Event: Safeguarding and regenerating European indigenous minority languages.

Safeguarding and regenerating European indigenous minority languages. Event and Reception. Brussels.

17.30 – 20.30 CET.

Office of the Northern Ireland Executive, Chaussée d’Etterbeek 180 – 1040 Brussels

The Office of the Northern Ireland Executive Brussels, Channel Islands Brussels Office, Scottish Government, Welsh Government Brussels Office and Isle of Man Government will be holding an evening panel discussion, with music and local food and drink.

Expert panellists, moderated by Dr. Davyth Hicks, Secretary-General of the European Language Equality Network (ELEN), will draw from their experiences to discuss the benefits indigenous minority languages can bring to communities and the role that government policy can play in supporting effective language recovery.

The panel discussion will be followed by a reception featuring food and drink from our countries, and accompanied by music from Channel Islands band, Lihou, who will perform in both Jèrriais and Guernésiais.

Panel One: Why is regeneration of indigenous minority languages important/ what benefits can this bring?

• Professor Mererid Hopwood, Aberystwyth University (Wales)
• Dr. Niall Comer, Ulster University (Northern Ireland)
• Dr. Frank Ferguson, Ulster University (Northern Ireland)
• Ms Ealasaid MacDonald, CEO Bòrd na Gàidhlig (Scotland)
• Professor Julia Sallabank, SOAS University of London (Guernsey)

Panel Two: How can government policy and initiatives support language regeneration?

• Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, ELEN President and Director of the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (Cymru)
• Mr Ben Spink, Head of Office du Jèrriais (Jersey)
• Mr Rob Teare, Manx Language Officer, Isle of Man Government (Isle of Man)
• Sir Richard Collas, Guernsey Language Commission (Guernsey)

Attendance at the event is by invite only.

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