Start your own Festival!
Schedule, on the wall, of Mini-Lessons during the one-day LinguaFest at the University of Illinois, 1999, 65 languages, 154 mini-courses.
Here is the webpage that I created to help me organize the 1999 United States Language Festival. at the University of Illinois. In English
Here is an example of the general webpage that I set up to help me more easily manage the Langauge Festival at the University of Illinois United States LinguaFest 1999. In English
To see a web article written by Dennis Keefe on organizing the Language Festival click on Kiel organizi LingvoFestivalon. In Esperanto
Comments on Starting Your Own Language Festival:
Your First Festival
While many of the world's language festivals have grown to include more
than 50 languages with well over 100 mini-lessons, you will probably
want to do your first festival with just a dozen or so languages.
Learning for Following Years
By starting with a small number, you can learn how to better manage the
festival, and you will find that the following years will be easier to
organize partly because you already have a dedicated staff of trained
presenters of the languages, and partly because word-of-mouth will
attract more and more people to your festival.
LinguaFest as an Open Source Project
As you plan your festival, you can make use of this LinguaFest web site.
The Festival of Languages is noncommercial and represents an Open Source
opportunity for you to use many of the materials that you find on this
web site.
Tips for Organizing a Successful Festival
Remember that the success of your Language Festival depends on
organizing the event itself, and it also depends on your ability to
attract the general public. Specifically, keep the following five
factors in mind.
Multiple Foreign Languages
First, you need a variety of languages, say, ten or more.
A Good Location
Second, you need a good location. Universities and schools are
ideal because the classrooms are ready made for language presentations.
Good Dates and Times
Third, you need the right times and date. Try starting on one day
of the weekend. In most areas, the afternoon works best. Try
to avoid times when students are preparing for exams because young
people often make up a large percentage of your visitors, and many
foreign students make good teachers.
Locate Teachers and Train Them
Fourth, find your teachers and train them. Even experienced
teachers will need to be aware that the purpose of an introductory
mini-lesson is to stimulate interest in the language, not thoroughly
teach a grammar point.
Get the General Public to Attend
Fifth, remember that once you have your languages and teachers and
times, you also need to get the public to come to your event. Use
every "guerilla marketing" technique at your disposal: prepare press
kits and press releases for the local paper; make clear and attractive
posters; set up a simple web site and make its address known; and,
perhaps have a large banner made to go outside the building where the
mini-courses are held.
Contact me to help get you started
Do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to have some help setting
up your Langauge Festival. It would be a delight for me to talk
about your new festival. Contact Dennis
Keefe.
The followiing is a little article that I wrote to encourage some of the
Esperanto users to establish their own Festival of Languages.
Kiel organizi
LingvoFestivalon.