Discovering Hidden Languages Earns Award

Julia Schulz, co-founder of Penobscot School, recently given Foreign Language Association of Maine's Leadership Award

(PRWEB) March 15, 2004 --The Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME) conferred its 2004 Leadership Award on Julia Schulz of Rockland. She was recognized for her work in developing innovative immersion learning programs for adults and in helping people reclaim lost heritage languages. Schulz is a co-founder and past President of Penobscot School, a nonprofit center for language learning and international cultural exchange based in Rockland, Maine.

Schulz has recently developed a new division of Penobscot School: the Center for Heritage Language Reacquisition. Many people who feel they lost the heritage language of their grandparents or parents, actually still have the language in them," Schulz said. We help them bring it back to a useful level." The Center also has programs in several New England cities and works with local and state government to advance heritage language as a resource for Maines creative economy and community economic development based on regional cultural ties.

The story of Schulzs reawakening of Maines hidden French language has appeared in both the Boston Globe and on National Public Radio. Theres a huge piece of us, of our identity, that is tied into our first language, and when that is suppressed we lose that piece of ourselves. So in reconnecting with the heritage language, we actually grow and find more energy for the things we care most deeply about."

In conferring the award, the committee recognized that Schulz has developed programs in Maine, New England, Quebec, and the Caribbean for immersion language that make language learning into a cultural adventure that can be fun and personally rewarding. The FLAME conference panels noted the increased importance of bilingualism in a globalizing world and the potential of language for cultural and economic development.

Penobscot School, now in its 18th year, offers weekly courses in eight languages, immersion programs, cultural events, and a summer English program for international students. The School will host an Arabic Day on May 8. For more information on Penobscot School, contact 207-594-1084.
###