Commissioner Orban and Arsène Wenger at Arsenal "Double Club" Primary Languages Launch
Commissioner Leonard Orban will today join Arsène Wenger, manager of the "Gunners", Jim Knight, UK Schools Minister and Dr Lid King, UK National Director for Languages at the Arsenal Double Club Primary Languages Launch at the Emirates Stadium in London.
Arsenal's Double Club is an innovative project aimed at school children, combining language learning with football training.
Commissioner Orban said: "Languages are fundamental for Europeans to work and live together. Football is a unique language that crosses borders and has a special place in Europeans' hearts. That is why I am delighted to be the patron of the Double Club project, and to see it being extended to primary school children, too."
This visit builds on commissioner Orban's previous visit to the Double Club in February 2008 where secondary school pupils were involved in a similar exercise and were then invited to visit Brussels.
There will be a presentation ceremony where certificates and footballs will be awarded to more than 70 primary school pupils who have taken part in the Double Club activities.
Additionally there will be football songs sung in French/German/Spanish by pupils at local pilot schools and Q&A in French/German/Spanish – with pupils being encouraged to ask simple questions in a language other than English.
Further information is available on the following websites
General background information on the Double Club: http://www.europe.org.uk/languages/doubleclub
Information on the trip to Anderlecht, Brussels last November where Double Club children met commissioner Orban: http://www.europe.org.uk/news/view/-/id/309/ssid/4
Commissioner Orban: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/orban/index_en.htm
Multilingualism: http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/index_fr.htm
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