Some suggestions for EDL initiatives

01Authorities (ministers, Parliament, regional and local authorities, captains of industry, artists) can perform on television and radio in a press conference or other performances and who can stimulate schools, teachers, enterprises, youngsters and adults to pay attention to the teaching and learning of languages;

02 Experts can deliver articles for the press and perform in the media or in meetings/conferences;
 

03Media willing to include an item on language teaching and learning in existing appropriate programmes; newspapers willing to include some articles about the rich diversity of languages in the country / region / city or to devote their supplement to this item;

04Associations of language teachers willing to organise specific conferences and to devote articles to the importance and pleasure of learning languages (beyond English…) in their newsletters or magazines;

05Schools willing to organise competitions within the schools or with other schools in the neighbourhood; organise festivals, poetry competitions, song competitions /”rap” in foreign languages, design competitions, for example cartoons/ strips in foreign languages, theatre/ fairy tales from other countries etc.

06Schools might use the Internet to communicate with schools in other countries, exchange ideas and educational material etc.(refer to the EDL database for contacts);

07Appropriate existing events might be included in the calendar of activities such as fairs, (educational) exhibitions, meetings, conferences of language teachers, cultural events etc. to emphasise the importance of linguistic skills;

08 The general public which can interviewed about language skills;
 

09International cultural institutions (Goethe Institute, Alliance Française, the British Council, Instituto Cervantes) and Embassies might provide material, training, workshops, conferences etc.;

10 Neighbouring regions or cities are willing to set up common activities in the border areas;
 

11Shops willing to make their staff’s linguistic ability public by posters on the window, information in various languages etc

12Schoolchildren to jointly tell a story, each one using another language (possibly foreign mothertongue (this also to contribute to social cohesion) during a public event (open to parents and others)

13Classes resource persons (foreigners) in the neighbourhood, to be invited to perform in the classroom or to be involved in the teaching of languages (native speakers), thus enriching the linguistic environment;

14Foreign enterprises which need employees with linguistic skills; they might sponsor some activities or support schools willing to set up bilingual education;

15(Educational) publishers, who might be interested in becoming involved;
 

16People or actors who are willing to co-organise the Day on a voluntary basis and linguistic networks/ co-operation structures (key actors in the field of teaching and learning of languages) to be created or to be revitalised.

These suggestions could help to make a meaningful Day of Languages without substantial financial resources.