British Academy and Guardian launch new two-year campaign

Today the British Academy for the humanities and social sciences launches a new two-year commercial partnership with the Guardian. The joint campaign, running until March 2015, will help raise the profile of language learning and showcase its importance for the UK's wellbeing.

A new dedicated website: http://www.theguardian.com/education/series/the-case-for-language-learning developed by the Guardian and British Academy launched today provides a forum for language debates and discussions. As part of the campaign, the British Academy and the Guardian will be launching a UK-wide Language Festival in November 2013. The Festival will build on the success of the British Academy’s Language Week held in November 2012; providing a platform for schools, Higher Education Institutions, students, policy makers and businesses from across the UK to discuss, debate and explore the academic, cultural and economic benefits of language learning. 

The Language Festival will culminate in the 2013 British Academy Schools Language Awards where the Guardian will also be announcing the winner of the Guardian’s first ever Public Language Champion Award, voted for by the public. 
In 2011, the British Academy launched a four-year programme to deepen awareness and demonstrate the importance of language learning. For further information about the British Academy’s work on languages please visit: www.britac.ac.uk/languages. 

To visit the new languages website developed by the British Academy and Guardian for further details about the 2013 Language Festival and Schools Language Awards from 2nd September 2013.