Help us save Routes into Languages

1. What are Routes into Languages' aims?

To promote:

• increased take-up in learning languages and cultures 
• increased take-up of work and study abroad 
• greater national capacity in areas of employment requiring proficiency in languages 
• raised aspirations and attainment of students 
• greater collaboration between participating universities, schools and key stakeholders

2. And how do they do this?

If you're a year abroad student, you should know that we partnered with Routes so we can help promote the year abroad to young people to inspire them to study languages at university. With their support we have been able to create our AMAZING international education Q&A platform, various campaigns to promote cultural events and activities in the UK, and the Year Abroad Awards 2015, among many other things. They also coordinate:

• A-level study days 
• GCSE revision days 
• Mentoring by student ambassadors Information (e.g. about careers, about studying languages, about university etc.) 
• School visits Careers talks 
• Sixth form conferences 
• Festivals of culture, e.g. Chinese and Japanese days, film and languages activities
• Song competitions 
• Foreign language Spelling Bee 
• Sport and languages days
• Double Club activities
• Japanese and Martial Arts
• Study Abroad talks with us! 
• Adopt a Class scheme, where year abroaders Skype back to a language class in the UK
• Languages and your Future - employability resources

3. What has the feedback from students and staff been like?

• "It improved students' language, motivation, enthusiasm, confidence and self-esteem." 
• "It made learning vocab fun and competitive." 
• "By holding it at a top university this gives pupils a great opportunity to see the fantastic possibilities education can bring." 
• "Good promotion of MFL." 
• "Students pay more attention to accuracy when writing - they are more thorough and have become more inquisitive."
• "Non-sporty pupils given a higher profile due to successes in spelling bee."
• "Many thanks - coming from a deprived, inner-city context, all students have benefited enormously from the whole experience."
• "Improved pronunciation, spelling, reading skills and interest in the subject."

4. In conclusion...

Routes into Languages has worked tirelessly across the country to develop a range of regional and national networks to support schools and teachers to be innovative, raise students' aspirations and make the case for language learning.

To lose this resource would be devastating, the Routes Spelling Bee alone involved 77,000 Year 7 students last year and this is only one example of the work that Routes does to offer free opportunities to all schools.

5. So how can I help?

1. Please sign the petition to change this decision:

• Sign the petition now!

2. Please share the link to the petition which, in tiny form, is: tinyurl.com/saveroutes - draw a picture like we did, make stickers, write it in the sand then take a photo and Instagram it...   

3. If you have been involved in or benefitted from Routes in any way, please blog about your experience, including a link to the petition, and share on social media. We'll retweet if you tweet us! 

4. Please Tweet, Facebook and Instagram the picture on this page (and everything else you can think of!) to help us promote the link to this petition. Remember that only British citizens or UK residents have the right to sign it. Routes' Twitter is: @routesintolangs and here they are on Facebook: facebook.com/routes.into.lang   Thank you SO much!!!