Source: Pixabay
International Mother Language Day 21 February!
Bangladesh started the idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day. The celebration got approved in 1999 at a big UNESCO meeting. Since 2000, people all over the world have celebrated it.
UNESCO thinks it's really important to have different cultures and languages for a good society. They work to keep these differences so that people can understand and respect each other, and that helps to make peace.Places with many languages and cultures depend on those languages to pass down knowledge and traditions. Sadly, many languages are disappearing, and 40% of people globally don't have schools that teach in their language. But there's some progress in teaching in multiple languages, especially when kids start school, and more people are agreeing that it's important in public life too.
This year's International Mother Language Day theme is "Learning in many languages helps different generations." Even though there's progress, 250 million kids and young people can't go to school, and 763 million adults struggle with basic reading and writing. Teaching in the language you first learn is important for learning, reading, and picking up other languages.
You can join the 
Live Event 10 - 13.00 CET, on 21 February 2024.
You can also find some social media goodies for your social media channel in the Social Media Pack.
Hyvää Kansainvälistä Äidinkielen Päivää!
Minna, OLS Community Manager – Finnish