th annual conference of Móðurmál, two representatives of IHLA handed over a formal letter from the chair of IHLA Ms Antonella Cortese to the chair of Móðurmál, Ms Renata Emilsson Peskova, that confirmed that the two associations of mother tongue/heritage language school became sister organisations.
Móðurmál and IHLA share common goals and they work towards the same ends, that is to support and promote mother tongues/heritage languages of plurilingual children, and to assist teachers, schools, and families in their efforts to sustain and develop mother tongue/heritage language learning and instruction.
Videos about IHLA here and here
The formal collaboration started with the exchange of expertise and experience of board members and coordinators, but it will also, not less importantly, take place on the individual level, among teachers, groups, between children and communities. The cooperation will continue next spring when a representative of the Filipino group “Inangwika” visits the Filipino community in Edmonton in spring 2018, to plan for further collaboration and strategic steps, and to give a professional development (PD) session for IHLA teachers.