INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

INTERNATIONAL EXperIENCE

So, do you see, how few languages we meet in our everyday life? And do you see as well, that as the number of those languages shrinks, there shrinks as well the scope of our knowledge and notions of other cultures, countries, the whole world! But it may be the ground to such things as chauvinism, nazism etc,

There are still a lot of ways to get more knowledge of the world. And one of them is Language Festivals!

What is a Language Festival?

LF is a real feast of languages feast of international communication, where all the languages and nations are equal and equally respected.

The main goal of LF is to make the participants tenter the unique world of languages, how them the variety and uniqueness of all the world languages and in such a way to stimulate interest to language learning.

LF-places

As far as we know Language Festivals under various names are held:

in France: Toulouse (1987-2001),Tours (1995-2001)

in Russia: Cheboksari (1996-2001),Ivanovo (1999-2001), Moskva, Sankt-Peterburg

in Finland: Juvaskula (1997)

in Luksembourg: Luxembourg (1998-1999)

in the USA: Illinois (1999)

in Belgium: Brussels, Antwerpen

in Ireland: Dublin.

in Sweden: Västerås (2000-2001)

in Ukraine: Berdyansk, Odessa.

What is LF?

http://www.esperanto.org/tejo/lf/

If you want to organize LF

http://www.esperanto.org/tejo/lf/organiza.html

If you like the idea of the Language Festival, why not try to organize such a Festival yourself? It's not as difficult as that. We’re tried to put down some of the usual problems of organization as well as some useful ideas for their solution.

What is necessary for LF?

¨ Teachers

¨ Participants

¨ Place

¨ Time

¨ Duration

¨ Program:

1. main program

2. stands

3. language presentations

Organization step by step :

¨ team

¨ planning and strategy

¨ draft program

¨ main points

¨ place

¨ teachers

¨ information:

1. informational materials

2. PR

3. sponsors

4. preliminary program

¨ finances:

1. different LF-s -
different financial backgrounds

2. budget

3. where you can get money

4. how to spare money

¨ collaboration with the other associations

Teachers

It's no need to invite only professional language teachers to the Festival. For the participants it's just interesting to have a talk with native speakers. So, you may look for the those, who'll present languages at the LF at cultural centers, universities or even among your friends and your friends' friends.

Participants

Participants may be:

· pupils

· students

· language teachers

· persons interested in languages

In order to find them and invite to the Festival you may:

· provide local mass media with the information about the Festival (see: information)

· organize the preliminary program of the Festival at schools (see: information)

· hand out tickets for the Festival at schools

Place

If you use stands to present languages:

Some Cultural House, school or some other place with a big hall or just a large space. E.g.: LF in Toulouse is traditionally organized at the town's central square.

If you made your mind to organize language presentations :

Some Cultural House, school or some other place:

· with a required number of rooms (from 15 up to 30, depending on how many languages are to be presented, how many presentations of each language are planned, how many participants you are going to have),

· with a big hall (or concert hall) for the solemn inauguration of the Festival, concerts, language competitions (how big the hall must be depends on the number of participants)

It's better if it's a place originally made for studies. In this case you'll have no problems to find blackboards, chairs, cassette-recorders, video-recorders etc. The atmosphere of "learning" usually felt at such places is also important for the Festival to be a success.

Time

In France they usually organize LF in spring ( in March (Tours), in June (Toulouse).

In Russia (Cheboksary) LF falls on the 3rd weekend in October. In autumn there begins a new study-year at school and potential participants are unconsciously looking for something new and unknown. Besides, organizers have their time to plan the Festival thoroughly during the period of summer vacation, etc.

If you want students and pupils to take part in your Festival, plan LF for some weekend. Then it'll be easier for them to find some spare time and to come to the Festival.

Duration

In Toulouse they hold a one-day Festival, in Tours and Cheboksary: a two-days' one. The reason is that language presentations (in Ch. and in Tours) need more time than by-stand-ones. You are free to decide how long your Festival will be.

In Cheboksary they have as well a one-week long preliminary program. Within this program, at local schools, universities, libraries, cultural centers there held meetings with the teachers and guests of the Festival. There are also held a lot of different language-related competitions, exhibitions, lectures etc. Local press and television make their contribution to the Festival by publishing interviews with the guests and organizers, helping to hold some competitions and so on.

http://www.esperanto.org/tejo/lf/

Organization step by step

USEFUL INFORMATION

If you want to take part in LF

2001 -Year of the languages

How many languages can a common person name?
..Many..

How many languages does such a person hear every day?
.. Not so many..

How many languages can a common person speak a little bit?
..Two, three, four..

How many languages can a common person speak fluently?
...One, two..

History of the LF