Created in 2010, the Polish Association “Europe of Languages and Cultures” (Europa Języków i Kultur) is a non-governmental organization whose aim is to promote foreign language learning and to improve the quality of foreign language teaching through the use of innovative teaching methods.
The Association is comprised of foreign language teachers, students and it enables them to support each other and provides opportunity for continuing professional development. The flagship project of the association is French-speaking classes in Silesia (Classes francophones de Silésie) which take place in approximately 50 schools that have introduced intensive French courses in their institutions.
The project was made possible thanks to the involvement of teachers of French and the support of local authorities and partner institutions such as Wallonie-Bruxelles International, the French Embassy, the Institut Français, TV5MONDE, various publishing houses, etc. The presence of a WBI travelling language assistant in French-speaking classes was an invaluable asset of the project. Among other achievements of the association are the Silesian Festival of the French Language (le Festival de la Francophonie en Silésie), the Festival of Contemporary French-language Song in Pszczyna (le Festival de la chanson francophone contemporaine de Pszczyna), the creation of Bibliomobile FLE (French Mobile Library), the podcast for children Nali and Paco in French-speaking countries (Nali et Paco dans les pays francophones) realized in cooperation with the Institut français in Poland and Polskie Radio Dzieciom (Polish Radio for Children) among others.
Since 2013, the association has also been an accredited DELF/DALF exam centre, involving a team of about 20 examiners working in accredited educational institutions. A few years later, the association, supported by the Institut Français in Poland, signed cooperation agreements for DELF with the local educational authorities in many Silesian cities.
In 2018 the ELC joined the prestigious network of the International Association of Teachers of French. We are working with schools, training centres, libraries, universities, local communities, NGO, city hall (Pszczyna, Tychy, Żory, Rybnik and Wodzisław Śląski).
