Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival

Project:

AICLS Family Language Program

Region: Topanga, California, Turtle Island
Grant Awarded: 2019
Visit the AICLS on the Web here

We support the Family Language Program, a new project that addresses the need for sustainable language transmission within families. In order to produce proficient young speakers, it is key to involve the families so that the language is spoken at home. Through workshops, activities and educational materials, parents and families receive guidance and support in using their language at home with their children and families. There are at least 80 Indigenous languages in California, representing 5 language families, each with small populations and dialects. All are highly endangered, and some have few to no first-language speakers. AICLS has been working with Indigenous California communities for 25 years helping them keep their languages alive through diverse educational programming.