Volunteering for language in the entity

Volunteering for Language (VxL) is a free programme for practising Catalan through conversation, in person or online. The goal is to enable entities to offer their staff the opportunity to improve their level of spoken Catalan, to increase competitiveness, quality of service and their roots with the immediate environment.

The VxL is developed in different areas to meet the specific needs of certain groups: sports (with entities that manage facilities in which users carry out a physical activity on a regular basis), functional diversity (with entities that care for people with a mild mental illness or disability), religious diversity (with entities of different faiths), the educational and cultural world (parent associations, adult education centres, colles castelleres or colles de gegants, etc.) or justice (with prison inmates).

VxL in entities is addressed to the organisation’s staff and partners. It is based on the creation of language pairs formed by a volunteer, who speaks Catalan fluently, and a learner, who has basic Catalan language skills but needs to practise the language to become fluent.

Depending on the profile of the people in the organisation, VxL can provide volunteers or learners. Group dynamics can also be established, such as discussions on free subjects or based on reading some of the VxL support materials.

VxL in entities is carried out with a focus on the entity’s activity.

The CPNL, in collaboration with a person of reference in the organisation, is responsible for language pair management (training, monitoring and support) and also for setting up and maintaining the dynamics established with the organisation for practising Catalan.

The language pairs undertake to meet for one hour a week, for a minimum of 10 meetings. They also have access to the activities that the VxL programme organises to practise Catalan in different environments and a discount card for cultural and leisure equipment. At the end of the meetings, they are given a certificate of participation.