Feature
Supporting the Diversity of Language in our Locality Youth By N0LLAIG MURPHY
Development Officer
The Communities Integration Fund supports actions by community organisations to promote integration in their local communities. It helps with funding and supporting communities across Ireland to play a greater role in promoting integration by providing practical support to facilitate social inclusion among the migrant population. In this our final article in the Community Integration Fund supported series, we look at recognising the diverse attributes of the local youth population, especially those who have extra linguistic skills due to living in bilingual households. Within the educational sector there is school of thought entitled Funds of Knowledge, which is a perspective that promotes the premise that every household and community is an educational setting where knowledge is transmitted. We all have innate knowledge that we have derived from our childhood experiences, and this is something that we take with us throughout our lifetimes wherever we go. For personnel involved with early childhood care and educators, diversity in the learning environment has been very much to the fore in recent times. Within the Duhallow area there are families who are bilingual in status meaning they have the ability to use two languages, for example, English and polish. There may also be households with more than two languages, for example, English, French and German. The value of the language used by a child in their home cannot be overstated as being an important part of a child’s identity. It is important to recognise that what students acquire outside school can be a huge resource to
Issue 66 June 17th 2022
children in their skill development and learning experiences in later years. The following documented benefits of being bilingual are impressive: According to research a person with bilingual competencies may have advanced attention skills, which can assist them in their ability to ‘multi-task’, this may contribute to people having good problem solving skills and outside the box creative abilities. Studies have also revealed that being bilingual can help people to keep stronger in terms of neurological function for longer periods of their life. Their ability to switch between languages may point to a flexible approach to problem solving. Being able to converse in more than one language may assist with educational development, and in particular can help with literacy development according to research. Furthermore, in terms of cultural awareness a person with bilingual attributes may have greater ties with family, culture and community. Following on from this travel maybe become less onerous due the person’s flexibility around language. It goes without saying that being bilingual may improve a person’s access to the job market. A person
with more than one language may be seen as having additional communication skills and a wider capacity to link in with clients and colleagues, this may lead to additional job opportunities that monolingual individuals may not have the same access to. In summary being proficient in two or more languages can help individuals with enhanced social experiences and cross cultural appreciation. With the current rich population diversity in Duhallow it makes sense to appreciate the uniqueness of each individual’s language, and to support those who are currently working hard at improving their English as an additional language. A decades old telecoms advertisement slogan ran with the line: ‘It is good to talk’ and from a communities integration perspective, this sentiment is particularly apt.
DiscoverDuhallow@irdduhallow.com
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