The Hidden Schools: Mapping Greek Heritage Language Education in Canada
Since the languages of immigrant communities in Canada are categorized as “non-official”, our government is under no obligation to contribute to the perpetuation of these languages. Furthermore, education, in general, is a provincial responsibility. Thus, no formal reporting and documentation of Heritage/International Language Programs takes place at the national level. Given this situation, the various ethnic community groups are left alone with the task of protecting their valuable linguistic and cultural heritages. Inevitably, without national information sharing or support from the Canadian government, HL policy and programming are in a precarious state. My study involves my participation in a community-based research project that aims to locate, map, assess and develop the Greek HLE resources in Canada. Theoretically based on the concepts of Ethnolinguistic Vitality and Language Maintenance, my investigation (a) addresses the question of access to Greek language and culture education by exploring the programs and resources currently available to HL learners; (b) formulates an asset-based model to analyze the capacity of the Greek community's HLE system and proposes changes for its upgrade; and (c) develops a database to allow community members, HLE stakeholders and researchers to search for information about Greek language schools, community organizations and cultural events across Canada. Overall, this investigation addresses the retention and development of Canada’s cultural and linguistic resources through HLE. My findings demonstrate that for Heritage Languages to be maintained in Canada beyond the third generation, communities need to assume responsibility and foster three necessary conditions for educational success in the 21st century: access, innovation and motivation. As a starting point, I suggest locating, sharing and developing HLE assets through collaborations with stakeholders, including universities, governments, interested professionals and funding agencies. This study not only brings into prominence Greek HLE in Canada, but also underscores the passion and determination of immigrant communities to fully participate in mainstream society without diminishing their cultural and linguistic capital.
community-based research, Greek language and culture, Hellenic diaspora, heritage/minority/international language education, language maintenance, multiculturalism in Canada
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