Coláiste Chiaráin joined 12,000 TY students nationwide celebrating #ThinkLanguages 2021

On Friday 19th November, all Coláiste Chiaráin Transition Year students took part in a language initiative within the school called #thinklanguages. This programme of events highlighted the opportunities available to students that study and have an awareness of global languages.

#ThinkLanguages 2021 was bigger than ever and brought a celebration of languages and cultures to 150 schools nationwide. Transition year students right across the country prepared for the event for weeks, and with the help of the Languages Connect team, they spent the day immersing themselves in languages and cultures from across the world. Through a combination of supports, TY students, TY coordinators and Modern Foreign Language teachers brought foreign languages to life in Coláiste Chiaráin.

The theme of the day was #greaterworkopportunities #improvedwellbeing #widercircleofriends #boostinglifeskills #greaterlifeexperiences. By thinking globally and acting locally we celebrated the cultural diversity amongst the school community. As an awareness raising campaign, the personal, social, professional and economic benefits of language learning were highlighted. Students taking part in #ThinkLanguages were encouraged to think about the global work opportunities, as well as the wider circle of friends and the richer life experiences that foreign language skills can offer them. They were also encouraged to appreciate the diversity of languages spoken both globally and locally within their own school and community.

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Students created and designed decorations to decorate a classroom in the colours of the French, German, Italian and Spanish flags. Students also highlighted the reasons why these countries are known throughout the world. Some wonderful creations and innovative ideas were displayed such as an Eiffel Tower made from pasta, a pizza oven and piñatas. It was wonderful to see the colourful and decorative classrooms highlighting the links to the culture of the countries.The students decided to dress up in the colours of the language or as a stereotypical person from that country to generate a fun atmosphere for the day.

The students followed a timetable of workshops which were hosted by the TY language teachers so they could gain a rich experience of languages. These workshops helped them to realise the benefits of learning languages and to improve student awareness of global languages and cultures. The students took part in an interpreting session from the EU parliament. They learnt to use chopsticks and created messages in calligraphy during the Chinese workshop. They also got an opportunity to learn sign language and to take part in a quiz. They tried some ballet and the Brazilian martial arts and dance form called capoeira. They then reflected on Ireland today and heard stories from some people who have moved to Ireland and immersed themselves in Irish culture.

Coláiste Chiaráin continuously promotes the necessity for all to learn foreign languages, in order to support a strong, growing economy while also promoting a multicultural and inclusive society.

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