ENCOUNTERS: Foreign language learning through engagement in intercultural encounters

Foreign language teaching in out-of-school environments has to go beyond standard classroom strategies and involve learners in motivating activities, providing opportunities for the actual use of their communication skills. This is particularly important in the case of young people who eagerly involve in extracurricular learning activities if they find them engaging, interactive and fun. We should therefore plan and implement relevant educational scenarios which would meet these expectations. We take this project as an opportunity to work together towards a particular approach of fostering foreign language learning through engaging young people in intercultural encounters.

Our countries have experienced a rapid growth of possibilities for such encounters since our accession to the EU: holidays abroad, school exchanges, mobility projects, meeting guests from other countries are just some examples which create opportunities for young people to interact with their peers who represent different cultures and speak different languages. However, in spite of potential benefits for the participants in terms of increased knowledge of other cultures and improved ability to use a foreign language, intercultural encounters of young people rarely form a regular part of a foreign language curriculum. Our main objective is to foster such engagement as an integral part of their learning.

The events organised by us to date which involved learners in meetings with people from other countries brought very positive results. We have evidence of impact on the young participants in the form of conducted surveys, their new Facebook friends, hanging out together online and follow-up plans. This evidence encourages us to plan further intercultural events on the basis of documented interest and motivation to interact on the part of the young learners. The feedback provides clear indication that such encounters offer excellent learning opportunities for young people, if exploited properly. However, in order to go beyond general motivation/satisfaction outcomes (“it was great”, “good fun”, “we met nice people”) we should have learning scenarios in place to foster development of concrete skills in terms of acquisition of foreign language and intercultural competence. We see this transnational cooperation as an excellent way forward.

Our specific aims in this project are the following:

- Exchange our experiences from international mobility events which involved young people and analyse how they progressed in foreign language learning and intercultural awareness through these encounters
- Distil motivating and empowering factors behind their progression
- Formulate new learning scenarios based on engagement in intercultural encounters
- Test them in our youth work practice
- Elaborate results in a form of learning programme which will enhance the capacity of our organisations as informal education providers
- Share the programme with other organisations which offer foreign language learning opportunities to young people beyond formal school curriculum

The project thus addresses learning needs of young students of foreign languages through engaging them in real life encounters which make them use their communication skills. There is a large number of young people with fewer opportunities who have not been abroad nor participated in an international exchange. We will give preference to these participants in all project activities.