British Council “Languages for Europe Think Tank” has been set up to help identify key issues facing citizens of Europe in the areas of languages and language policy. The British Council wants to contribute to – and stimulate – debate and discussion about the issues, building on work we have been engaged on with partners in many countries. We therefore bring together a group of key thinkers and communicators from seven countries in northern & central Europe - Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and the UK.
Members include a mix of people from government and non-government organizations including European bodies, education institutions and businesses, professional associations, freelancers, media, etc.
- Identify key issues facing citizens of Europe in the area of languages and language policy;
- Draw out key messages to share across countries in the region, and across Europe as a whole;
- Contribute to language policy discussion and development in the seven countries and in Europe by stimulating productive debate;
- Develop effective means of communicating the issues / messages / advice to different audiences, including:
- … to policy makers, to media professionals, to education professionals.
The Think Tank determines its own agenda and ways of working. These include:
- Identification of “hot topics” in language learning and language policy (e.g. early start language learning; content and language integrated learning; the future of English and other languages);
- Planning ways to engage with key audiences in the region to generate ideas, reflect on the issues and influence policy in these areas;
- Circulation of think pieces by email in advance of face to face meetings;
- Think Tank Forums in advance of key conferences or seminars
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