We are grateful for all that we have accomplished in partnership with our community in 2024. Looking ahead to 2025, we are hopeful for all the new opportunities to collaborate, uplift, and revitalize endangered languages around the world while walking in-step with community leaders. We hope that you are able to join us as we reach new heights and support the diversity of our beautiful planet.
Partnership with National Native American Language Resource Center
We are excited to announce our partnership with the National Native American Language Resource Center (N-NALRC)! Over the next few years, 7000 Languages will join with University of Hawaii at Hilo, University of Alaska Southeast, and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University to support language revitalization efforts around the United States through the creation of language courses and other digital resources for Indigenous language communities. The NALRC is influenced by the historical and present-day advocacy of Indigenous scholars, practitioners, and communities from across the United States and its territories. This comprehensive virtual hub offers pathways to a wide array of Hawaiian, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) language services and products. We look forward to sharing more about this partnership in the years to come.
Fellowship Program
Building off of the incredible development of the fellowship program in 2024, which includes 8 amazing fellows chosen from over 2100 applicants, we are looking forward to supporting an entirely new cohort in 2025 representing languages around the world facing unique challenges in language learning. With each cohort, we are able to bring alumni fellows in to speak about their experiences in the fellowship, as well as their strategies for facing unique circumstances in revitalizing their different languages. We plan to continue this trend and call upon the growing knowledge of our community to share across iterations of the fellowship. Supporting Fellows not only builds resources in endangered languages, but builds community in the growing number of practitioners in the field.
“Language learning technologies can provide a safe space where the learner can go at their own pace to learn as much as they want, when they want, where they want… Leaving it up to the learner to steer their own journey in their language learning can be ultimately more effective in creating a positive relationship between the learner and their heritage language.” |
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Over the three years of leading the fellowship, we have learned a lot about what our community needs and are considering more ways to support them going forward. With over 2100 applicants in 2024, there is a clear need to support this work as widely as possible across the world. We are currently pursuing opportunities to expand the fellowship into a longer model for prolonged partnership and learning opportunities with the many communities we see. We hope to spend more time with each cohort, developing a deeper understanding of field tested methodologies of language revitalization so that fellows are as prepared as possible for the many diverse challenges that come with this work.
Community Partnerships
In 2024, we partnered with 4 community organizations, Doyon Foundation, Comanche Academy, Comanche Nation, Douglas Indian Association, on their respective language revitalization programs. In this work, we support community-led efforts through training and access to digital technologies. We are excited to continue these partnerships in 2024 and pursue new collaborations with communities in the US and abroad, including more outreach and workshop opportunities in the coming months. If you, or a community you’re connected with, are interested in pursuing opportunities to partner with us, click here to learn more about how our partnerships work and contact us here!
Language Root
Many Indigenous communities, both in the US and abroad, have limited access to stable internet, minimizing their access to online language learning materials. When widely launched, Language Root will provide our communities with mobile access to language learning opportunities designed by, and for, the communities that maintain these languages available both online and offline. We have had many opportunities to connect with community partners and fellows as we have developed Language Root in 2024. This intentional rollout of the application has allowed us to make adjustments and improve the application before wider release. It is our hope to continue this development in lock-step with community partners so the application reflects community needs.
As technology continues to evolve and expand, it is imperative that endangered community languages are provided the same access and opportunity afforded to larger languages. Language Root will provide that opportunity to any community that needs it. As always with our offerings, this app will be free of charge and the materials created will belong to the community members and communities that create them in respect for language as an aspect of data sovereignty for Indigenous peoples globally. For more details on how 7000 Languages supports data sovereignty, please visit our website for details on our mission and values.
We look forward to serving endangered language communities in the US and abroad over the next year and the years beyond. We are only able to do this through the support of our growing network. If you are able, we hope that you will consider a donation to 7000 Languages in support of linguistic diversity. With your support, we can help change the outlook of an endangered language in your community and share with you a part of the world you may never have the opportunity to learn about otherwise. We appreciate your consideration!
