OTTAWA, ON – May 26, 2015 – Languages Canada is pleased to announce the second annual World Student Day to take place on June 12, 2015 in cities across the country. Celebrations will take place in: Halifax, NS; Glace Bay, NS; Charlottetown, PEI; Montreal, QC; Toronto, ON; Niagara, ON; Winnipeg, MB; Calgary and Edmonton, AB; Vancouver, BC; and Victoria, BC.
“World Student Day is a unique opportunity for students and language education professionals to connect and celebrate their contribution to Canadian and international education and culture. The success of last year’s inaugural event demonstrated how much the sector has grown, reminded us of the great work we are doing to make this a better world, and connected us to the unique stories of individual students and teachers,” says Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada. Fun activities, such as talent shows, potlucks, sports, music and cultural activities of interest to students and staff alike are being planned in each city.
“Language students contribute immensely to our city, province and country. It’s vitally important that we take the time to recognize and celebrate what the language education sector brings to our communities and local economies. Language programs contribute to local culture and tourism and, through activities like World Student Day, they raise awareness and knowledge of other cultures,” says Sherry Yuan Hunter, Director, English Language Program and International Initiatives at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies and Languages Canada board member.
Languages Canada’s 223 members hosted more than 130,000 international students who studied English or French in 2013. These students came from around the world (top five countries are Japan, Brazil, China, South Korea and Saudi Arabia) and contributed more than $1.4 billion to the Canadian economy in 2013 in tuition, living and tourism expenses. Approximately 30% of these students continued on to post-secondary programs in Canadian colleges and universities upon completing their language studies.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Sarah Snowdon
Communications Manager
ssnowdon@languagescanada.ca
Sponsored by national sponsor guard.me
