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European Day of Languages - The 2008 Celebration in Brussels
| Anyone in the area who thought they were starting their weekend early with a lie-in on Friday morning was in for a surprise. The fanfare "Panika" arrived at 8:00 to wake up St Josse to the fact that it was the EDL (European Day of Languages). The hosts and hostesses from Media Consulta, in their distinctive blue sweatshirts and windbreakers, were out on the streets and at the Metro station to direct passers-by towards the EDL tent at Place St Josse. | |
| Walking down the Chaussée de Louvain one noticed that local businesses had prominently displayed the EDL poster in their windows listing of languages spoken on their premises. The range of languages on display was impressive. A Bank must have been the winner with eight languages in use. | |
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The first class arrived from the Nouvelle Ecole at 9:00 and was taken through a dance routine with an underlying message of tolerance and interaction, following which they watched the video about language and cultural differences that had been filmed in their school and discussed the languages spoken by class members at home. Four other groups followed in the morning and afternoon and were taken through the same routine. Rotation of the classes was well organised with the participation of their teachers, and sometimes ushered in by La Panika. The school children also guaranteed a lively atmosphere in the tent at all times.
It was back to class visits after lunch, but the lull did not last for long, soon proud parents gathered with their contribution to the 'goûter communal' which started at 15:30. This community contribution set off another constant flow of visitors of all ages and walks of life. Particularly, the pupils, big and small, finishing school dropped in to join in the fun. From then on it was Hochbetrieb until the balloons ran out shortly after 17:00. The quiz game on the computers was constantly in use, as was the geographical word game and scrabble.
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The day was very successful from the point of view of public relations and promoting cultural and linguistic diversity. The locals entered into the spirit, both by coming out in large numbers throughout the day, and by getting involved through displaying posters or contributing food from their countries of origin. The active participation and enthusiasm of pupils, staff and parents from the Nouvelle Ecole contributed immensely to making the day a success. The Centre d'Animation langues and the hosts and hostesses did an excellent, professional job in organising and executing the events for the children and visitors throughout the day. The Commune was present during the day with a stand giving information about job possibilities and access to training opportunities. The mayor of St Josse and some of his staff attended at lunchtime.
The day received wide coverage in the local Brussels press and the mobile unit of RTBF, the national broadcasting organisation of the French-speaking part of Belgium, was present for much of the day broadcasting live from the Place St Josse.
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The objective was to engage with the local community and it certainly worked. Soon the local restaurateurs start arriving with trays of specialities from their countries for the food tasting corner and the older generation of St Jossois, out for a morning stroll or shopping, were attracted to the tent to watch the goings-on and to sample the language tasters. They were joined by parents with younger children. By mid-day the event had attracted a cross-section of the local community as employees came out for lunch and visited the tent. The icing on the cake came when fonctionnaires from the Commune and the EU, and the regulars at Place St Josse mingled over a glass of wine, jostling for nibbles as the fanfare provided the music and ambiance.
