Annual Report 2024 - Flipbook - Page 106
Social media and press coverage
Social channels were a hive of activity across the week, with students, schools and partners engaging in the
online conversation and sharing an array of images and videos. Live updates on their activity helped bring
languages to the fore for the week. Creative Instagram stories and TikTok videos showcased the students’
passion for languages. Some Champion Team Members took on the role of reporters, with articles appearing
in local press in the build-up to and after the events. Champion Teams were also invited to participate in
interviews on local radio during the week itself, creating a great buzz in the school and wider community, and
promoting the benefits of languages far and wide. Partners, including the IFI, shared coverage on their media
platforms, including newsletters, social media, and websites, helping to highlight #ThinkLanguages, and
languages in general, during the week.
The National Final in January, which was attended by members of the Department of Education, as well as
representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs, also provided an opportunity for social and press
coverage. PPLI, in collaboration with The Department of Education Communications Team, developed and
shared a press release announcing the winner and providing details of the final. The release was picked up by
print, online and broadcast press, including the Meath Chronicle & Tipperary Live.
Impact:
•
17,500 Transition Year students nationwide celebrated the benefits of language skills together
•
More than 47 schools visited a university campus and were involved in #ThinkLanguages activities on
campus
•
Over 4,000 students visited a cinema or watched a streamed foreign language film provided by the IFI
•
Increase in awareness of language career paths within the EU, supporting the DFA strategy A Career for EU
– Ireland’s Strategy to increase Irish representation in the European Unions, Institutions and Agencies
•
98% of students surveyed said they would recommend the event to others
•
63% of students surveyed realised classmates had language skills they had no prior knowledge of, as a
result of #ThinkLanguages
•
75% of students surveyed said the event changed their opinion on the value of languages
•
85.55% of students said the event changed their opinion on the value of languages
Next Steps:
106
•
Plan #ThinkLanguages Week for the seventh year from 17-21 November 2025, incorporating feedback and
suggestions from participating teachers
•
Continue to leverage #ThinkLanguages to support the aims of Say Yes to Languages and increase uptake
of languages in post-primary
•
Continue to build on partnerships to grow the reach of #ThinkLanguages into the wider community and
expand the range of activities available to students during #ThinkLanguages Week
•
Cultivate and increase cross-department collaboration, in support of relevant strategies, such as current
partnerships with the Department of Foreign Affairs
- PPLI ANNUAL REPORT 2024 -
