User:A12n/International and Heritage Languages Association (IHLA)

The International and Heritage Languages Association (IHLA) is a not-for-profit, volunteer organization that was formed in 1979 in response to workshop for heritage language (Saturday School) teachers sponsored by the Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism (CCCM). The organization, while remaining true to its origins, has operated under the names the Alberta Ethnic Language Teachers Association (AELTA, 1979-1985) and the Northern Alberta Heritage Language Association (NAHLA, 1985-2003). The Southern Alberta Heritage Language Association operates in the southern half of the province and organizes heritage language schools in the City of Red Deer and South.

History

As a result of opposition from ethnic groups to the view at the time that Canada was formed by two founding groups, English and French, Pierre Eliot Trudeau declared the country “bilingual within a multicultural framework.” With this new declaration that Canada was multicultural, the government formed the Ministry of Multiculturalism and the Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism (CCCM) in 1973. As part of their mission, the CCCM was to envision a multicultural Canada. One of their projects was to establish a conference for Saturday school teachers who had been teaching language and culture to children in their ethnic communities, often in church basements or in their private homes. As the conference came to a close, many of the participants came to the realization although their cultures and languages may have been different, the struggles to promote the instruction of language and culture across communities was similar. The participants felt the need to continue to work in a professional organization. They gave the group the name the AELTA.

AELTA (1979-1986) was born as a result of the conference. The organization held monthly meetings with experts from university educators, multicultural experts, politicians, and members of the Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism. Successes of the organization during this time included school visits organized between cultural groups, Sport Days events, the Annual Alberta Culture and Linguistic Awards, and a conference for high school students. Multiple academic research papers and conference proceedings were also prepared by members of the organization. Teachers who were part of the association received newsletters, and gained access to professional conferences and workshops. The organization also advocated to get ethnic content on mainstream media (new regulations by the CTRC in 1968).

In 1986, AELTA branched into two organizations: The Northern Alberta Heritage Languages Association (NAHLA) and the Southern Alberta Heritage Languages Association (SAHLA). NAHLA was in existence between 1986 and 2003. During this period of history, two pieces of federal legislation influenced the direction of the organization. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) and The Multiculturalism Act (1988). The former declared multiculturalism as a Canadian value. Of particular import to ethnic groups, the later declared that ethnic groups could preserve their languages and cultures in a bilingual country. As a result of the passing of the Multicultural Act, the city of Edmonton was positioned to host a multicultural/multilingual center. This never came to pass. However, other achievements of the organization included participation in the writing of the Western Canadian Protocol for International and Heritage Languages (WCPfIHL) and the creation of a heritage language teacher training program. While the WCPfIHL still is in use today, the heritage language teacher training program lasted only two years due to, at least in part, a lack of financial commitment from the college where it was hosted.

In 2003, NAHLA opted for a name with a greater global outlook and changed its name to the International and Heritage Languages Association. Organizational successes during this time included: support for schools to use the WCPfIHL so that they could offer locally developed courses through Alberta Education (now Alberta Learning) and award heritage language students credits towards their high school diplomas, professional development for both teachers and school leaders, support for academic research in Ethnolinguistic Vitality projects and the Revitalizing Language for the 21C project. The organization also worked to support teachers and schools towards upcoming legislation which would require all Alberta Students to have compulsory language instruction between Grades 4-9. Likewise, the organization also advocated for schools to have per student grants reinstated. Starting in 2003, IHLA has hosted an annual event called Mother Language Day which is aligned with UNESCO's Linguapax which promotes International Mother Language Day.

IHLA is a co-winner of the 2016 International Linguapax Award.

The Current Board

President: Antonella Cortese

Vice President: Cindy Pereira

Treasurer: Krystyna Dembowski

Past President: Olga Prokhorova

Secretary: Iryna Klymkiv and Josephine Pallard

Directors: Isabel Madeira, Jaspal Bansal, Kiran Ubhi, Margaret Radziwon, Kulvinder Thiara, Serabpal Kaur