Redaccion
THE MAYOR OF BILBAO LISTENS TO THE STUDENTS OF THE OTXARKOAGA TRAINING CENTER SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AFTER THE «ETORKINAK EUSKERAZ» PROJECT DURING THE COURSE
- «Etorkinak Euskeraz» is a project subsidized by the City Council and supervised by teachers from the Labayru Foundation with the aim of promoting and normalizing the use of Basque among students newly incorporated into the education system of Euskadi, who have shared their experience during a visit by Juan Mari Aburto to their classrooms today.
- «Developing skills in Basque, using the language as a means of integration, empowering youth, and generating positive emotions with our language and culture are some of the objectives of this exciting initiative,» the Mayor referred to the young people
The Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, along with representatives of the Municipal Corporation, visited the Otxarkoaga Training Center this morning to learn about «Etorkinak Euskeraz.» This is a project subsidized by the Bilbao City Council and supervised by teachers from the Labayru Foundation, aimed at promoting and normalizing the use of Basque among students newly incorporated into the educational system of Euskadi, who shared their experience during the Mayor’s visit to their classrooms today.
The Basic Grade Training Cycle at the Otxarkoaga Training Center understood that, to respond to the multicultural context in which they find themselves, it was essential to improve the communication skills in the official languages of recently incorporated students. That is why, during the 2024-25 school year, with direct assistance from the Bilbao City Council, they launched the «Etorkinak Euskeraz» program, where these newly incorporated students left the classroom for a Basque language reinforcement led by teachers from the Labayru Foundation.
These courses followed the AISA program methodology designed by HABE, aimed at people who have come from other places and have had no contact with Basque, and focused on the practical use of the language. During the course, students dedicated sixty hours of classes to this subject within their regular school schedule.
Classes were taught at the first level of the degrees they were studying, in seven specially formed groups, under the coordination of teachers from the Labayru Foundation and the Language Normalization coordinators at the Otxarkoaga Training Center. In addition to the usefulness of Basque in the students’ future careers, they also delved into Basque culture to understand the social context that will surround them.
The visit began with an explanation of the variety of students and languages that coexist in the center and the work done in support of Basque. The Mayor was able to meet the Euskara Taldea, students who organize various activities to introduce their peers to Basque culture, such as a txalaparta course, a visit to the Azoka in Durango, special celebrations like Euskararen Eguna, Santo Tomás, Santa Ageda, or visits from various Basque artists like Jon Gurrutxaga, Afrika BiBang, Eñaut Aiartzaguenaga, and Amets Arzallus.
Additionally, the Mayor learned about a business project created by two students from the center that combines Berber and Basque culture in a clothing brand. Finally, he was able to see how the center supports students participating in Euskaraldia, both in school and outside, promoting the figures Ahobizi and Belarriprest in the companies where the students are doing their training.
The Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, was visibly excited and grateful for the feedback from the young people involved in «Etorkinak Euskeraz» during the visit. In his words, «This project was born collaboratively between the Otxarkoaga Training Center, Labayru, and the Bilbao City Council, and it is a great example of how to address the complex challenges we face: by working together. Developing skills in Basque, using the language as a means of integration, empowering young people, and generating positive emotions with our language and culture are some of the objectives of this initiative, of which we see some results today. We will continue working to make Basque, our language, a bond of unity among people in Bilbao.»
SOCIAL MEDIA:
