NEWCASTLE CITY of LANGUAGES 29Th November 2019, Frederick Douglass Centre, Newcastle
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NEWCASTLE CITY OF LANGUAGES 29th November 2019, Frederick Douglass Centre, Newcastle REPORT Declan Baharini, International Newcastle Contents Page Executive Summary 2 Presentations Newcastle as an International City – Cllr Joyce McCarty, Newcastle City Council 3 Newcastle City of Languages – Declan Baharini, International Newcastle 4 British Council and internationalism – Vicky Gough, British Council 6 Workshop discussions 1. Exploring aspirations around languages, internationalism and international 7 experiences 2. Highlighting issues, barriers and challenges 10 3. Finding solutions and identifying opportunities and support 12 4. Practical actions, working together and planning ahead 14 Appendix Attendance and apologies 17 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Cohesive strategy (nationally, regionally, locally) • Prioritisation of languages and international International Newcastle and British Council co-hosted experiences this first stakeholder event to explore the potential of • Information, funding and resources Newcastle as a City of Languages and provided the • Curriculum, exam focus and accountability context for this work, which has evolved from • Transition and links between primary and partnership work on Our Newcastle Our World, a city- secondary schools wide plan and approach to support internationalism. • Networks and collaboration • Attitudes and apathy towards language learning The local authority, educators from schools, colleges • Training and skills of teachers, use of wider skills and our universities, other language learning • Literacy levels providers, adult education, business and skills • Community interaction and recognition partners and language communities from the city • Boundaries (city and region) were all invited to explore this opportunity and a • Brexit and isolationism diverse range of interests were represented. In this first event, stakeholders discussed how to: Practical actions and commitments • support and promote language learning across Stakeholders made individual and organisational education and in communities commitments to practical actions that they could take • celebrate the languages and cultures of diverse to achieve the ambitions and aspirations of the City communities in the city around language learning and promoting internationalism and international experiences. • complement and support agendas around adult learning, skills and business These are listed in section 4 and included: • identify existing resources and activities that • Advocacy/lobbying for a cohesive strategy support language learning and internationalism • Joining up approaches at strategic level to support • explore challenges and gaps and think about how city wide developments, broker links and we can address these connections, build networks and share resources • identify some practical actions to support our • Improving information, advice and support ambitions that we can take forward around opportunities, funding, resources, skills • Offers to schools from British Council and Cultural Aspirations and ambitions Institutions for CPD, access to programmes and online and other learning resources and support Participants discussed ambitions and aspirations • Offers of support for language learning and around language learning and international international experiences from regional and city experiences and opportunities and what success based language provider partners, those with would look like. These are grouped into three broad access to international students and international themes and summarised in section 1: communities • Schools commitments to being proactive and • Positive messaging and motivation around motivational, sharing learning and good practice, language learning engaging in activities and accessing support • Joining up information, facilitating access to people, tools and resources Next steps, actions and timeline • Enabling international experiences and people’s The outcomes of the session will be shared and any sense of being global citizens, celebrating our immediate links and resources in December. A international communities working group will meet to agree an action plan for next steps for the strategic work, individual Challenges and barriers and potential solutions organisations can pursue immediate opportunities In a series of two workshops participants identified IN will work with British Council and partners to open issues, barriers and challenges to achieving the up opportunities and support, as well as revise its ambitions and aspirations, then explored what website to host information relating to this initiative potential solutions, opportunities and support may be and approach. Updates will be shared by email, on available to address these. These were grouped twitter and on International Newcastle’s website. around the following themes and are summarised in Contact: Declan Baharini, Director, International sections 2 and 3: Newcastle [email protected] 2 NEWCASTLE AS AN INTERNATIONAL CITY Newcastle has a wide range of international communities, old and new, who have come to the city Cllr Joyce McCarty to settle. The diversity is not always visible, but there Deputy Leader, Newcastle City Council are many different communities from Asia, Africa and Board member, International Newcastle the Middle East, as well as from across Europe living Newcastle – an international city in the city. There are newer economic migrant Cllr McCarty welcomed everyone to the event and populations, as well as refugees and asylum seekers, thanked Newcastle University for hosting at the who the Council seeks to support and welcome to the Frederick Douglass Centre. city. Newcastle is already a city which is international in Newcastle is a place which attracts international outlook and actions. companies and investment, as well as having business which trade in Europe and globally. In addition, It is a city with many historic international links based education and research is carried out internationally on wartime alliances and post war friendships, through our universities and research and innovation including longstanding twinning arrangements with partners in the city. These all bring with them staff Nancy and Gelsenkirchen and friendship links with and employees from across the world and enable Bergen and Little Rock in the USA. people from here to travel and engage in international activities. There are also longstanding trading links and city to city and city to region international links with Newcastle has two universities, two FE colleges and Scandinavia and the Baltic (including Malmo, also organisations such as International House, which Gothenberg, West Sweden). all attract international students to study in the city (as well as the universities having campuses overseas There are also a range burgeoning range of practical and alumni worldwide). Active student unions engage partnerships and projects with these cities and others, international students in all kinds of activities in the supporting trade and business, education and city, including volunteering and placements, adding research (e.g. Boston), as well as learning and sharing value to the city and its residents and communities. with other localities across the world on topics of importance to the City, such as employment and In terms of the City Council’s ambitions for Newcastle skills. There are links with a range of Chinese regions as an international city, these include: that are deepening for example, as well as Durban in South Africa. • Promoting and valuing tolerance • Celebrating diverse communities, languages and Rather than diminishing in an era of Brexit and cultures potential isolationism, the City is expanding • Building skills and supporting employability international civic links and is approaching and • Promoting investment in communities and jobs approached by cities and regions internationally • Newcastle is recognised as a great place to visit, around areas of excellence and expertise (e.g. life live, work, study, do business and invest in sciences and health, ageing, digital and smart city). The City Council will continue to be a key partner in As a Board member of International Newcastle and the work around internationalism, supporting and with the City Council as key partner and funder of the feeding into International Newcastle to help evolve Community Interest Company, Cllr McCarty confirmed the international city plan and partnership and make the City Council’s commitment to promoting the most of being a British Council Focus City. Newcastle as an international city. They are keen to work with partners to share links, resources and The Council will help engage partners and promote the city, as well as brining opportunities to encouraging everyone in Newcastle to focus activities the residents, communities and organisations in the around a number of targeted priorities supported by city. strong partnership working, as well as sharing and using all our assets and resources to best effect. Newcastle has a world class arts, culture and heritage ecosystem and these reach out across the world and Newcastle City of Languages is the first major also draw international artists and organisations to initiative to be developed as part of the international the city. city plan and the Council is looking forward to seeing how this initiative develops and how it can add value and help achieve the city’s ambitions. 3 NEWCASTLE CITY OF LANGUAGES Language learning and celebrating languages Declan Baharini, Director,