International Mother Language Day 2022 – Celebrating 50 years of linguistic and cultural diversity

 By Home Languages Department and Communications Department, UWCSEA Dover Campus
16 March 2022

During the week of 21–25 February, UWCSEA Dover Campus celebrated International Mother Language Day. Students and staff celebrated 50 years of linguistic and cultural diversity in our community with activities during lesson time, fun games during breaks and of course, the opportunity to come dressed in cultural outfits.

We interviewed our Grade 11 students, also known as the HLP-ers, who support student learning for the Home language Programme (HLP) at UWCSEA to find out more about how their experience in helping students has impacted them and why International Mother Language Day is an important day for everyone across cultures and languages.

How does it make you feel to help someone connect with their Home Language?

Sivana

Eversince I was told of this service, I was amazed by the awareness our school has regarding our mother tongue language. I believe that in order to connect and understand your culture, the first aspect you must explore is language. Language can show many features of the customs and traditions of our home countries, it can also shape the identity of a whole country. For example, my Home Language is Spanish, Spanish is spoken in many other countries in the world. Even so, the Spanish I speak is very different from the Spanish my Uruguayan, Chilean, Spanish and Venezuelan friends speak. This can show how these differences can emphasise the uniqueness of our culture. 

Since the students attending the HLP course didn’t have the opportunity to experience learning their mother tongue language at school, I consider that giving them this chance to finally connect with their cultural roots through language it’s an amazing opportunity not only to understand their past and traditions but also their identity and who they are in the present. 

Planning the activities we wanted to do for International Mother Language day allowed me to network with other students in school. My team and I came up with many interesting initiatives that we thought could be fun and interactive for this special day. 

Taking into account the current events around the world, I believe that through language, we can identify and recognise the distinctive features we all have as individuals who conform to a culture or a nation. Therefore the respect and recognition of these differences will allow us to create a world that celebrates and promotes the respect of those outside our heritage and values. 

Tatum 

Helping with the Home Language programme has made me appreciate the large variety of languages and cultures we have at UWCSEA. Coming from a different international school I already know what it was like being in a diverse environment, but I find myself still surprised at the level of involvement UWCSEA has in connecting people to their home countries. People take pride in their country's language, traditions, and history, and I find that that is something to admire. For me, my home language (dutch) has always been the main way I connect with my nationality, as I have never lived in Holland. Growing up outside of my home country and in international communities, I find I do not have the same experiences with culture as those back home do. Though the HLP programme has made me realise that it doesn’t matter where you are, you are still able to share your language with those around you. I think that language is what connects people to each other and to their country. If I were to describe it, I would say that I feel happy to not only help with connecting people to their home language but also to be a part of the community myself.

Laura

When I found out that there was a possibility for me to interact with kids that spoke the same language as me, I instantly knew it would be such a rewarding experience that I would love to be a part of. In my case, I was raised in my home country but many of the kids in my programme did not. I love to share with them parts of our culture that not only defined my childhood but define who I am as a person. Seeing them experience a little piece of our home so far away really reminds me of why UWCSEA is a community I want to be a part of – not only do we share our culture, but we also get to learn about others. I am so glad I get to take part in this programme and set up amazing events like International Mother Language Day 2022!

Esmeralda

Before coming to UWCSEA I had not had as great a cultural exchange as I have experienced here. Being surrounded by so many nationalities, customs and ways of living life has made me grow a lot as a person.

For me, being part of the Home Language Programme has been a very enriching experience, since I not only share my culture with other people, but also learn a lot about the culture of the students I help as an HPL-er. Being able to help a person to reconnect with their mother tongue makes me feel very special, not only because I am helping them develop skills in speaking, listening and writing the language, in this case, Spanish, but it also allows them to get to know their past, its culture and traditions.

Many of the students I help have told me that they want to learn their mother tongue to be able to communicate better with their families and this has made a huge impact on me. Knowing that they do this challenge to preserve their roots seems incredible to me. I have grown a lot as a person being an HPL-er, every day I know a little more about the world around me.

Helping to organise the International Mother Language day was an incredible experience. This is the first time I have helped organise a school event since coming to UWCSEA, so I was very excited to help. When I was informed about the event, so many ideas came to my mind of what it could be like and how much we could do to make it unforgettable. How I visualised the event was with many colours and full of flags from all over the world.

“Multiculturalism is something very important to me, and for that reason commemorating cultural roots was of equal importance.”

Although we had little time to organise the event, I feel that in the end, it was very unique and really represented this year's main theme proposed by UNESCO "Technology and learning a new language in times of Covid–19". We were all able to reflect on how important it is to access knowledge and the great privilege we have at UWCSEA to be able to access learning. This makes us wonder: What more can be done to help the children of the world to have a better education? To what extent has online education served as a means of learning in times of pandemic?

Why is celebrating International Mother Language Day important and how does it promote UWC and UNESCO values for peace in the world today?

Tatum

I think that now, as much as ever, is a time to reflect on our countries and how we should come together and support one another. I thought it was beautiful how on home language day, many student dressed up in Ukrainian colours and held Ukrainian flags instead of that of their own. This really shows the unity in the UWCSEA community and how we are able to recognise our differences but support one another. Even in such moments of shock we are able to come together and be strong. I believe the world can learn a lot from a community like UWCSEA.

Laura

Celebrating International Mother Language Day was very emotional for many in our community. It was the perfect time to show our solidarity and support for Ukraine. I felt extremely proud of my community as I walked into school and saw the many Ukrainian flags put up, Ukrainian music, and some students dressed in Ukrainian colours instead of their own. This allowed conversation within classes to arise, which is exactly what we need to do right now. I hope this will also spark conversations about other conflicts that are going on around the world and need as much attention and international support as this one, specifically in the Middle East. Such conflicts are usually glossed over in our eurocentric world (even in UWCSEA, an international community!), but hopefully, this will change in the near future. 

Esmeralda

International Mother Language Day was a day that made us reflect on the fact that despite that we all have different nationalities, cultures and traditions, it should not be something that separates us, on the contrary, it should be something that keeps us more united. Everyone in the school dressed in their national costumes and celebrated multiculturalism The current world events  leaves a lot to think about. Until when will world leaders stop seeing other countries as mere borders and resources and start seeing them as homes where human beings live? We as part of UWCSEA, where we share the same values ​​of the movement, must be more united than ever and show that we demand peace.

During this day, many of us dress in the colours of Ukraine in order to show our solidarity to all citizens who are being killed and displaced from their homes due to the conflict. Seeing how many other people joined us to support us while holding Ukraine’s flags made me very happy and nostalgic.

However, it should not be forgotten that the fight for world peace is not just a one-day thing, it is something that must remain forever. We must all do our part to show empathy and do everything possible so that everyone in the world is free to express their culture and have the opportunity to live outside of conflict and war.