The School of Global Affairs was proud to be a part of the European Day of Languages on September 26th working together with colleagues from across the Northwest to show why languages are important and why you should study languages at school.

Established in 2001, at the Council of Europe’s initiative and together with the European Commission, the European Day of Languages is celebrated every year on September 26th. The objectives of the day are to draw attention to the importance of language learning and to promote plurilingualism through the wider uptake of language learning across all ages. The theme for 2024 European Day of Languages was ‘Languages for Peace’ which aligns with the Council of Europe’s overarching belief that ‘linguistic diversity is a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding and a key element in the rich cultural heritage’ of Europe.

Alongside various other events and activities organised across Europe, the Routes into Languages NW network, a collaboration between the University of Lancaster and the Universities of Chester, Liverpool, Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, organised an online event aimed at KS3-5 pupils to encourage the take-up of languages. Six identical sessions were delivered throughout the day, reaching over 500 teachers and their classrooms (consisting of about 10,000 pupils). University languages staff as well as Undergraduate Student Ambassadors were beamed into classrooms across the UK to deliver 35-minute motivational sessions on why languages are fun, rewarding and an amazing investment into the future. Before the end of each session, pupils and teachers also had the opportunity to follow up with their own questions about language learning. Co-organiser and Senior Teaching Associate in French for the School of Global Affairs Cyrille Rollet described the day as 'inspiring for the future of languages and a great way to show how languages are global and essential skills for younger people. The quality of the questions in the Q&A and the topics raised show how successful the sessions were'.

While this event was primarily aimed at KS3-5 pupils, the School of Global Affairs in addition to their language provision as part of a degree scheme, also provides wider access to language learning via their ‘Languages for All’ programme. Open to students, staff and members of the public, the School of Global Affairs offers evening classes where you can either learn a new language or brush up on existing language skills. Classes offered at different levels include Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Korean and Spanish. Classes run for 8 weeks (up to 3 sessions a year) with the registration for Autumn sessions, which start week beginning October 21st, now open. For more information, please visit Languages for all - Lancaster University. Chinese language and cultural classes are also offered by the Lancaster University Confucius Institute. For more details see Extracurricular Classes - Lancaster University.