Bla (bla) w/ Radio : Be a Learner on Air (Because Learning is Amazing) With Radio

<< Background >>Newcomers want to learn the language of their host country quickly, so they can become more independent in their daily lives. At the same time, language trainers are looking to diversify their workshops with effective tools. We have found that radio is an empowering tool that develops oral, creative and social skills, strengthens group cohesion and promotes inclusion. By creating their own radio content, newcomers express their point of view and practice language: holding a microphone encourages speaking. Also, the lack of interaction between newcomers and members of host societies has consequences: stereotypes, racism and withdrawal. Our workshops have generated productions that create links and re-humanize the perception of “others”. The project promotes intercultural exchanges and meets the needs of learners, trainers and host societies. Committed to a more inclusive and diverse society, we wanted to create a project that met the essential need of newcomers to learn the host language, and to contribute to a society where intercultural dialogue is fostered and that enables greater inclusion of newcomers.<< Objectives >>In implementing this project, our objectives were to :Contribute to the development of learners' oral language skills, a key element in their adaptation process.Promote learners' self-confidence in learning.Develop an innovative method of oral language progression using radio as a tool, and write a manual to implement this method.Diversify the skills of language trainers to enrich their approach and make teaching more learner-friendly and effective. Develop the technical and creative skills of learners and trainers.Improve the reception of newcomers by applying the method, thus facilitating faster oral progress, but also through the broadcasting of sound creations created by learners, in order to change society's view of migration.In setting these objectives, we wanted to broaden the skills of language trainers, to better support learners in their oral practice, to facilitate better adaptation and thus contribute to building a more inclusive society.<< Implementation >>Activities implemented:Project management: online and face-to-face meetings (Paris, Athens), administration and accounting, evaluation, communication, dissemination, and creation of the visual identity.Training: two sessions (Paris and Bologna) between partners to train in language teaching and radio.Collaborative writing: drafting of an internal guide for the pilot workshops.Pilot workshops: 65 hours of workshops per partner with 10-12 learners, including the production of sound creations.Recording of vocal notes: partners report on each session.Sound library: with all learners' creationsEditing and mixing: production of podcasts using the creations and vocal notes.Promotion: distribution of podcasts and audio documentariesWork meeting: session in Bologna to draftthe manual.Writing and translation: writing and translation of the Blabla method manual (approx. 110 pages in 4 languages).Training of trainers: each partner trained 10 trainers.Final event: meeting in Paris to present the results of the project to the general public.<< Results >>Concrete results:-Project completed: full implementation with effective collaboration and objectives achieved.-Partner skills: partner organizations trained in language teaching and radio techniques, with a notable enrichment of their skills. -Impact on learners: 150 learners attended radio language workshops in Greek, French or Italian. Significant progress in oral skills and self-confidence were observed.-Development and creation of an innovative and exclusive method for improving speaking skills in a new cultural environment; a method that can be used by other trainers. -Audio production: 19 episodes of podcasts broadcast in 3 languages, illustrating the work and progress of the learners and the experience of the partners. -The Blabla method manual: Publication of a manual in 4 languages for language trainers, helping them to get to grips with the Blabla method and offering advice on adapting the method to different contexts.-Training of trainers: 43 language trainers trained in the Blabla method, able to implement it in their own contexts.-Final event: Presentation of the results and the Blabla method in Paris, attended by 64 people.