Throughout the week, participants examined the benefits, challenges, and issues surrounding the use of minority languages from different perspectives. Discussions also focused on how students use their mother tongues in various countries and settings, as participants included Catalans, Frisians, Sweden-Finn, and Welsh – bringing diverse experiences into the conversation.
In addition to language use, pedagogy and the teaching of minority languages played a central role. As part of the programme, participants visited the Saint Ladislaus Roman Catholic High School, where they gained insight into Hungarian-language education in Romania and the functioning of a school offering mother-tongue instruction from kindergarten through to high school graduation. During the school visit, students attended lessons and observed the methods and tools used by teachers.
One of the programme's highlights and its closing activity was micro-teaching. Participants, grouped by native language, held 20-minute sessions in which they taught a few words or expressions in their own language. As a result, the audience learned Finnish numbers, animal names in Dutch, colours in Catalan, body parts in Frisian, and greetings in Welsh and Hungarian.
The programme also offered guests a taste of our culture: through folk dance instruction and a dinner featuring traditional dishes, they experienced the uniqueness of our region.
The UniNet (University Network) project was launched thanks to the NPLD (Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity) and the Province of Fryslân, with the aim of promoting, researching, and teaching about national minorities, multilingualism, and the use of minority languages for a more diverse Europe. Institutions participating in the BIP, alongside PCU, were: NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences (Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands), Ramon Llull University (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain), Stockholm University (Sweden), Bangor University (Wales, United Kingdom).
