Language, identity, belonging: Raising aspirations in heritage language students

Experience shows that valuing their first language contributes to students’ sense of belonging and self-esteem. Linguistic skills and cultural capital foster community cohesion and ultimately contribute to economic growth.

The symposium will present findings from our latest school engagement work: the Raising Aspiration Project (RAP) and Proficiency in East European Languages (PEEL), runner-up at the 2022 UCL Widening Participation Community awards. The projects are run by UCL SSEES lecturers in collaboration with three secondary schools over four years, working with Romanian, Albanian, Bulgarian, and Ukrainian, and featuring guest languages, Spanish and Portuguese. We will hear insights from one of these secondary schools about their approach to supporting heritage language speakers.

During the day we will explore strategies to support and promote heritage languages, encourage the diverse array of heritage languages in UK schools, and establish practical steps for advocating for GCSE and A-Level courses in a wider range of languages.

Join us for an inspiring discussion celebrating and supporting heritage languages in schools.