Ownership and Leadership: Pathways for (Endangered) Languages' Use in School

In Europe, hundreds of languages, especially regional or minority languages (RMLs), are endangered, as they are not being passed on to the younger generations, are under-resourced, and are progressively disappearing. There is an urgent need to support such under-resourced language communities to strengthen their RMLs, promote linguistic diversity, and develop language resources. The five consortium members work on research, documentation, and education regarding RMLs, e.g. Latgalian (LV), Mirandese (PT), South Saami (NO), and West Frisian (NL). Based on the conviction that 1) language maintenance and development must be driven by the RML community; 2) educators are key actors in RML vitality; and 3) connecting RML communities across Europe can strengthen each group, OWL+ aimed to support and innovate curriculum building for and about threatened languages, done for and with the RML community members in order to create practical tools to help them foster the transmission of the RML. As such, it supported educators of under-resourced RMLs in their needs for more and transferable RML activities, more knowledge about RMLs in Europe, and a need for exchange with RML community members and educators.

OWL+ aimed to innovate in curriculum building for and about endangered languages by contextualising them within the big picture of language diversity in Europe and by providing stakeholders with tools to help them foster the transmission of endangered RMLs. The project aims were to: 1) support RML teachers and community members in the creation and enhancement of curricula, while making use of local resources and digital methods; 2) empower speakers and learners of endangered RMLs to create new domains of use through education and social entrepreneurship; 3) develop a set of digital didactic materials, free of charge for communities across Europe and the wider public, regardless of the nature of their interest in language; and 4) raise awareness of European linguistic diversity in an optimistic tone, fostering a positive attitude towards multilingualism in mainstream education. The target audiences were primarily schools (i.e. teachers, trainees, and school staff) from areas where an endangered RML is spoken, and community leaders (i.e. associations, councils, and cultural initiative leaders) that are investing in RML maintenance. OWL+ was committed to provide tools to empower them to take ownership of their cultural heritage.

The activities undertaken for the OWL+ project can be grouped in three categories: organising multiplier events (MEs), developing project results (PRs), and carrying out project management. During the project, five MEs were organised by the consortium with the overarching aim of connecting RML communities across Europe in order to strengthen these. The MEs served as platforms for presenting and promoting the project and its PRs. More specifically, the events functioned as opportunities to learn about digital methods and provided a space for educators to network with other teachers and stakeholders who are active in educational contexts of endangered RMLs. The PRs were developed with the active involvement of the project’s associated partners (APs), who work at schools and community centres in which endangered languages are used. The collaboration with the APs was invaluable, as they helped the consortium identify the needs and expectations of teachers and pupils, aided in creating the Module units, provided feedback on outputs, and piloted activities of the Practical Guide. For project management, meetings—both online and in-person—were held regularly, and work was distributed according to the project partners’ strengths.

OWL+ produced three Project Results (PRs) to reach its objectives: The OWL+ Platform (PR1) is an online infrastructure that provides information about the project and hosts its intellectual outputs. The platform can be found at www.owlplus.eu. The OWL+ Module: Teaching and Learning in Linguistic Diversity (PR2) contains five online units; four regarding Latgalian, Mirandese, South Saami, and West Frisian, and one focused on the theme of ownership and leadership. The module was developed to provide the targeted audiences with background information, educational materials, and examples of how to use, develop, and teach their respective RML. At the same time, the module offers insights into the broader context of minority languages in Europe and shows examples of good practices for people working with other minority languages. The Practical Guide: Documentation-Based Curricula for Endangered Languages (PR3) is an online compendium of classroom activities, which provides innovative ideas and step-by-step instructions for teachers who wish to renew or create a curriculum for an RML. The Practical Guide offers activities from a primary school level up to adult education, and is available in multiple languages.