Language Summer Camps 2025
Language Summer Camps 2025 wrap-up
This summer PPLI funded and visited four Language Summer camps across Ireland, featuring three languages – Chinese, Japanese and Italian. All four camps were lesser taught languages, aimed at complete beginners. Each camp ran for a duration of 2 weeks, from 10am – 3pm every day and gave students the opportunity to learn and connect, not just with a new language but also with new cultures, foods, music and friends.
Japanese at UCD
The first summer camp this year was Japanese at UCD. Students got a great sense of the Japanese culture by using Japanese characters, creating their own manga illustrations and watching a film in Japanese.
Students were also lucky enough to visit the Japanese Ambassador’s residence where they attended a Japanese tea ceremony.
Chinese at SETU Waterford
The third week of June saw the start of the Chinese summer camp in SETU where students were kept busy with a variety of activities, from Chinese calligraphy to paper making and singing in Chinese.
Students enjoyed a day trip to Dublin’s Chester Beatty library, where they got a chance to take in the collection of Chinese manuscripts and collections on display. Parents of the summer camp participants had the opportunity to see what their children had learnt when they were invited to attend the closing ceremony, where students received a certificate to acknowledge their participation.
Italian in University of Galway
Students attending the summer camp in Galway were immersed in the Italian culture through pizza making and designing their own carnival masks while learning more about Venice.
Thay also watched a short animation in Italian before recording a voiceover and creating subtitles in both Italian and English. The students got the opportunity to discuss and watch a classic Italian film, Cinema Paradiso.
Between cooking, learning new vocabulary and working with subtitling tools, students learned a range of practical and interesting skills.
Chinese in DKIT
The final camp visit was to the Chinese summer camp in Dundalk Institute of Technology.
Over the course of the two weeks, students learned how to write Chinese characters, they sang traditional Chinese songs and displayed artwork such as the fans they had made from bamboo. Many students commented on how much they had enjoyed preparing Chinese mooncakes.
Students also had a chance to try on traditional Chinese dress for the end of camp ceremony where they performed a traditional tea ceremony as a group for their parents.
This has been the seventh year of heritage and lesser-taught language summer camps funded by Languages Connect.
