Jenny O'Fee

Empowering young learners to share their voice, to take action, to advocate for themselves and others, and to engage in all aspects of learning in local and global issues is crucial. Communities hold space for this agency and are central to creating and fostering a climate in which this can thrive.

It seems logical that if we are fortunate to be in a rich multilingual environment of student learners that our adult learners would also reflect this linguistic diversity. What might some of the indicators be that would reflect agency and advocacy towards creating an inclusive multilingual learning environment for staff as well as students.

So, imagine a community. A community of people from many places, many traditions, many cultures, many different life and educational experiences. A community with a rich tapestry of languages. What does it look like when agency and advocacy are nurtured to enable it to flourish?

Many of us may have experienced working in a multicultural/multilingual environment. Many of us may not. Many of us may not have known or know the cultural and linguistic diversity of our community yet. Here are some of the indicators I would suggest represent that staff multilingualism is not only acknowledged, but seen as enriching and valuable in the community. What would you add to this?