A new competition launched by an SBS and Community Languages Australia (CLA) partnership is encouraging young Australians to learn a new language.
Despite being a linguistically diverse society, the number of Australian students choosing to learn a second language is declining.
The SBS National Languages Competition aims to increase the number of students learning a new language and to inspire young Australians to embrace their multicultural heritage.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nearly one in five Australians list English as their second language spoken at home and this competition aims to celebrate that diversity.
Director of Audio and Language content at the SBS Mandi Wicks said she was proud to launch the initiative.
“It comes from the heart of SBS and speaks to our purpose of inspiring Australians to explore and celebrate diversity,” she said.
The national competition is aimed at CLA students aged four to eighteen and asks them to address the question ‘What does learning a language mean to you?’
The inaugural competition runs from 20 June to 29 July and a public vote will pick six lucky winners from three categories to fly to Sydney for a presentation ceremony in October.
