Express Yourself: Northeast Language Festival

The Confucius Institute at Newcastle University partnered with International Newcastle for the first time to host a series of Chinese language and culture workshops on campus from March 12th to 14th. These workshops were part of the "Express Yourself: Northeast Language Festival" series and received unanimous praise from local students and teachers.

International Newcastle (IN) is a non-profit social enterprise established in 2012. It collaborates with Newcastle City Council and various local and international partners to support schools, children, youth, communities, and local organizations. Its mission is to promote language learning, cross-cultural awareness, international connections, and experiences.

The "Express Yourself: Northeast Language Festival" is one of IN's key events, celebrating the region's diverse languages, cultures, communities, and global connections. Since 2021, this event has been providing a series of free activities for children and young people in the northeast of England, with music, art, and writing projects running from January to March. This year, 216 schools (plus 134 international schools for Peace Cranes) and over 30,000 children have been involved, exerting a significant local influence.

During the three-day festival, the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University conducted six Chinese language and culture experience workshops for nearly a hundred students from Chantry Middle School, Gosforth Central Middle School, and Hexham Middle School in northeast England. These workshops were well-received, offering students a fun and educational experience.

Teachers like Xiaolu Tan, Yingying Wei, Na Yao, and Chunfeng Lu meticulously designed courses to introduce students to the charm of Chinese language and culture. Through games, teaching, and interaction, they engaged students with enthusiasm, demonstrating a strong interest and passion for learning about Chinese culture.

After the event, the accompanying teachers expressed their gratitude for the successful organization of the activities and showed keen interest in offering post-workshop interest classes, anticipating further communication and collaboration.