Languages buddy scheme wins award

A scheme that links school pupils and undergraduate students on a year abroad has been awarded a prestigious European Language Label.

On Wednesday 26^th September, Europe celebrated the European Day of Languages and to mark the occasion, language projects from across the UK were recognised at the European Language Label prize-giving ceremony. Amongst the winners were Routes into Languages Cymru for their Adopt a Class scheme.

Adopt a Class is a scheme that links school pupils in Wales with an undergraduate student on a year abroad. The pupils have the opportunity to meet their buddy student before they go abroad. The following year, they keep in touch. The student sends information about the country in which they are living. The pupils share the experience of discovering a new city in another country from the comfort of their classroom. Adopt a Class aims to enthuse the pupils about learning languages and also introduce them to the possibility of spending time abroad with student mobility schemes such as Erasmus.

Bangor University’s School of Modern Languages became involved in the scheme in 2011 when six students each adopted a class from local secondary schools and kept in touch with them while they were abroad. The links were very successful, and in one local school the highest number of pupils opting for GCSE French came from the class that was participating in the scheme.

Ruben Chapella, Routes into Languages Cymru Support Officer, said “The unique personality and will of our Student Language Ambassadors fills us with pride, and this well-deserved award is further proof of the importance of their role to promote foreign languages.”

Publication date: 17 October 2012