News
Thursday 1 March 2007
Viva VIVACE
A new initiative designed to boost language learning in the community has been launched by Nottingham Trent University. ‘VIVACE’, which is led by the university’s Modern Languages team, in conjunction with the Association for Language Learning (ALL), is a pan-European project. It will offer language learning to people who would otherwise have little opportunity to experience a foreign language, particularly those who are socially and economically marginalised.
VIVACE will identify target learner groups and develop contacts with those organisations that provide services for them. Working closely with these providers, it will develop approaches which will build on the clients’ own interests and help overcome barriers to learning. Target groups may include young offenders, families in difficult economic and social situations, people with learning disabilities and those living in isolated and disadvantaged rural locations.
The new project will offer anything from ‘taster’ days to short courses in any European language. Nottingham Trent University and ALL have joined forces with six European partners in Spain, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Austria to deliver the initiative within their own countries.
VIVACE has been made possible through co-funding from the European Community's Socrates-Lingua Programme, and builds on the success of the university’s award-winning ALLEGRO project. This broke new ground in language teaching and the vital lessons learned through ALLEGRO will be used to devise best practice in both approach and methodology for VIVACE.
VIVACE’s Project Director and Nottingham Trent University’s Dean of Arts and Humanities, Professor Marianne Howarth, said: “Nottingham Trent University is ideally placed to lead this project given its depth of experience in language provision.
“ALLEGRO was truly innovative and proved that language learning can be successfully delivered to the disadvantaged and socially isolated. VIVACE will extend and develop this work. We believe that learning a language is one of the rights of all citizens of the European Community.”
ENDS
Further information on ALLEGRO can be found on http://allegro.acs.si
The ALLEGRO Project was recognised by the European Commission for its innovative and inspiring work across Europe. The project was selected as one of the 50 best practices for the promotion of language learning in Europe.
Further information on European Community activities in language-learning and co-financing through the Socrates Programme and the new Lifelong Learning Programme can be found on http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index.html and http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/index_en.html
For more information please contact: Dave Rogers, Press Officer, on Tel: 0115 848 8782, or via email: dave.rogers@ntu.ac.uk
or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, on Tel: 0115 848 8774, or via email: therese.easom@ntu.ac.uk
Sole responsibility for the project lies with VIVACE and the European Community is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained in this release
