22 Basque language and culture teachers from around the world meet at San Telmo Museum in Donostia

After spending the academic year in Berlin, Helsinki, Havana, Chicago, Mexico City, Paris or Liverpool, the Etxepare Basque Institute’s network of lecturers and language assistants gathered on July 12th at the San Telmo Museoa in Donostia. These are the men and woman responsible for teaching Euskara and Basque culture at universities located beyond the Basque Country. The 7th Annual Meeting of Basque Language and Culture Assistants was held to assess the school year, exchange experiences, and contemplate the upcoming challenges for the next academic year. Among the participants were seven people who will be teaching Basque language and culture for the first time next year.

Also attending the event were Etxepare Basque Institute director Irene Larraza, head of the Institute’s department for the Promotion and Dissemination of the Basque Language Monika Madinabeitia, and network specialists Eneko Agirre and Xabier Etxeberria.

This year, the annual meeting took place at the San Telmo Museum for the first time. As part of the event, the attendees enjoyed a guided tour of the museum, providing them with a firsthand glimpse into Basque cultural history. Before the tour, they engaged in a working session led by Agurtzane Garay, the head of education at the museum. During this interactive session, they discussed the material and immaterial aspects they planned to bring back to their universities to convey Basque culture. Following their visit to the San Telmo Museum, they added various resources, elements, and images to the metaphorical suitcase that they will carry to international universities in the upcoming academic year.

At the end of the visit, Monika Madinabeitia and Xabier Etxeberria introduced the new offerings that the Etxepare Basque Institute will provide to the instructors for the upcoming academic year. Among other things, they presented ´Irakurleentzako Sarea´, a digital tool designed to promote collaboration and facilitate effective communication among instructors working globally. This platform will enable them to access resources, content, and materials for organising classes and activities. It also provides them with the opportunity to share the activities and events they coordinate.

Attendees were given a short preview of ‘Ingura’ a tool introduced this year by the Basque Government and HABE, which could prove valuable for educators. Inguraonline.eus, designed for learning and teaching Basque, will be available for level A1 in the 2024-2025 academic year.

To wrap up the day, the Basque culture and language lecturers had the opportunity to express their thoughts and suggestions for enhancing the tools presented, sharing their experiences, addressing challenges for the upcoming year, and discussing ways to strengthen the network among lecturers. In general, the participants were positive about the format of the meeting and the resources presented. "We are very pleased with the outcome of this year´s meeting. The lecturers greatly appreciated this new approach, finding the group dynamics, training sessions, and discussions to be enriching for all involved," said Madinabeitia.

Etxepare Basque Institute network of lecturers

The lecturers and language assistants are instructors who teach Basque language and culture at universities outside the Basque Country. They are also responsible for representing and energising Basque culture within the academic sphere, arranging cultural and academic events, and fostering venues for intercultural exchanges.

Since 2018, this yearly meeting has been held to strengthen the Etxepare Basque Institute´s network of lecturers. The Institute signs collaboration agreements with universities around the world to offer Basque studies as part of their curriculum. the Institute advocates for the global exposure of Basque language and culture, promotes Basque studies in international settings, and fosters opportunities for interactions with other languages and communities. Currently, this network, promoted by the Institute, consists of 35 universities and 28 lecturers.