Roundtable Discussion “The Role of Public Associations in Preserving National Languages Outside of Native Regions: Practices of Working with Children”

On February 21, 2024, the State Budgetary Institution of the Leningrad Region “House of Friendship of the Leningrad Region” held a roundtable discussion dedicated to the International Mother Language Day – “The Role of Public Associations in Preserving National Languages Outside of Native Regions: Practices of Working with Children.” The organizers were: the State Budgetary Institution of the Leningrad Region “House of Friendship of the Leningrad Region,” the regional branch of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia in the Leningrad Region, and the Resource Information Center of the Northwestern Federal District (House of Friendship of the Leningrad Region).

The roundtable discussion was attended by representatives of ethno-cultural public organizations of the region, the Association of Indigenous Minority Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, teachers of national languages, language courses, Sunday schools, and publishers. The moderator was the Deputy Head of the House of Friendship of the Leningrad Region, Chairman of the regional branch of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, Elena Ermolina. “There are about seven thousand languages ​​in the world. 2500 languages are at risk of extinction, in the so-called ‘red’ zone. There are languages spoken by 30 or fewer people. Efforts need to be made by everyone – the government, scientists, linguists, and, of course, public organizations, to preserve linguistic diversity. This is especially true for preserving the language in a foreign region, far from its historical homeland,” she noted in her speech.

“It is very important to remember that peoples are culture, costumes, traditions, but first and foremost, they are language. Each people’s language, their identity, must be preserved. And our ethno-cultural organizations are doing great work in this direction. Thanks to your work, both adults and children can experience unique languages spoken by the peoples of the Leningrad Region,” said Sergei Novozhilov, Acting Director of the regional House of Friendship, welcoming participants of the roundtable.

According to Irina Toigildina, a teacher at the “Vzmakh” private school, a language activist of the Mari national-cultural autonomy of the Leningrad Region, motivating children to learn the language is greatly aided by game-based technologies. “Children love to touch and explore everything. And I actively use these playful elements in my work with children,” she shared her experience.

The situation is different for teachers at the Armenian Sunday school in Volkhov. “My teaching methodology is ‘tailored’ for Russian-speaking children. It is important to understand that we are citizens of Russia, and in many families, even parents already poorly know their native Armenian language. Therefore, we teach the language in conjunction with other subjects – we study history, introduce children to cultural and literary monuments. We learn letters, then find these letters in words, and step by step progress,” noted Anait Voskanyan, a teacher at the Armenian Sunday school at the “Akhtamar” community.

Kerecheene Afanasyeva, a first-year student of the Faculty of Ethnocultural Studies and History at the A.I. Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University, shared her experience of preserving the Yakut language among students of the Institute of the Peoples of the North.

“In the Kinyarwanda language, about 30 million people speak worldwide. In this sense, our language ‘feels good,’ and I think it will not disappear for a long time,” joked Valens Maniragena, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer Engineering at the Leningrad State Electrotechnical Institute, Senior Lecturer of the Eastern Faculty (Department of African Studies) at St. Petersburg State University. In his free time from his main job, together with representatives of the charity organization he heads, Valens Maniragena translated and published Alexander Pushkin’s fairy tale “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” into his native language and translated into Russian and published a book of fairy tales of the peoples of Rwanda, the country of ‘a thousand hills and a million smiles.’ Rwanda is one of the few countries in Africa where the entire population speaks the local language. The Kinyarwanda language belongs to the language family, where there are about 500 more languages, which have a lot in common with each other.

One of the oldest public organizations, the Association of Korean Women of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, has accumulated vast experience in conducting language courses. The founder of this interregional organization, Zhanna Lee, spoke about the stages of the formation of the Korean language school, teaching methods, and approaches. “In 2008, 12 people came to our first class. And today we conduct classes in three branches. One of them is the House of Friendship of the Leningrad Region, the second is the cultural center on Bogatyrsky Prospekt. And this academic year, we opened a branch at School No. 2 in Kudrovo,” noted Zhanna Lee with pride. The school accepts students year-round, and more than half of the students represent various nationalities. Recently, many young people have joined. This is due to a surge of interest in Korean culture in general.

Daria Saperova, director of the nonprofit organization in the field of culture and art “ETO PROSTO,” shared her project “ART-Kraevedenie” with the participants of the roundtable. Together with her team, she developed a layout and published a book “Guide to the city of Priozersk and Priozersky district.” The book is illustrated with children’s drawings. The project was well received and continued. Currently, Daria Saperova is working on a sequel – a guidebook for the entire Leningrad Region. And in the plans is to publish a book based on the legends and myths of the indigenous minority peoples of our region. The illustrations for this book will also be children’s drawings. All participants of the roundtable liked the idea of the project, and in the near future, it will become the topic of a new meeting at the House of Friendship of the Leningrad Region.