North West

There are still places available on our Language Enrichment Events at UCLAN, Bolton and University of Salford!

You can book online for these events or alternatively request a booking form by emailing routes@mmu.ac.uk

We hope to fill these events up as they are a great way of motivating children to study Languages.

Our Language Enrichment Events are interactive, exciting events that encourage pupils to continue with their language studies at school and to think about the advantages of learning a new language or gaining a qualification in a language they may speak at home. These events have proved extremely popular with pupils and language teachers over the past two years.

Events will be held at all five partner institutions and will include a talk entitled “Why Study Languages?”, two taster sessions in a new language (Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Urdu or Italian) and a multi-cultural market where pupils will learn more about different cultures. Student ambassadors from our partner institutions will talk to pupils about life at university and the advantages of studying a foreign language. Lunch is also included.

The events are open to any year 9 pupils who have not yet chosen to study languages at GCSE, from schools where languages are not compulsory. We are trying to achieve as much impact as possible so would suggest that you bring pupils who are less interested in languages, so that we can do our very best to change their minds!

Further events will be held in Summer 2010 for year 8 pupils. Details of these are available on the website and booking forms will be sent to schools in January 2010.

On Sunday 4th October 2009, Dr Sharon Handley, Director of the COLT Project, Jocelyn Wyburd, from the University of Manchester, and Nabila Suriya, Urdu LEE tutor, were interviewed on BBC Radio Greater Manchester's Asian evening show, 'Indus'. You can listen to their discussion by clicking this link and scrolling along to 1hour 30mins into the show.

We are compiling a database of speakers of languages. If you speak a language other than French, German and Spanish and you are interested in assisting schools and other parties with enquires relating to languages, please click on the link below to read more and download a database registration form:

Database Information and Registration Form
 

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for – the LAFTAs is back! If you’re aged between 13 and 21 and live in the UK, become a film star, director or producer for the day for your chance to win fantastic prizes!

To enter the competition, just make a two-minute video showing why languages are important. Fill in an application form and send your clip in to LAFTAs before February 2010 – they’ll put it on our YouTube page and pass it on to the regional judges and, finally, to a celebrity judging panel. All the details are to be found on their website, see link below.

Your video can be in any style you like - from comedy to thriller! You can enter in one or more of our special categories, including this year’s London 2012 theme and A World of Languages category. There are over 300 languages spoken in the UK. We’re looking for clips which demonstrate the world of languages there is out there to explore. You can enter as an individual or a group.
 

If your video is shortlisted you’ll be invited to a glamorous award ceremony in summer 2010 where you’ll find out who’ll be walking away with an LAFTA this year. Prizes include trips to France, Germany and Spain, iPod Touches and vouchers for different shops.

To view past entries, click on the following link: www.youtube.com/thelaftas

With the North West being such a culturally diverse place, we really encourage you to enter this competition. It would be fantastic to see someone from the North West win the LAFTA Award!

For more information on this competition, visit www.languageswork.org.uk/laftas

A new feature of this year's Routes into Languages North West Language Enrichment events was a fabulous new competition - local pupils who attended were asked to submit a photograph with a written account of their day.

Not prepared for the amount of entries, we spent the summer sifting through some excellent accounts. Writing about their favourite taster session, culture or ambassador, some of the entries received were creative, some were colourful and others were very inspired.
 

In the end, however, only three could be selected. It was a hard job, but we eventually chose what we think were the best. Please click on the names to see the winning entries.

Runners up, winners of 1gb ipod shuffles: Sukhveer Singh, William Hulme's Grammar School and Keely Knight, Fearns Community Sports College.

The winner of the 2008/09 Language Enrichment Event Ipod competition, who gets a 8gb Ipod Touch, was: Elle Cropley, Irlam & Cadishead Community High School.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a piece. Keep up the language learning!

All important dates have been pencilled in and the 2009/10 Routes into Languages North West information pack will soon be making its way to all schools in the North West.

Addressed to the Head of Languages, schools will receive a copy of the latest Routes North West Newsletter detailing how far we've come over the last year and what lies ahead. Also included will be booking forms to the biggest events of the coming year; the winter Langauge Enrichment events, the NWULA event and an exciting Italian event.

If you have any questions regarding the pack or any of the events please don't hesitate to get in touch. Likewise if you'd like to request a pack or need a replacement, contact routes@mmu.ac.uk.

Aiming to Create Perfect Language Partnerships

Over the last year, we have been approached by various institutions seeking teachers of community languages to run classes; Likewise, individuals have come to us looking for institutions who need a language tutor, and we have also helped schools set up lunch time language clubs with Student Ambassadors, some of which were hugely successful. This has prompted us to set up the Routes Into Languages NW Language Exchange.

We want to help schools and individuals establish links and build partnerships across the North West.

So whether you are looking for a teacher, a school, or someone to run an after-school club, please get in touch with us. Advertise on Language Exchange and we can help you find what you want.

We are also interested to hear from contacts with European schools who may be looking for a British partner for pen pal schemes or even Exchange trips.

If you have something to advertise through Language Exchange, please email routes@mmu.ac.uk with your details.

View a copy of the flyer here.

As we enter the third year of the project, Routes Into Languages North West is showing no signs of abating in its relentless mission to bring community languages to the masses.

2009/10 promises to be a bigger and busier year than ever as we continue to build on the valuable experiences learned from the first two years. With a wider range of school events planned along with the ever popular Language Enrichment Events doubling, we are reaching more pupils than ever before, encouraging schools to look at the languages they teach.

Our growing army of Student Ambassadors are ready to visit the schools of the North West, eager to highlight the many benefits of language learning in Higher Education. The streamlined Teacher Training programme is reaching more and more community teachers, raising both the quality and exposure of community language teaching in the Greater Manchester area.

The coming year includes:

• Winter Language Enrichment Events aimed at Year 9s
• Summer Language Enrichment Events aimed at Year 8s
• Cornerhouse Projector GCSE Film Study Sessions for pupils of Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Urdu and Italian
• Community of Lesser Taught Languages (COLT) Conference
• Italian Celebration Day
• Teacher Training for community teachers of Arabic, Urdu and Mandarin Chinese
• NWULA Languages Now event
• A DVD for schools
• Student Ambassador talks
• A Level day for learners of Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Urdu
• After school and lunchtime language clubs run by Student Ambassadors

If you would like more information on any of these activities, or if you would like to join in by having a Student Ambassador visit your school or would like Routes NW to help out at a language event in your school, please contact routes@mmu.ac.uk.