The Euskara Munduan programme launches the first barnetegi in San Nicolás

Euskara Munduan is set to launch a new barnetegi Basque language immersion programme in January on the shores of the River Paraná in San Nicolás, Argentina. On 13 January, the Euzkal Etxea Basque centre will welcome a new group prospective Basque teachers from centres in Argentina. The new cohort will begin the process of learning Euskara with the aim of becoming Basque teachers at their respective centres. The barnetegis give students a chance to immerse themselves in Basque 24 hours a day for several weeks.

When the barnetegi has ended, the participants continue their training from their Basque centres and towns via an online platform managed by the Euskara Munduan programme in the Basque Country until the next barnetegi in June.

The intensive language course will run from 13 to 20 January, with classes led by two Argentinean teachers, Cecilia Sanz and Anabel Jaureguiberry. Fifteen students from different cities in Argentina will take part in the barnetegi, using teaching materials designed by Jon Urdangarin, from the Euskaltegi Maizpide in Lazkao. Gabriela Mendia (FEVA, Federation of Argentine Basque Entities) and Kinku Zinkunegi, in charge of the Etxepare Basque Institute’s Euskara Munduan programme, will oversee the barnetegi.

Mientras en San Nicolás este nuevo grupo de aspirantes a profesoras/es comenzará a adentrarse en el euskera, en el País Vasco, su grupo antecesor culminará su proceso de formación en el barnetegi Maizpide de Lazkao, a lo largo de enero y febrero. Una docena de estudiantes que ya son profesores/as de euskera en sus centros vascos podrá vivir la experiencia de desarrollar su vida en euskera, al tiempo que profundizarán sus conocimientos.

While this new group of aspiring teachers begin to learn Basque in San Nicolás, the previous group will continue with their training in January and February at the Maizpide barnetegi in Lazkao in the Basque Country. The twelve students who are already Basque teachers at their Basque centres will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Basque life, enhancing their language proficiency during the experience.

Euskara Munduan Programme

One of the missions of the Etxepare Basque Institute is to promote knowledge of the Basque language among Basque communities abroad. Euskara Munduan (Euskara in the world) was set up for this purpose. Today more than 70 Basque centers around the world offer Euskara classes in collaboration with the Institute.

The programme has its origins in Argentinan Euskaraz, a project launched in 1990 to revitalize the Basque language in Basque centres in Argentina. Years later, the programme spread to Basque centers in other countries and became known as Euskara Munduan.

The Etxepare Basque Institute has been running the programme since 2018, performing the functions detailed below.