Bilingual Day Highlights Polish Heritage Abroad

Traditionally held in October, the event will be permanently observed on the third weekend of October. This year, it falls on October 19-20.

During the celebrations, schools host a variety of engaging activities. These include workshops on Polish culture and history, games promoting language learning, and activities encouraging creativity. The event also features meetings with notable individuals, performances by artistic groups, contests, and Polish language spelling bees.

"By passing the native language to Polish children abroad, we pass on their Polish roots, enrich their personality, and uniquely broaden their horizons, opening the door to full participation in the life of Poland and the Polish community abroad in their adult years," said the event organizers. The concept was initially developed in New York in 2015.

The initiative originated from the DSNY Foundation in New York, which had previously run a campaign in the U.S. to promote Polish language learning among children under the slogan "In our home, we speak Polish."

The first Polish Bilingual Day occurred in 2015; they were supported and co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Senate of the Republic of Poland as part of the "Cooperation with the Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad" competition.
The event initially occurred in a few U.S. states and involved Polish schools and communities. Polish Bilingual Day has expanded to other continents, including Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Numerous Polish schools across various countries with Polish communities are now participating in the initiative.

"From the very beginning, the idea of establishing a holiday in the Polish diaspora calendar was present—one that would remind us, Poles living abroad, of the value of bilingual education and its significance in the lives of Polonia, Poland, and the countries we live in," the organizers explain. They cite language and psychology experts who argue that when parents communicate with their children in their native language, they transmit a more incredible wealth of feelings and emotions and a broader set of experiences that the language carries. It enriches a young person's personality.

Dorota Mishra, a member of the Polish Parents group in New York, shared her personal experience on the organizers' website, www.polishbilingualday.com. She emphasized the significance of Polish Bilingual Day for her family, particularly for children from bilingual or trilingual families like hers. She expressed her desire to show her children that they are part of a larger community, part of Polish culture. This day reminds her that her children are not alone and that many more children like them speak Polish and are developing the language.

Family News Service