May Update!

Hello y’all

Since I last wrote, I’ve had my first ever British Sign Language workshop which you can access here: https://youtu.be/gjKhwmbuY-E?si=9HxiU_XJASN96HC-

The host let me know they haven’t stopped hearing amazing things about the workshop and they've asked for another in June, so I’m super happy about that. I was very nervous as it was unfamiliar territory (you might not notice unless you’re a psychologist haha) but it was a great experience and will feed into a much tighter workshop the second time around. 

This month I give free workshops in Music, Spanish and…. Japanese! Which means this (tester) workshop will be the first Japanese material I release (I’ll be releasing much more video content from hereon). As with the BSL video, I’m releasing these to share but also to get native speaker feedback for me to continue tweaking the courses for the eventual formal recordings.

Shortly after writing here on Patreon last month, I decided I wanted to make a Language Transfer community/cultural centre to centre these and many more activities around, and I wrote about that here (https://open.substack.com/pub/languagetransfer/p/language-transfer-centre?r=ufgt0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web). I’m still trying to work out the logistics of it all, as well as whether it should be fixed or not - a fixed centre engaging the community here, or maybe a ‘mobile community centre’, changing cities every 3-6 months, or both, somehow! For the next 6 months at least I will continue in a way that allows me go either way. Whilst an actual permanent physical space for this project would be wonderful, it’s not urgent just yet - and the most important thing about the community centre are the events. So I’ll be looking to integrate that here in others’ spaces for the next 6 months (so, a kind of dispersed ‘centre’, if that can be!), and then see about a permanent LT space here or elsewhere later - either way, it all goes online! If I go mobile, it’ll be on the basis of what a city can offer me. So say, for example, a big co-working like the one I’m collaborating with in Brighton wants to host and promote my free workshops/events, give me a free membership or even have some residence, then that makes my life easier and my impact greater, so off I’d trot! Maybe somewhere the local authorities actually do care about the cultural and educational life of the city, and they invite me. Either way, that would be how I’d set the compass which means that if you want me in your city for 3-6 months, all you'd need to do is find organisations/institutions/companies that would collaborate with me to make the biggest impact during that time. This includes for the creation of new material. So for example as I want to make more material in/from Spanish, any organisation that wants Greek/English/Arabic (etc). for Spanish speakers, can help me create the material they want by hosting the mobile community centre. So as always, it's about spreading the word and helping me make the right connections. Remember, Language Transfer is just me, just one person - and you. So if you are excited about this project growing, I really do need your help on the ground doing old fashioned engagement!

In other news, I’m finding myself wanting more contact with users of Language Transfer generally, and so I’ve been toying for a while with the idea of doing a long-form podcast once a month with y’all. To talk about everything and anything related to language, learning and this type of work (education activism or whatever we might call it). That’s a very broad subject palette, almost a free for all, but that makes sense. The reason I made language and learning my activism is because it relates to everything and anything, and I can’t help but feel it’s time to talk about all of that more directly, with the users of the project rather than with random interviewers. That is, if that’s something you’d like to do! So, what do we think about that? And most importantly, are there things you’d really want to ask me about? If I were to say "we’re doing this on the 15th, send me your questions!", what would you want me to talk about?

And just before I go, a reminder to write to me to claim any perks (‘Interlinear’ ebooks and/or dissemination packs). If you would like LT in your city for a while (as described above) dissemination packs are great tools to help you make that happen - so remember to claim yours!

All the best, and thank you so much for your support! I’m renewed with gratitude everytime I explain to people who ask how I can do all of this for free, how it’s your support that allows me to ‘fairy about’ helping people fall (back) in love with the world! Thank you.

Mihalis