The Basque Country Experiential Program: linguistic and cultural diversity as a platform for teaching Intercultural Competence

November 4-6, 2022 // Basque Region, Spain

School global administrators,  leaders of travel programs to Spain, and teachers of Spanish should join this post-summit opportunity to travel to the Basque Country to learn about the region’s commitments to cultural and linguistic sustainability, and the complexities therein.

Spain and France are the two most popular destinations for students at GEBG schools participating in travel programs, yet these programs often focus on an oversimplified view of Spanish and French culture that misses the rich and complex diversity of these two nations. 

Educators will have the opportunity to scout this region to develop more intentional learning opportunities in the future. They will bring back to their schools and students a more nuanced understanding of Spain’s linguistic and cultural diversity and resources for using the region as a platform for teaching intercultural competence in the classroom or in the field.

More details about the program:

Starting in the ancient Roman City of Pamplona/Iruña and making our way through the Basque countryside to San Sebastian/Donostia, participants will look at how culture can be deliberately constructed and preserved through day to day life, including the language we speak, the food we eat, and how that food is produced and shared. In our travels we will meet other educators and key players in this cultural preservation and challenge assumptions that we might have about our understanding of Spain and France. Participants will leave with greater opportunities for classroom curriculum connections, travel program ideas, and connections to other educators who want to give greater nuance to their teaching of language, civilization, and identity across departments and divisions.

Basque language and culture can be traced back to pre-Roman times, and over the course of thousands of years, this region in the north of Spain and south of France has retained a unique linguistic and cultural identity. Today, various dialects of Basque and various cultural traditions can be observed in the seven traditional provinces of the Basque Country, which includes the modern autonomous communities of Pais Vasco/Euskadi and Navarra/Nafarroa and three historical provinces north of the Pyrenees in France referred to by southern Basques as “Iparralde” or “the North.”  Known around the world as a place in which identity has both sustained and evolved over time, all the while grappling with complex political, economic, and social considerations at local, national, and global levels, the Basque Country provides a unique opportunity to engage with issues of cultural sustainability and intercultural competence.