The Consorci d’Educació de Barcelona and the office of the Commissioner for Social Use of Catalan of the Barcelona City Council have launched seven intensive Catalan courses this summer. These courses are designed for 143 secondary school students who are part of the Accelerated Welcome Classrooms (AAA), with the main objective of continuing their language learning and preventing regression during the non-academic period.
The students, predominantly from Latin American countries such as Venezuela, Honduras, Colombia, and Peru, as well as from other regions of the world like Morocco, China, Senegal, Pakistan, Ukraine, or Myanmar, are thus consolidating an initiative that began with a pilot test last summer. This experience, carried out for the second consecutive year through the Escola Oficial d’Idiomes de Drassanes, has proven useful in strengthening the linguistic competence of the welcomed youth.
The initiative is funded by the office of the Commissioner for Social Use of Catalan of the Barcelona City Council and is part of the joint actions by the City Council and the Consorci d’Educació to promote the Catalan language and foster the inclusion of young newcomers to the Catalan educational system. The courses are free and include weekly cultural activities, such as workshops or visits.
“"As an administration, we must provide tools so that all Barcelona citizens can acquire the skills to speak and use the language."
The Accelerated Welcome Classrooms (AAA) are a key service for secondary school students joining the Catalan educational system for the first time. These classrooms offer language immersion in Catalan during intensive periods, facilitating students' integration into educational centers with greater guarantees of success. Currently, Barcelona has ten AAA, each with a capacity of 20 places, and they have served 790 students in the last two academic years.
The summer courses represent a natural continuation of this educational work, allowing students to maintain contact with Catalan during the holidays. They run from June 29 to July 17, offering intensive training at A2 (1 group) and B1 (6 groups) levels, with a total of 45 hours and three hours daily, complemented by a weekly cultural outing.
