York St John University were delighted to host the first – and possibly only – Regional Final of the Eurofest events which took place this year at Selby College, York St John University and Leeds Beckett University.
Developed by the Selby Modern Languages Forum, Eurofest is a simulated international trade fair for year 8 pupils. Its purpose is to encourage the active use of modern foreign languages and an understanding of the value of having language skills in a business.
This year for the first time, the winning teams from the top three schools at each event were invited to submit a video showing their performance at the trade fair and summing up what they felt they had learned from it. The Regional Final was the product of collaboration between the universities involved, as well as the Routes into Languages team at the University of Hull.
Schools which submitted a video were Allerton Grange, Beverley High, Brayton High, Holy Family Carlton, Queen Ethelburga’s and Westborough High. The judges were impressed by the enthusiasm and creativity shown in all the videos, but particularly by Westborough High, which won first prize.
The prizes were awarded by the directors of a local company, Yorktour, who shared their experiences of language learning and how this had helped them in their careers, and the evening was rounded off with a performance by Kaminari Taiko Drummers.
Unfortunately the government-funded Routes into Languages scheme has now come to an end, so it is uncertain whether this event will be run next year. However, the organisers are determined that the individual Eurofest trade fairs will continue to be run in the regions.
Many thanks to all the individuals from all the different organisations who collaborated to make this event a reality.
Region:
Yorkshire and the Humber
