LANGUAGES POTLUCK LUNCH 

Sunday 17 June, 11am to 2pm. 

Learners of other languages of all ages and people interested in promoting bilingualism are invited to come and meet families raising young children in more than one language and seniors from a range of language and cultural backgrounds.

Bring along your favourite foods and share your cooking skills and recipes.  There will also be children's games from around the world and free fun activities for children.

The event is being held in the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre in Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra City (near Civic Library and the Canberra Theatre).

 

For more details see http://actbilingual.weebly.com or contact canberrabilingual@gmail.com (email) or phone Mandy on 6125 9673 (messages) or 0408 089 235.

This is the second ‘Meet a Language Grand’ event for 2012 organised by the ACT Bilingual Education Alliance, a local non-profit community group and supported by the ACT Government Multicultural Grants Program 2011-12

For more details see http://actbilingual.weebly.com/, email canberrabilingual@gmail.com or phone Mandy on 6125 9673 (messages) or 0408 089 235

Traditional German Lantern Walk in Canberra

Sunday 17 June, 2012  5pm to 6:30pm Glebe Park in Civic

Sausages, Saint Martin's Brötchen, traditional Gluehwein, Kindergluehwein, will be available for a gold coin donation each.  (BYO mug.)

Song sheets provided.  Desserts and treats available after the walk.  Dress warmly!  Prams, friends, grandparents, all welcome! 

More info, email: spielwelt@homemail.com.au or ring Lisa 6251 7743

There is more information here about the event, the history of the lantern walk, song sheets, how Spielwelt members can get their lanterns, the lantern sticks and batteries and so on. 

Call for Expressions of Interest: Interactive artwork to celebrate languages in the Canberra region

Canberra Multicultural Community Forum (CMCF), in partnership with the ACT Office of Multicultural Affairs, is calling for expressions of interest from artists to design an artwork for Civic Square which will celebrate the many languages spoken in the ACT area.

The artwork should be visually appealing, interactive, and incorporate sound, for example the voices of Canberrans speaking various languages. There may also be an associated web presence. 

The aim is to celebrate languages spoken in the Canberra area in the past and the vibrant multicultural present, and the importance of languages and communication for the future of Canberra as an international city and national capital. The artwork should also symbolise the important role of multilingualism in a city that interacts with the world through its residents as well as international visitors, delegations and diplomatic missions.  

Closing Date for Expressions of Interest:  30 March 2012

For more information  contact Mandy Scott or phone (02) 6125 9673 or 0408 089 235 (m) 

Celebrate the many languages spoken in the Canberra Region!

Be part of an exciting marathon performance of the Austrian Christmas song Stille Nacht (Silent Night) in Garema Place in December 2012!  The idea – born at a meeting of the ACT Bilingual Education Alliance (ACTBEA)  – is to perform the song in as many languages as possible. We may even get into the Guinness Book of World Records!

The song will be sung in each language, one after the other, by small groups. Each group should contain at least one native-speaker-ACT region-resident. The event may be associated with stalls and other activities.

Would you like to get involved? You don't need to sing! Plenty of logistics and planning needed as well ...

For more details and to register your interest, contact: canberrasilentnight@gmail.com

English as a second language (ESL) support in ACT schools

There was heated debate in the ACT Legislative Assembly (see Hansard of 7 December 2011) over the ACT government decision to abolish one of the two ESL executive teacher positions which provide central support for teachers in government schools. This cut had been opposed by a number of bodies including the Australian Education Union, Parent and Citizens Council and Principals’ Associations.

While all political parties agreed that the need for ESL specialist assistance in ACT schools has increased, how to best meet this need and whether current funding is adequate was hotly disputed. An ACT Liberal motion to retain the ESL executive position was defeated. However, the following Greens’ amendment was accepted ­ that the government: 

a) Undertake a review of ESL services including the Language Performance Rating cut off for full and partial support funding, with a view to raising the required level of English proficiency and the professional development and Directorate support services available to teachers;

b) in conducting the review, consult with all relevant community stakeholders as well as ESL classroom teachers and their representatives; and

c) report back to the Assembly by April 2012

Details of how the review will be conducted and how stakeholders will be consulted are not yet available, but arrangements will presumably be put in place swiftly in view of the tight time frame.  

If you are a stakeholder in this area and want your voice to be heard, look out for official announcements or contact the Director General of the ACT Directorate of Education, Jim Watterston, for more information. He can be reached via 6207 5111 or at GPO Box 158, Canberra ACT 2601.  

Cuts to language programs in the ACT

Despite the growing recognition of the many social, economic and educational benefits of maintaining and developing multilingual skills in the Canberra community, 2012 will see a reduction in language programs for adults.

Certificate and Diploma programs 

As those who read the strident letters to the Canberra Times in early December will know, the CIT has cancelled its Certificate III and IV language courses in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, French and Spanish from 2012.  As the disgruntled letter writers pointed out, this effectively makes it impossible for Canberrans working full-time to study another language to a reasonable level of fluency in a well structured accredited program.

Also discontinued from 2012 is the part-time Graduate Diploma in Languages at the University of Canberra, which was available in Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese.

Japanese language at the University of Canberra (UC)

On 21 December 2011, lecturers in Japanese at UC were shocked to be informed that the university’s Japanese language program was to be abolished. Following representations from a number of organisations, including the NTEU, Japan Foundation and Embassy of Japan, closure has been postponed – either until the start of Semester 2 or at the end of 2012. This leaves students already enrolled in the program and staff in limbo and discourages new enrolments. Abolition of the program also severely restricts options for the study of languages on the UC campus and could have trickle down effects on Japanese study in schools in the ACT region.

UC students of Japanese have started an online petition, which you are welcome to sign at  

www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-the-university-of-canberra-s-japanese-language-pro.html

If you wish to write directly to the UC Vice Chancellor about the proposed cuts, you can email him at Stephen.parker@canberra.edu.au

Multilingual Interactive Artwork for Civic Square

Since late 2010, CMCF has been following up ideas from the community about installing a permanent artwork to highlight the central role of languages spoken and used in the ACT during the city’s centenary in 2013.

As noted in an earlier post, the aim is to celebrate languages of the past as well as the vibrant multicultural present (170 languages are used in ACT homes according to the 2006 ABS census). It will also symbolize the ongoing and future importance of language skills for a city that interacts with the world through its residents as well as international visitors, delegations and diplomatic missions.  

Civic Square has been identified as an ideal location, where several cultural institutions meet the city and the government, and where the multicultural centre is located. In partnership with the ACT Office of Multicultural Affairs, CMCF has organized a meeting with selected stakeholders, including representatives from ACT planning bodies and institutions and businesses around Civic Square, to discuss the overall concept, plans for selecting the final design, and possible sites for the artwork.

Designs for the artwork will be called for after the meeting. In broad terms, we envisage a visually appealing artwork, incorporated into an existing building or structure, and involving sound, for example the voices of Canberrans speaking various languages, possibly with an associated web presence. The final brief for artists will, however, depend on input from stakeholders at the meeting. 

One we have an idea of the design - hopefully by early 2012 - we will be looking for sponsors. We anticipate the project will be mainly funded by the community, including the diplomatic and business community, as part of their gift for Canberra’s centenary.

Like to get involved?  Contact the CMCF Languages Advisor at mandy.scott@anu.edu.au

Want to be kept informed of progress on the project? Watch this space!!