A Celebration of Diversity Through Language and Culture: 1+2 Festival held at Cutty Sark

An event celebrating the rich tapestry of language and culture within South Ayrshire was held at The Cutty Sark Centre in Ayr on Tuesday 13 May.

The 1+2 Festival, organised by South Ayrshire Council's Gaelic and languages team, saw young people from South Ayrshire schools put on musical and dramatic performances in a variety of languages, and lead workshops for attendees to share their language learning journeys and cultural experiences, and encourage engagement with a new language.

The aim of the 1+2 Festival was to celebrate the diverse range of languages used throughout South Ayrshire schools and showcase how young people are being encouraged to embrace different languages and cultures through the 1+2 languages programme.

Since 2011, the Scottish Government's 1+2 languages policy has given young people in Scotland the opportunity to learn two additional languages alongside their first language. As well as learning language skills, school pupils also engage with the cultural aspects of languages learned.

For most of our young people their first language has been English and the other two languages most commonly French and Spanish. However, over the past few years, language has been diversifying and in some of our schools hearing and experiencing several different languages is the norm.

With learners whose first language has been from other countries and cultures, English has been one of the additional languages taught. Gaelic has also become one of the additional languages that is being re-established in South Ayrshire schools.

Councillor William Grant, South Ayrshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Education, said: "The event was a roaring success, with a range of fascinating presentations and workshops led by young people who should all be very proud of themselves.

"The 1+2 languages approach is a fantastic way to attract young people to learning about other languages and cultures. These are skills that will follow them through life and open up ways to communicate with people around the world."