Join the European Union National Institutes for Culture for an extraordinary occasion as we come together to commemorate the 2023 European Day of Languages. This vibrant celebration serves as a platform to embrace and honor the rich linguistic tapestry found within Europe, while fostering a love for language learning and the art of translation. Our event aims to champion multilingualism in education and literature, inviting participants to immerse themselves in an engaging and insightful experience. This gathering will facilitate the exchange of ideas and foster collaboration, nurturing a shared vision of promoting global understanding and an appreciation of diverse languages and cultures.

Program:

5:30-8:30 pm: Information Table Display and Networking (hallway & gallery)
6:00 pm: Welcome by Anastasio Sánchez, Executive Director, Instituto Cervantes of Chicago (auditorium)
6:05 pm: Opening remarks by Dr. Leonhard Emmerling, Executive Director, Goethe-Institut Chicago, and EUNIC Chicago and the Midwest Cluster President (auditorium)
6:10-6:45 pm: Roundtable Discussion on Multilingual Education with Joanne Clyde, Dr. Fabiola Fadda-Ginski, and Carlos Berrozpe Peralta (auditorium)
6:45-7:30 pm: Tzveta Sofronieva in Conversation with Reetta Pekkanen (auditorium)
7:30-8:30 pm: Reception (gallery)
Roundtable discussion on multilingual education: Foreign languages in formal education in the state of Illinois

The round table will focus on the teaching and learning of languages in formal education in the state of Illinois. The members of the table will discuss the relevance of language learning in today’s world; the situation of European languages in formal education; as well as the different types of language programs that are available. In addition, there will be space to talk about the use of technology in language teaching, linguistic competence certification, and teacher training.

Participants:

ISBE representative: Joanne Clyde, director of ISBE’s Multilingual education department

An education professional with over 20 years of education experience, Joanne has dedicated her career to the service of English learners and students from diverse backgrounds. Currently, Joanne is the Director of the Multilingual / Language Development Department for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). In this role, Joanne manages programs, services, grants, and monitoring of programs for Bilingual Education and English Learners; oversees the Migrant Education Program which provides support to the children of Agricultural Migratory Workers; is the Responsible Officer supervising the Visiting International Teacher Program; supervises the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy; and manages programs and services for World Language education, including the accreditation of Ethnic Language Schools in Illinois. In addition to this work, Joanne has been working with other Illinois agencies to support the newly arriving Asylum seeker students from the southern U.S. border. Previously, Joanne has been a district administrator, EL / Bilingual Spanish teacher, and Spanish World Language teacher in the K-8 context.

CPS representative (World Languages Program): Fabiola Fadda-Ginski, Director of World Language Programs, Office of Language and Cultural Education, Chicago Public Schools

Dr. Fabiola Fadda-Ginski is responsible for overseeing the world language programs in 227 Chicago Public Schools (11 languages taught; over 100,000 students enrolled). She has extensive experience as a project manager, school administrator, language teacher and instructional coach.

Dr. Fadda-Ginski is fluent in five European languages and holds an advanced degree in Interpretation, Translation and Foreign Correspondence from the Scuola Interpreti Traduttori of Rome, Italy (graduated 2nd in class); a B.A. in Organizational Management from Concordia University (4.0 GPA); a M.A. in Urban Teaching from Columbia College (4.0 GPA); a M.A. in Reading from Northeastern University (4.0 GPA); a M.A. in Educational Leadership from American College of Education (4.0 GPA) and a doctoral degree in Reading and Language from National Louis University (4.0 GPA). Her research interests are language acquisition and teacher evaluation systems. Dr. Ginski is currently an adjunct professor at Northwestern University where she has been teaching a course on Foundations of Learning in a New Language since 2017.

Moderator: Carlos Berrozpe Peralta, Academic Advisor, Education Office of the Embassy of Spain in the United States

Carlos Berrozpe Peralta works as an Academic Advisor for the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain in the Chicago office. He has a BA and MA in English Studies by the University of Salamanca and a MA in the teaching of Spanish as a World Language. He has worked as a teacher of World Languages (English, French and Spanish) in Spain, the UK and the US, and has held administrative positions in Spanish Secondary Schools, as a Principal and Vice-Principal. Before coming to Chicago, he held the same position in Indiana for 3 years.

Tzveta Sofronieva in Conversation with Reetta Pekkanen:

In this literary celebration of European multilingualism, poets Tzveta Sofronieva (Germany/Bulgaria) and Reetta Pekkanen (Finland) will read from their own poetry in English translation and in their original languages. Sofronieva and Pekkanen, both of whom are resident fellows at the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, will discuss the importance of the linguistic structure and cultural context of the language to their work, as well as the European and international networks of collaborators that each are involved in.

This event is held in collaboration with the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.

Tzveta Sofronieva Цвета Софрониева (poet, fiction writer, playwright, essayist; Germany/Bulgaria), a physicist and historian of science by training, is the author of over 20 books, including Anthroposzene [AnthropoScene] (2017), Прегърнати от мъглата [Embraced by the Fog] (2019) and Multiverse (2020), a collection of new and selected poems written originally in German, Bulgarian and English. Her poetry collection A Hand Full of Water (2012) was the recipient of the Adelbert-von-Chamisso Prize, a PEN/Heim Translation Fund grant, and the Cliff Becker Book Prize in Translation. Her poetry has been translated into 19 languages.

Reetta Pekkanen (poet; Finland) has published the collections Pieniä kovia nuppuja [Small Hard Buds] (2014), Kärhi [Tendril] (2019), Salakuljetuksia [Smugglings] (2021) and Katkaistut tulppaanit [Cut Tulips] (2023). Her poetry focuses on themes of personal and environmental loss, non-human perspectives, and natural semiotics. Among her awards are the Kalevi Jäntti Prize, the Katri Vala Prize and the Silja Hiidenheimo Memorial Stipend; she is a member of the poetry publishing cooperative Poesia.

EUNIC Chicago Cluster

EUNIC Chicago, a network of EU organizations, supports cultural exchange between Europe and the US. EUNIC promotes the role of culture in international relations and is a strategic partner of the EU. Learn more about our events and get connected through our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/eunicchicago/)

Current EUNIC Chicago Members and Associated Members:

Service de coopération et d’action culturelle / Consulate General of France in Chicago
Goethe-Institut Chicago
The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago
Instituto Cervantes of Chicago
General of the Czech Republic in Chicago
Consulate General of Hungary in Chicago
Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago
Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Chicago

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Tags: Consulate General of France, Consulate General of Hungary, Consulate General of Switzerland, Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania, EUNIC Chicago, Europe, European Languages, Fabiola Fadda-Ginski, General of the Czech Republic, Goethe Institute, INSTITUTO CERVANTES, Italian Cultural Institute, Joanne Clyde, Language Learning, Multilingual, Reetta Pekkanen, Tzveta Sofronieva