LangUp: Preservation of Minority cultures and languages. An entrepreneurial opportunity to embrace the past and the future

Many less used and minority languages are in danger of extinction because the younger generations no longer speak them. In many areas, where minority languages are spoken, unemployment rates are high, especially among the young. However, due to several recent developments, knowledge of a local or minority language has become an asset instead of a hindrance for young people seeking employment. Informing young people on how to capitalize on their minority language skills can thus help them in their search for work. To reach this group, this project will focus on and develop courses for youth workers, who are well situated to advise this group.

Research Theme
Multilingualism and Language learning

Coordinating Institution
CIDLeS - Interdisciplinary Centre for Social and Language Documentation

Duration
01/10/2017 - 30/09/2019

Funding
Erasmus+

Collaboration with
Fryske Akademy (the Netherlands), Asociacion Negra de Defensa y Promocion de los Derechos Humanos (Peru), Agenda Global Siglo 21 (Argentina), Action Synergy (Greece)

Project aims

The general goal of LangUp is to improve the quality of youth work and non-formal learning for youth workers and cooperation between youth organizations from Program and Partner Countries, in order to improve intergenerational learning and improve the employability of young people through the preservation of language and cultural aspects.

The specific aims of the project are the following:

• to equip youth workers with key competencies and practical skills in youth entrepreneurship and education in the field of language
• to create a space to valorize the cultural characteristics related to each minority language
• to improve the quality of youth work and to support young citizens by creating new networks, providing know-how and assistance in connecting them with language experts
• to introduce ICT based learning and e-learning in the field of youth work
• to exchange and share best practice
• to build the resources necessary to promote cultural roots (e.g. videos reporting on community traditions or showing songs in local language)
• to strengthen local development through the promotion of languages and cultural offers

Project activities

In each country

• three capacity building courses for youth workers will be organised in Portugal, Argentina, and Peru
• an e-learning course will be developed for youth workers not able to follow the regular courses
• a study will be held to evaluate the situation and legal status of the country's minority languages
• cultural events to promote minority languages will be organized
• awareness raising videos in the minority language will be developed, with subtitles in all the languages of the partnership plus English
• songs in local languages will be recorded and published on the web

All activities will be available on a project website, a Facebook page, and via many other media to disseminate the project's products beyond the project duration.