L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 8 "Io imparo l'italiano": an Italian youth program in Seattle ity of the program. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and ultimately led to the imple- mentation of the program. These efforts have clearly paid off: today the prog ram s ees tw o groups of children (6-7 years old and 8-11 years old) who meet twice a month on Saturday after- noon. Students learn more than just grammar, they improve their Italian in subjects and areas of conversation that they would unlikely explore at home. "Quali sono i pianeti del sis- tem a s olar e?" (What are the planets of the solar system) can be one of the themes of a lesson; in other words, astronomy can be the subject of the day. Besides the language itself, "Io imparo l'italiano" youth pro- gram offers the unique opportu- nity to connect kids who share a common background and cultur- al traditions. In addition, this is an excel- lent opportun ity for Italian nationals with families and chil- dren, who move to the area to work for global corporations like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing, to create a community around language. This combination of factors, in fact, has created an unmet and strong demand for ways to con- nect with Italian language and culture, especially in the younger generation. Long ago, immigrant families may have as s umed that an English-only approach was the "L'unione fa la forza", is an Italian saying for "Strength in unity", and it was the motto that Magda Codognotto, the director of "Nuovo Centro Italiano", had in mind in 2013 when she was planning the development of an Italian language youth program called "Io imparo l'italiano". Magda designed the program to teach Italian to children living in households where at least one parent is a native Italian speaker. This great youth program in Seattle offers a structured educa- tional training that encourages and nurtures a linguistic and cul- tural connection for children who have a unique opportunity to develop and maintain their Italian language skills but are otherw is e s urrounded by English. Motivated by her personal life, Magda realized that her two bilingual children, Niccolò and F rances ca, needed to s tart a defined curriculum in Italian in order to acquire a knowledge of the language that w ould go beyond the domestic vocabulary and daily conversation. She patiently started to teach them with the enthusiasm of a mother and the profes s ional training of a linguist. Then she realized that not all the parents had that opportunity and time to dedicate to their off- spring, so she decided to reach out to local Italian families in Seattle area through social media to assess and discuss the feasibil- best way to have their kids "fit in". Recently we are discovering how special and wonderful is to raise a bilingual child: in fact a dual language household can have a number of benefits for child development. Ignorance has been overtaken by the acknowledgment that raising a child w ith your ow n mother tongue doesn't only emphasize a s ens e of identity, but it als o means setting the ground work for better overall language com- prehension. Wh at a perfect place to embrace this philosophy here in the Pacific Northwest, where we have the worldwide research of UW Institute for Learning and Brain S ciences , w here it is proven that early exposure to language alters the brain in posi- tive ways (http://ilabs.washing- ton.ed). Recently N uovo Centro Italiano has been awarded a gen- erous grant by the organization "WeloveItalian," a group associ- ated with the COM.IT.ES - San Francisco. These funds will bol- ster the efforts already made as the program continues to build the language program for chil- dren. Money will be used to purchase additional books and learning resources, bring tech- nology to the classroom, and expand the program to include more children. The goal is to establish a self- sustaining Italian language pro- gram that will become a valuable service to the community, foster- ing an appreciation for the Italian language and culture beyond the level of cultural stereotypes. Without any doubt, director Magda Codognotto, an extreme- ly prepared professional, trained in glottodidactics, is not just offering an excellent Italian lan- guage school for adults with Nuovo Centro Italiano, but she has started an innovative, strong and passionate youth program in Seattle that many of us were hoping to see. It goes without saying that a special thanks goes to all the par- ents who made the launching of this Italian language youth pro- gram possible with their support. For more info, please visit http://centro-italiano.com/. Some students of the Italian language youth program called "Io imparo l'italiano" MICHELA TARTAGLIA Magda Codognotto, director of "Nuovo Centro Italiano" Feb. 28 – Sat., – Pasta, pasta, pasta! At PCC in Greenlake Aurora. 10AM to 12:30PM. Members: $50, Non-members: $55. For more info visit and to sign up visit http://www.pccna- turalmarkets.com Mar. 5, Thurs, - Death in Venice (Luchino Visconti, 1971) at Seattle Art Museum (1300 1st Ave.) 7:30PM. For more info and tickets sale visit http://tickets.seattleartmuseum. org/public/

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