International Indigenous Languages Conference Set for June in British Columbia

Published February 22, 2019

Gathering organized by and for Indigenous people to support language revitalization best practices

BRENTWOOD BAY, British Columbia — In celebration of the United Nations 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages, the First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation (FPCF) and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC), in partnership with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, will host a major international conferenc

The United Nations declared 2019 as the Year of Indigenous Languages as an important mechanism to raise international attention about the critical loss of Indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize, promote and mobilize urgent and coordinated action at the national and international levels to protect them.

Indigenous languages around the world continue to disappear at an alarming rate. Approximately 40 per cent of the estimated 6,700 languages spoken around the world are in danger of disappearing. The fact that most of these are Indigenous languages puts the cultures and knowledge systems to which they belong at risk.

WHAT:

The HELISET TŦE SḰÁL – ‘Let the Languages Live’ – 2019 International Conference on Indigenous Languages will bring together Indigenous leaders and language experts, speakers, learners and advocates from around the globe to celebrate, honour and share expertise in Indigenous language reclamation, revitalization and maintenance and to learn about successful language projects in B.C. The goal of the conference is to provide participants with practical skills and knowledge to support the Indigenous language revitalization work they are leading in their communities and organizations.

WHEN: June 24 to 26, 2019
WHERE: Victoria Conference Centre in Victoria, B.C., Canada
HIGHLIGHTS: The conference will offer multiple workshop streams, including practical training in Indigenous language immersion, archiving and documentation techniques; language policy and legislation; language revitalization program planning; models for language revitalization and education; language and technology; and storytelling.

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