Exupery International School invites to participate in the Open Olympiad in Latvian and Regional Studies

Exupery International School invites applications up till January 20, 2023, to participate in the Open Olympiad in Latvian and Regional Studies. The Olympiad is organized by The Exupery International School in cooperation with the National Centre for Education of Latvia, the Latvian Language Agency, Latvian History and Social studies Teachers’ Association, and the Latvian National History Museum. The aim of the Olympiad is to strengthen awareness of the Latvian language and promote cultural literacy among Latvian schools and young people of the diaspora. Students of Latvian international and public schools, youth of the Latvian diaspora, and foreign students studying Latvian language and Latvian culture courses are invited to participate in the Olympiad.

The content of the Olympiad is based on the content and aims of two subjects, Latvian Studies and the special course, Regional Studies. The goal of the Olympiad is to improve the understanding of the history, culture, natural resources, environment and geography of Latvia, the symbols of the State of Latvia, the cultural-historical and natural heritage of Latvia in the context of other countries of the Baltic Sea region. Also, the Olympiad will contribute to the formation of democratically aware and civically responsible young citizens, increasing the sense of belonging to the Latvian state.

The theme of the Open Olympiad is "The Socio-Economic, Political, Cultural and Natural heritage of Latvia in a historical perspective". Its content and assignments are created by experts from Latvian International Schools, the Latvian National History Museum, the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology of the University of Latvia, and the Latvian History and Social Studies Teachers’ Association.

Edgars Bērziņš, the originator of the idea of the Olympiad and head of the Humanities Department of the Exupery International School, explains the philosophy behind the project: "Given that Latvian language and cultural literacy should be strengthened both in Latvian public and international schools, and in the diaspora, I am pleased that the initiative implemented last school year - the Latvian Studies Competition - has grown to the status of a national level open Olympiad. The Olympiad is an important contribution to the preservation, maintenance and popularization of Latvianness both in Latvia and abroad."

The Olympiad will take place in two rounds - on January 24 remotely and on March 28 in a hybrid form (in person and remotely) with an award ceremony on Saturday, June 3 during the Latvian festival. The Latvian festival will be an interactive event filled with Latvian culture and traditions, the participants of which will have the opportunity to dance and sing under the guidance of professional folk music performers, listen to a kokle concert and even learn to play folk instruments. Festival visitors will also be able to try various traditional Latvian activities on site.

Before filling out the application form, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the description and regulations of the Olympiad (in Latvian)! More information: www.visc.gov.lv and https://exupery.lv.


More information:
Edgars Bērziņš
Coordinator of the Olympiad
E-mail: edgars.berzins@exupery.lv