International Volunteer Day Celebration 2024

On Monday, 2nd December, Queen’s students (including graduates and visiting students), alumni, and staff came together to celebrate International Volunteer Day with an engaging information session aimed at encouraging greater participation in the Cultural Diversity at Queen’s scheme.

Part of the participants attended the end-of-session group photo.

The event opened with a welcome address by Suyi Yang, the Student Union (SU) Officer for Equality and Diversity, who introduced the SU’s volunteering programs and hosted a lively Q&A session to address participants’ questions.

Ms. Dan Zhou, a Queen’s alumna and Marketing graduate, shared her inspiring journey as an international student taking on voluntary work during her studies. She highlighted the diverse events and activities she supported and reflected on the invaluable soft skills she developed through her volunteer work, particularly in intercultural settings. Dan’s volunteering experience played a pivotal role in her entrepreneurial success, helping her establish her local Belfast-based business, Eco Fresh Food.

Dan (right in picture) was sharing her experience as a volunteer when at Queen’s.

Dr. Liang Wang followed with an overview of the Cultural Diversity at Queen’s scheme. He encouraged students and staff to contribute to upcoming initiatives designed to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion within the Queen’s community. To illustrate, Dr. Wang shared examples from previous Chinese New Year celebrations, offering participants inspiration for their involvement in the upcoming Year of the Snake celebrations.

The informal networking session provided a platform for attendees to exchange ideas, brainstorm, and even outline a few provisional proposals for future cultural events.

Participants enjoyed hot finger foods provided by The Language Centre and refreshments generously sponsored by Ms. Dan Zhou.

The event was a lively celebration of the Queen’s community’s collaborative spirit, fostering connections and generating enthusiasm for making cultural diversity a central part of campus life.

Int’l Volunteer Day Celebration and Information Session

Every year on 5th December, the United Nations celebrates its Volunteers Programme, recognizing “the power of collective humanity to drive positive change through volunteerism.”

At The Language Centre at Queen’s, we take pride in offering volunteering opportunities for students and staff to contribute to our Cultural Diversity scheme. Each year, we collaborate with passionate individuals to develop initiatives that celebrate and enrich the University’s cultural diversity. Learn more about our efforts at Cultural Diversity at Queen’s page. 

To mark this special occasion, we warmly invite you to join us for an information session celebrating International Volunteer Day. This session will feature updates on our programme with upcoming events, and new opportunities for voluntary involvement. 

Event Details:
Date: Monday 2nd December 2024
Time: 12:00 – 15:00 
Venue: The Auditorium, McClay Library

The event is free, but booking is required on a first-come, first-serve basis. A light lunch will be provided. Feel free to bring along colleagues and friends who may be interested in attending. We look forward to celebrating with you and exploring how we can make a positive impact together!

Scan the QR code above or click the button below to register.

Celebrating International Students’ Day

Calling QUB students (and staff members) – Your attendance and engagement make a difference!

This year, the International Students’ Day (17/11) fall on Sunday and we are inviting you to join us in this celebration on Friday 15th November, 2024.

This special TLE event will cover a wide range of topics, from the international student experience to support for intercultural mobility, extending well beyond language learning. Students of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds, whether as individuals or society members, as well as staff, are warmly invited to attend. Light refreshments will be provided on site.

Date: Friday 15th November 2024
Time: 14:00 – 16:00 
Venue: The Auditorium, McClay Library

Ready, steady, go!

Happy Friday! What a bustling first week of language courses! We hope you’ve all had a great start to your language learning journey.

For QUB students and staff, don’t forget that if you’re looking for additional or alternative practice opportunities, you can join the Tandem Language Exchange programme to find a language partner.

It’s easy — just sign up, match up, and meet up! Visit TLE page (https://blogs.qub.ac.uk/lc/learning-support/tle/) or scan the QR code in the image for more information and to register. Our next event is scheduled for Friday 18th October, from 1:30 to 2:30 PM at the Auditorium, McClay Library.

Everyone is welcome!

Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024

Irish Language and Cultural Celebrations @Queen’s
Ceiliúradh Teanga agus Cultúrtha @Ollscoil na Ríona

The Language Centre team are delighted to invite you to join us in celebrating SEACHTAIN NA GAEILGE 2024.  All events below are open to all QUB students and staff and are free to attend.  If you would like to attend any of these events, please do register so that we can monitor registration numbers.

Tuesday 5th March: 12.30pm-1.30pm

Our Tráth na gCeist/Quiz gets Seachtain na Gaeilge underway here at Queen’s. Questions will be General Knowledge and will be asked as Gaeilge/in Irish. Teams will be provided with an Irish speaker, if required. Places are limited, so please book early.

Wednesday 6th March: 10.00am
Scoil an Droichid will celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge with us, as they visit the QFT to enjoy the Irish Language version of ‘Puffin Rock And The New Friends’.

Wednesday 6th March: 2.30pm
Acclaimed Irish Language film, Tarrac, comes to the QFT as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024. This film is subtitled in English and is Rated 15. Seating is limited, so please book early.

Thursday 7th March: 12.30pm-1.45pm
Dr. Fionntán de Brún, Professor of Modern Irish in Maynooth University and Award-winning Creative Writer, guides us on a bilingual walk & talk around Queen’s and the surrounding area, exploring the history behind our local place names.

Tuesday 12th March: 12.30pm-1.30pm
Yoga Instructor, Nuala Ní Scolláin, guides us through a Yoga class…in Irish! Suitable for all levels of Yoga and Irish! Very limited spaces.

Wednesday 13th March: 1.00pm-2.00pm
We are teaming up with Queen’s Campus Run during University Wellbeing Week for a Run/Walk…in Irish! Get your steps and your ‘cúpla focal’ in one go! Choose your own distance…and pace!

Thursday 14th March: All day (9.00am-4.00pm) ‘Comhrá-thon’ is a day-long conversation…in Irish! We invite you to join us as we keep the conversation flowing throughout the day @Junction Café.

‘Comhrá-thon’ will conclude with our ‘Ciorcal Comhrá’, where we invite everyone for refreshments, music, and chat as Gaeilge/in Irish!

Email mark.harte@qub.ac.uk with your preferred 30-minute slot and the names of those taking part.

Happy International Mother Language Day

This annual observance, which takes place on 21st February every year, is a celebration of cultural and linguistic diversity.

This afternoon, our Language Centre team joined the celebration of multilingualism at the launch of a new Staff Network for Promoting Linguistic Diversity & Minority Languages. This well-attended event is a wonderful celebration of a belief in the power of language to connect people. Preserving, respecting and learning languages is so important for building tolerance and empathy in our divided world.

Language – A Bridge; Not a Barrier!

Don’t forget that registration opens for our Spring term courses on 1st March, via our Language Centre Website.

Welcome back to Winter Term

Welcome back to Language Classes and TLE!

The Language Centre 2nd semester classes kick off today Monday 15th and wish all the learners a great start!

Tandem Language Exchange activities restart from this Wednesday 17th January. All Queen’s students and staff members are welcome to attend TLE events throughout the academic year, whether they sign up for the language courses or not.

For those who sign up for both, it can be complementary way to develop your language skills with a potential language partner, with whom you can work with a buddy from another culture for mutual support. For those who are unable to attend a language class, perhaps joining our TLE will be a viable option for you to keep your flame of enthusiasm burn.

Welcome back and enjoy your learning!

Celebrating World Arabic Language Day

Happy World Arabic Language Day!

As the world commemorates World Arabic Language Day on December 18th, we are pleased to have Wejdan, a PhD student who speaks Arabic as her native language, to reflect on the richness of the Arabic language.

My name is Wejdan, and as a proud Saudi, the Arabic language is a source of identity, which serves as a foundation of Saudi culture and heritage. Arabic is poetic and has been cherished for centuries, with a rich literature, science, philosophy, and religion history. It is a language that exhibits diversity in dialects and accents across Arab countries. Saudi Arabia is home to several dialects, reflecting the country’s diverse geography and cultural heritage, making Saudi Arabia so vibrant and captivating.

You will notice a palm-shaped bookmark in the photo. This palm is a symbol deeply rooted in my culture, representing generosity and hospitality. It serves as a reminder of the values we hold dear as Saudis and the warm welcome we extend to others.

In my pursuit of embracing cultural diversity and expanding my language skills, I have recently joined the Language Center activities. I am excited to start this journey, exploring other languages like Japanese. The book in the photo above is an Arabic handbook to learning the Japanese language, exemplifying the bridge between cultures and the pursuit of knowledge.

Let us appreciate the power and beauty of the Arabic language together. World Arabic Language Day is such a chance to promote cross-cultural exchange and understanding.

Learn Arabic, attend cultural events, discover traditional arts and crafts, and interact with Arab people.

Sign up for a Language Centre course

Click here to visit the Language Centre website for more course information and registration.

Registration will close on Thursday 11 January at 5pm and classes will commence week beginning Monday 15 January. We recommend that you register early to avoid disappointment.

International Volunteer Day

Happy International Volunteer Day!

On Monday 4th December, one day before the International Volunteer Day (5th December), The Language Centre invited students and staff members to join in the celebration of the day, with a particular information session on the Queen’s Chinese New Year Celebration programme for 2024.

Students and staff members, international and domestic, are all welcome to join us and be more engaged in the preparation for the development and delivery of events and activities that can bring together to enrich our proposed programme. The CNY Celebration Programme, as part of the overall Celebrating Cultural Diversity at Queen’s scheme, currently contains a number of events in collaboration with the iRISE (BAME and International Staff Network), The Graduate School, The Student Experience Team, and the Chinese Student Society at Queen’s.

We are pleased to make it inclusive as such and extend our welcomes to new partners and contributors. In particular, we are pleased that Chinese Student Society has made tremendous effort to bring the branded CNY Gala back to the stage (Saturday 3rd February), and that the Student Experience Team and the Graduate School are joining forces in facilitating the student-led CNY Fair (Thursday 8th February). Please mark the dates in your calendar and keep an eye on our further updates in the future.

We particularly welcome students and staff members to volunteer at our events, in a variety of forms including being an assistant, a performer, a host, a speaker, etc. Two student volunteers, Xinxin WANG and Tianpeng YAO, were also invited to share their experience of volunteering both at Queen’s, including serving last year’s CNY celebrations, and else where. They encouraged all new comers to embrace such a brilliant opportunity to not only enrich their life experience but also enhance their soft skills such as team work and coordinating ability, apart from their academic study and literacy.

How to join us?

For those who are interested in being part of our programme preparation team, please sign up via scanning the QR code or clicking the button below. We aim to discuss with you regarding your proposed ideas and plans of contribution to the Programme.

We really look forward to the many spectacular events to bring to Queen’s another festive atmosphere after the Christmas-New Year break.

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Tandem Language Exchange Live

Calling all students and staff members who are keen to boost language exchanges!

Following the initial Tandem Language Exchange (TLE) meeting last Friday (13/10), the second TLE meeting is set for this Friday (20/10) from 1 pm to 3 pm, at the Auditorium, McClay Library.

All welcome and bring your friends/colleagues along! If you have not registered for the TLE programme yet, please remember to sign up for it before coming to attend, which will facilitate your access onsite.

For more information, click here.