European Language Label 2018

Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 European Language Label Awards, or ELLAs! Representatives of nine innovative projects collected their awards from Minister of Education and Skills Richard Bruton TD at a ceremony in Croke Park Conference Centre on 25 September. The winning projects are:

• Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn/Union of Students in Ireland (An Foclóir Aiteach/The Queer Dictionary)
• CDETB Adult Education Service Finglas (Cúpla Focail)
• Maynooth Post-Primary School (Home-in-Language)
• Intercultural Language Service Project
• DCU School of Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies (The DCU Languaculture Space)
• Mother Tongues (Language Explorers)
• Cork Educate Together Secondary School (Music Moves Us)
• St Mark’s Community School, Tallaght (The Multilingual Classroom Project)
• Mary-Pat O’Malley-Keighran (Talk Nua)

Read more about the winning projects here. See photos from the awards ceremony on our Facebook page, and enjoy the winners’ reactions to news of their awards in this video!

The European Language Label awards are open to all fields of education and training, and both accredited and non-accredited learning initiatives are encouraged to apply – no project is too big or too small. The aim of the European Language Label is to highlight and reward innovative initiatives in the realm of language teaching and learning. It also function as a stimulus to uncover and disseminate results of initiatives in the field, while promoting public interest in improving language skills.

To date Léargas has awarded approximately 90 European Language Label Awards to a variety of educational, training and community groups and language teachers, learners and ambassadors. Last year’s winning projects included TG4 Foghlaim, Justisigns sign-language initiative and the Healthcare English Language Programme.

In 2018, applications for the European Language Label had to support one or more of these categories:

• Category 1: Embracing Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in Multilingual Settings
• Category 2: Creating Engaging Learning Environments
• Category 3: Diversification and Increased Uptake of Language Learning
• Category 4: Increasing Awareness and Changing Perceptions
• Category 5: Promoting the Professional Advantages of Language Learning
• Category 6: Utilising Technology to Enhance Language Learning Techniques.

These categories support the aims and priorities of the European Language Label, while also supporting the four goals set out in the Department of Education and Skills’ Language Strategy Languages Connect 2017-2020. The Digital Schools Strategy is also supported in Category 6.

The European Language Label is coordinated by the European Commission and in Ireland is managed by Léargas. The label recognises outstanding achievement in the teaching or learning of languages. European Language Label awards are prestigious and presented at a public ceremony in September each year. Previous winners have said that “receiving external validation from such a respected organisation was a huge boost for the organisation and our team”. The European Language Label is not limited to European languages; teaching or learning of any language can be considered.

If you’re interested in finding out more about previous award winners, you can search the database of winners here.