Annual Report 2024 - Flipbook - Page 70
Language Summer Camps
6 Camps
Action 2.D.5
2.E.3
2.F.1
121 Students
Overview:
Summer camps for post-primary students in lesser-taught and heritage languages are funded by PPLI. These
two-week-long camps are held during the summer and are organised and taught by professionals in a variety
of languages, at locations nationwide. They provide students an opportunity to improve their language skills
through language classes, as well as a combination of sport and culture classes taught through the target language.
Main Aims:
•
Motivate students to develop and maintain their heritage languages and sit these languages for Leaving
Certificate
•
Inspire students to take up a lesser-taught language for Leaving Certificate
•
To raise awareness among students of the availability of these languages in the HEIs
Activity:
In 2024, six camps took place, offering students the opportunity to participate in language classes and
participate in cultural activities in Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian and Polish. Four universities managed a
summer camp, bringing post-primary students on campus to spend two weeks learning a more recently
added or lesser-taught language.
2024 was the sixth year in which these summer camps took place. The remit of PPLI is to manage funding for,
provide advice, and assist with the collection of feedback on the summer camps. The coordinators are
responsible for advertising the camps, registration of students, and devising the camp programme. In addition
to language classes, students cover a variety of cultural activities and sports as outlined below:
Chinese in Dundalk Institute of Technology
In Dundalk, students covered Chinese language, writing, painting, traditional music, dumpling making,
traditional board games, paper cutting, an introduction to Qigong and a trip to a local Chinese manufacturing
company WuXi. On the last day work produced was showcased in an exhibition, along with a performance for
parents, guests from the Chinese Embassy and senior management from DKIT.
Chinese in South-East Technological University (SETU), Waterford
In Waterford, students learnt about Chinese language and writing, and covered Chinese calligraphy, traditional
Chinese operas, and had a Chinese cookery demonstration. They did cultural quizzes and games, watched a
Chinese movie, and played table tennis and chess. They visited Mount Congreve Gardens which has a Chinese
Pagoda. Several students are now interested in studying Chinese at SETU and spending a term in China.
Italian at University of Galway
In Galway, students learnt Italian language, created masks for the Venetian carnival, learnt Italian hand
gestures, found out about art in Florence and created a piece of Botticelli group artwork, they made Italian
pizza, watched an Italian movie, subtitled and dubbed cartoons and rehearsed for their final show.
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- PPLI ANNUAL REPORT 2024 -
