ROUTES INTO LANGUAGES Cymru

Issue 6, spring 2012

The Routes into Languages Cymru project launched DVD will allow thousands more is now in its third year, and it is pleasing to young people to broaden their horizons. Keep in touch look back upon what has been achieved in We are also engaged in dialogue with Welsh Routes into Languages such a short time. You can read about some Government colleagues about the place of Cymru have now joined of our recent successes in the pages of this MFL within 14-19 Learning Pathways and the the world of Social newsletter. Improved links between schools qualifications framework. Media. To keep up to and universities have brought with them Much work remains to be done if we are date with the latest news, a greater understanding of the challenges to restore the fortunes of MFL at all levels follow us on Twitter; facing teachers and lecturers in both sectors. in , but we are encouraged by the @RoutesCymru. You can Similarly many school pupils now have a continued support of the Welsh Government also like us on Facebook, see much better appreciation of what it means and HEFCW for measures which address snaps from our events on Flickr to be an undergraduate studying MFL at a the serious challenges ahead. With the and watch videos that we create Welsh university. educational context in Wales becoming on YouTube. When CILT Cymru took a stall to the increasingly different from that in England, Senedd at the time of the European Day of we know that it is impossible and indeed Languages, we were boosted by the support undesirable to mimic measures such as the of lecturers from our partners at Swansea English Baccalaureate here. We need ‘Made and Universities. The Routes Cymru in Wales’ solutions to our own problems, and project is enhanced immensely by such only through partnership will these solutions partnership, and allows us to strengthen the be found. message that we deliver to policy makers. Our Student Language Ambassadors are now delivering an equally strong message to schoolchildren about the benefits of FL skills Ceri James and mobility schemes when it comes to their Director, Routes into Languages Cymru future employment prospects. Our newly Brand new resource to Broaden Horizons Routes into Languages Cymru have now available to study and work abroad give them a taste launched a fantastic DVD resource that with the Erasmus and Leonardo of the exciting aims to highlight the benefits of studying student mobility programmes. The DVD opportunities on and working abroad. The job to create showcases students in Wales who have offer to students this DVD was awarded to students from all recently returned from trips abroad. in Europe and the ’s BA in They share their stories about learning will reinforce the Media Production course. Over the past languages, feelings of apprehension and message that Brand new DVD aims to raise awareness of student 18 months they have been travelling the excitement, the challenges they faced skills in another mobility programmes country, filming interviews with students and overcame and how they plan to use language can from Bangor, Aberystwyth and Cardiff their experiences abroad to embark on enhance experiences abroad and also universities. their careers. employability at home. The result is this fantastic DVD resource, This snapshot of experiences abroad A complimentary copy of this DVD will Learn a language, live abroad! Broaden will raise awareness of the Erasmus be provided to every secondary school your horizons. It is aimed at young and Leonardo mobility programmes in Wales. It will also be made available to people and highlights the opportunities amongst young people in Wales. It will Careers Wales. Wales joined the rest of Europe to News from celebrate languages! England

On Saturday, 24th September, HEFCE announces continuation hundreds of people attended a special funding for Routes into event to celebrate the European Day Languages in England of Languages at the Wales Millennium The Routes into Languages programme Centre in Cardiff Bay. in England has received an additional The audience was treated to £1.2 million continuation funding from HEFCE. The programme consists of performances from Ysgol Pencae, Pupils from Ninian Park school shared their Lansdowne Primary School, Ninian love for languages nine regional consortia of universities Park Primary School, Cantonian High throughout England and two national School and Darling Buds Nursery. linguists queued to have their faces networks for translation and interpreting. painted or to have a go at making a Visitors were able to have backstage An independent evaluation of Routes puppet in traditional dress. tours of the magnificent building in found that the programme had been Welsh, French, German, Italian and The end of the event was marked successful in establishing collaboration Arabic. Languages taster sessions with ‘The Big Sing’ in which we all sang within the higher education sector and were also on offer and many enjoyed “Hey Jude” in Welsh, English, French, between universities and schools. the opportunity to learn a little in Spanish and German. The additional funding from HEFCE for Mandarin, Arabic and Italian. Routes Cymru would like to thank the period to end July 2012 will allow Many partner organisations showed all partners who supported this the programme to focus on the activities their support by bringing exhibition event and all schools which made a that have proved to be most successful – stands to share information about tremendous effort to make sure that these include Student Ambassadors, sixth- languages in Wales. Meanwhile, young Wales celebrated languages with style! form events and focused activities such as linking languages with sport and film. For the full HEFCE press release, go to: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2011/ Student Language Ambassadors lang.htm The new Student Language Ambassadors from Bangor University, Swansea University, Aberystwyth University and the University of Glamorgan joined those International Day, from to take part in their training session at the beginning Porthaethwy of November in Cardiff. This year, these motivated students with a passion for During the first week of December, sixth languages are ready to visit any schools in their local areas which request them, in form students at a school in Menai Bridge order to promote the take-up of languages. Language awareness talks, and taster (Ynys Môn) held a World Culture Day sessions will be run by these students. Among them there are students in their for younger students. For this event, a second year language degree who will be able to adopt a class during their year set of stalls were set up and informative abroad, sending videos and contacting the school to keep the school up to date talks were given about four countries with their experience abroad. There will also be final year students, ready to talk chosen at random from all over the world, about their experience abroad as part of learning a chosen language. Routes into namely: China, Denmark, Venezuela and Languages Cymru want to encourage this year’s ambassadors to be as successful Egypt. Routes into Languages Cymru got as previous generations of SLAs. in touch with Bangor University students originating from these countries to help out with the organisation and execution Forthcoming events of the event. Also, as the national language is an inherent element of the culture of Opening Doors: Languages in Wales and the world any country, some basic phrases from the Swansea University, Wednesday, 25th January 2012 languages of each of these nations were Wales, Europe & the World taught. This was definitely an event that Cardiff City Hall, Friday, 3rd February 2012 will be remembered by all the students at the school.

Routes into Languages Cymru • www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk/cymru • [email protected]