Mallorca: Nearly 100 meet to boost Catalan among youth
On Mallorca, nearly 100 experts, researchers and government representatives meet at Es Baluard in Palma on Thursday, 12 November 2026: they are looking for ways to get more young people using Catalan and other regional and minority languages. The gathering runs until Friday, with more than 20 speakers sharing projects from across Europe. The Balearic government’s Department of Tourism, Culture and Sports says the event is supported by the regional government and brings together the European Network for the Promotion of Linguistic Diversity and the Coppieters Foundation.
Music, education and digital projects
Catalina Amengual of the University of the Balearic Islands opened Thursday’s talks with a look at the social, economic and digital factors behind young people’s language choices. Later, projects from the Balearic Islands will include government education programmes for Catalan, music initiatives and IB3’s digital project MEL.
Speakers will also share approaches to Frisian in the Netherlands, Welsh in Wales and Basque in the Basque Country, among other languages. Each offers a way to involve young people in using them.
Friday looks beyond the classroom
Government representatives open Friday’s programme at 09.00. Talks on young people’s digital lives follow, including an account of the Basque-language digital culture project Sarean Euskaraz.
At 12.00, Maria de Mar Vanrell of the University of the Balearic Islands will present data from the islands on what shapes the use of Catalan outside lessons. Her talk will consider what those findings mean for language policy.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com