HELISET TŦE SḰÁL – ‘Let the Languages Live’ 2019 International Conference on Indigenous Languages

June 24–26, 2019 – Lekwungen Territory – Victoria, B.C., Canada On June 24–26, 2019, the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and the First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation will host an international conference on Indigenous language revitalization in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, in celebration of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages. The First Peoples’ Cultural Council is a global leader in language revitalization and restoration and has been leading this work in B.C. for the past 28 years through the delivery of community-based training, funding, research and planning for language, arts and culture for First Nations communities.

This conference will be held by and for Indigenous Peoples. Workshops will include successful models in Indigenous language revitalization with a focus on knowledge sharing. The discussions will highlight and celebrate the successes and best practices that have been made in language revitalization and highlight the important work currently happening in B.C. and around the world.

The three-day conference will be held at the Victoria Conference Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and is an opportunity to celebrate, honour and share expertise in Indigenous language reclamation, revitalization and maintenance. The goal of the conference is to provide the participants with practical skills and knowledge that can be applied to their work.

The goal of the conference is to provide the participants with practical skills and knowledge that can be applied to their work. Benefits for conference delegates include:

• Knowledge-sharing with Indigenous language speakers and experts

• Honour and celebrate successes

• Network with language speakers, experts and advocates from around the world

• Gain new skills in a variety of language revitalization strategies

• Learn from Youth and support Youth learners and educators

• Learn about First Peoples Cultural Council’s language revitalization tools

Global Connections in One Location

Indigenous language experts and advocates from around the world will have opportunities to share their knowledge and learn by hearing and telling stories about keeping their languages thriving. Multiple collaborative working sessions and story-telling streams will include:

• Personal journeys and stories

• Practical training in language immersion, archiving and documentation

• Language revitalization program planning

• Models for language revitalization and education

• Language and technology… and more!

Participants and Delegates

The conference will bring together language advocates who have expertise in language revitalization, reclamation, planning and implementation and connect them with those who are seeking information, resources and support in the language revitalization work they are doing in their communities and organizations.

Having a broad range of Indigenous language speakers, experts and advocates share their experiences will help to foster a safe environment to overcome barriers that exist with regards to advancing language revitalization. Through enhanced programming inclusive of policy and best practices, the conference will move the conversations from building awareness for the endangerment of languages and protection, to celebrating progress and success for increased fluency, personal growth and restoring Indigenous languages in the family and community.

We gratefully acknowledge that this conference is being held on the territories of the Lekwungen speaking Peoples.

MEDIA INQUIRIES
For media inquiries, please contact  media@fpcflanguageconference.com