As Donald Trump reclaims the U.S. presidency, some are celebrating, while many others are feeling a bit, well, apprehensive to put it mildly, imagining what he could be capable of as he 'Makes America Great Again' during his next term in office. It feels poignant that his triumph should happen on the very night, 5th November, that we playfully 'celebrated' Guy Fawkes in the UK - a rebel and yet a reminder of where extreme, insular thinking can lead to: division, conflict, and even violence. Meanwhile in Berlin, they're gearing up to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9th November 1989, when barriers were broken and connections were restored between East and West Berlin, Germany and people in the East tasted freedom after years of isolation. From celebrating connection and liberation, today’s political shifts in the U.S. reflect a concerning trend towards insularity.
Here in the UK, we had a dice with this during our own General Election back in July, with Nigel Farage rallying those who wanted to keep Britain great for the British. Fortunately our nation, or at least the U.K. electoral system, favoured a more inclusive outlook, with Labour securing a solid victory, but Farage will be buoyed by Trump's victory and who knows what ambitions he is plotting next. Other countries in Europe such as France and Austria have been voting right, far right, to 'look out for their own' rather than embrace the ups and downs of unity and there is a risk of the insularity ripple becoming a wave that crashes over our small island too, if Starmer's Government fails to build bridges over walls.
Effigies at Lewes Bonfire: Farage, 2024 (c) All Abroad! Bus / One of 3 Trump* effigies, 2016 (c) PA/BBC
With political currents like these, it’s clear that the ability to look outwards and see beyond our borders is more crucial than ever. For the next generation, this is particularly urgent but it’s an issue that the Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) curriculum addresses directly: “Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures.” Language isn’t just about learning and speaking new words, it’s a doorway to intercultural understanding and empathy. Indeed, on a personal note, it was the successes of Brexit, Farage, Bojo and Trump in 2016 that triggered me to re-train as an MFL teacher in the UK secondary school system, hoping that I could reach and help open the minds of young people about the importance of building bridges and connection over introspection and isolation.
As well as many other skills and cognitive benefits, languages enable learners to:
develop curiosity about different ways of life.
gain a deeper understanding of the world and empathy with people from other cultures.
express and share ideas across languages and understand others in return.
think differently, allowing them to appreciate perspectives they might never encounter otherwise.
build practical skills that prepare them to work and communicate in other countries.
When we limit our views to what’s familiar and shut out diverse viewpoints, we weaken our own resilience and become more isolated, which in turn breeds misunderstanding and, eventually, conflict - so says history. This goes for young people in schools, but also for other environments, especially where there is limited exposure to other languages and cultures and where difference is a cause for fear not tolerance. This is where All Abroad! Bus comes in! By bringing languages and cultures to life in classrooms and communities, we help people to see, feel, and understand life through the eyes of others. We aim not just to entertain but also educate, to inform but also transform. We want to help young people and adults from all backgrounds and in all settings to “break free from insularity”, by experiencing the customs, languages, and lives of people across the globe, making difference and otherness something to be celebrated, not feared.
As the fall of the Berlin Wall showed us, true freedom isn’t only the absence of physical barriers but the presence of connection, understanding, and unity. In today’s - or certainly January's - (new) world (order), those connections are more important than ever. Let’s ensure our young people grow up aware of the world beyond our borders, curious to explore, understand, and embrace the diversity of other cultures and perspectives, because our freedom, and theirs, depends on it. At All Abroad! Bus, we’re here to support this.
If you would like to discover how All Abroad! Bus can support, extend and enrich your language and culture teaching agenda or your community objectives by bringing our immersive language and culture experiences to you, please explore this website, browse our current menu of Experiences and get in touch to arrange a discovery call. Together, we can inspire the next generation to embrace the world with open minds and open hearts.
*PS: Why was Trump missing from this year's Lewes Bonfire procession?!
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