View source for Concordia Language Villages

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{{primary sources|date=February 2013}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2007}}
{{advert|date=December 2011}}}}
{{Infobox school
| name              = Concordia Language Villages
| image             = <!--logo-->
| imagesize         =
| alt               =  <!-- alt for logo -->
| caption           =
| streetaddress     = 901 8th St. S.
| city              = Moorhead
| state             = Minnesota
| zipcode           = 56562
| country           = US
| coordinates       = {{Coord|47|33|1|N|94|43|42|W|display=inline,title}}
| authority         = [[Concordia College (Minnesota)|Concordia College]]
| denomination      = Lutheran (historical)
| trustee           =
| founder           = Gerhard Haukebo
| president         =
| head of school    =
| headteacher       =
| head_label        =
| head              =
| chairperson       =
| dean              =
| director          = Mary Maus Kosir 2020 - present
| staff             = 1300
| teaching_staff    =
| national_ranking  =
| classes offered   = [[Arabic]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Danish language|Danish]], [[English language|English]], [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Korean language|Korean]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
| avg_class_size    =
| ratio             = 1:5 <!-- because staff work 2+ sessions, whereas students only attend one -->
| gender            =
| lower_age         = 7
| upper_age         = 18
| schooltype        =
| fundingtype       =
| type              =
| fees              =
| tuition           =
| revenue           =
| endowment         =
| budget            =
| enrolment         =
| products          =
| grades            =
| hours_in_day      = 24
| slogan            = N/A (2025)
| song              = N/A (2025)
| motto             = "to inspire courageous global citizens"
| accreditation     = [[Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation]]; [[North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement]]
| sports            =
| opened            = 1961
| status            = Open
| closed            =
| students          = 11880
| alumni            = [[Chelsea Clinton]]
| communities       = all 50 U.S. States, more than 25 countries
| nobel_laureates   =
| picture           = <!-- picture of the school. Displayed at bottom of infobox -->
| homepage          = {{URL|concordialanguagevillages.org}}
}}
'''Concordia Language Villages''' ('''CLV'''), previously the '''International Language Villages''', is a [[501(c)(3)]] [[nonprofit organization]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Language Immersion Programs {{!}} Concordia Language Villages |url=http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org |website=www.concordialanguagevillages.org |access-date=2 September 2023 |quote=Concordia Language Villages is a program of Concordia College, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Located in Moorhead, Minn., Concordia College is a private liberal arts college and a recognized leader in global education.}}</ref> based in [[Moorhead, Minnesota]] which operates a [[language immersion|language and cultural immersion]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/About/methods1.php |title=Methods |publisher=Concordia Language Villages |date= |accessdate=2013-02-15 }}</ref> program, sponsored by the [[Concordia College, Moorhead|Concordia College]]. Languages (14 as of 2025) are taught in [[summer camp]]s, called "villages". [[Academic term|School-year]] weekend programs are also offered, mostly for Spanish, French, and German.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/Programs/Educators/School_Groups11.php |title=School Groups |publisher=Concordia Language Villages |date= |accessdate=2013-02-15 }}</ref> Annually, the program is attended by over 13,000 young people, aged 7–18, from every state of the US, as well as Canada and 31 other countries.<ref name="arabic">{{cite news |last=Robertson |first=Tom |title=Concordia unveils Arabic language camp |publisher=Minnesota Public Radio |date=2006-07-10 |url=http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/06/26/arabiccamp/ |accessdate=2007-12-20 }}</ref> It was founded in 1961.

==Villages==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2013}}
There are architecturally and culturally authentic village sites (Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish) located near [[Bemidji, Minnesota]] on Turtle River Lake. There are also leased sites throughout Minnesota, as well as abroad in [[Switzerland]] and [[China]].

The road connecting the permanent villages at Turtle River Lake to the [[county road]] was purposefully constructed to be winding, to simulate the long trip to the target cultures represented at the villages.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} The original plans for these villages included a train to link all of the villages. Although this idea was scrapped, aspects of it still remain in several buildings.  The [[German language|German]] village's four-story administration building resembles a German [[train station]] and is called the Bahnhof ("train station"). The [[dining hall]] at Salolampi, the [[Finnish language]] village, is modeled after a famous Finnish train station. Additionally, the Turtle River Lake site has a World Inc. Peace Site with [[peace poles]] in the village languages at its heart, near the [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] village, [[Skogfjorden]] and the Bemidji and Turtle River Lake sites have European road signs in kilometers per hour (imported from Germany, not replications).

Several [[History of Immigration to the United States|immigrant]] buildings have been moved to the permanent sites to show villagers what life was like for early European immigrants. The immigrant cabins at the [[Norway|Norwegian]] village are original to the site. The [[Germany|German]] "Haus Sonnenaufgang" was first moved from [[New Ulm, Minnesota]] to sit next to the Norwegian ones, but was moved sometime in the early 1990s to the German village near Bemidji, Minnesota.

[[File:WaldseeBemidjiMarktplatzAtDusk.jpg|thumb|[[Waldsee (camp)|Waldsee]] Markplatz near [[Bemidji, Minnesota]]. The culturally-authentic Gasthof dining hall can be seen in the background.]]
CLV consists of 15 villages:
* [[German language|German]]: [[Waldsee (camp)|Waldsee]] (est. 1961)
* [[French language|French]]: [[Lac du Bois (camp)|Lac du Bois]] or [[Voyageurs (camp)|Les Voyageurs]] (est. 1962)
* [[Spanish language|Spanish]]: El Lago Del Bosque (est. 1963)
* [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]: [[Skogfjorden]] (est. 1963)
* [[Russian language|Russian]]: Lesnoe Ozero (Лесное озеро) (est. 1966)
* [[Swedish language|Swedish]]: [[Sjölunden]] (est. 1975)
* [[Finnish language|Finnish]]: Salolampi (est. 1978)
* [[Danish language|Danish]]: Skovsøen (est. 1982)
* [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: Sen Lin Hu (森林湖) (est. 1984)
* [[Japanese language|Japanese]]: Mori no Ike (森の池) (est. 1988)
* [[English language|English]]: Hometown, USA and Hometown, Europe (est. 1999)
* [[Korean language|Korean]]: [[Korean Residential Language Camp|Sup sogŭi Hosu]] ({{Korean|hangul=숲 속의 호수|labels=no}}) (est. 1999)
* [[Italian language|Italian]]: Lago del Bosco (est. 2003)
* [[Arabic language|Arabic]]: [[Al-Wāḥa]] (الواحة) (est. 2006)
* [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]: Mar e Floresta (est. 2008)

Each village is named "Lake of the Woods" in its language (as the villages are situated in the woods next to a lake) with the exception of the English villages "Hometown, USA" and "Hometown, Europe", the Portuguese village "Mar e Floresta" (meaning "Sea and Forest"), and the Arabic village "Al-Wāḥa" (meaning "the oasis"). The Japanese village "Mori no Ike" translates to "Pond of the Forest," but this name was chosen in lieu of the more-literal translation (which would use 林 ''hayashi'' 'woods' and 湖 ''mizuumi'' 'lake') for length and ease of pronunciation.

===Village culture===
[[File:LacDuBois01.jpg|thumb|Villagers performing skits]]
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2013}}
Villagers use CLV-issued "passport" booklets to manage their camp bank account and familiarize themselves with the use of a real-life [[passport]]. Villagers also go through "customs" upon arrival, which includes the storage of phones or other devices with internet connection, non-target language literature, and food (perishable items are disposed of).

Each language village site has numerous traditions, many of which are related to meals and songs. Meal presentations, in which each food and its name are presented in a short skit before each meal, are a language tool implemented by almost all programs. Many villages also put on a [[restaurant]] night for villagers to practice going out using their target language. Restaurants will often be fancy affairs that tend to represent international cuisine and languages that are not represented by the villages, such as [[Cuisine of Vietnam|Vietnamese]], [[Indian cuisine|Indian]], [[Cuisine of Thailand|Thai]], or [[Cuisine of Tibet|Tibetan]].

The cuisine in most villages reflect the ethnic cuisines of the target language. At [[Waldsee (camp)|Waldsee]], this means that [[German cuisine|German]] regional food, [[Cuisine of Austria|Austrian]], [[Swiss cuisine|Swiss]] and common import foods like [[Turkish cuisine|Turkish]] [[döner kebab]] are served. At Lac du Bois, foods of [[Cuisine of Africa|Africa]] and the [[Caribbean cuisine|Caribbean]] may be included.

The fusion of American and foreign cultures gives rise to linguistic phenomenon referred to as "[[Franglais]]" (French and anglais) or "[[Denglisch|Denglish]]" (Deutsch and English), depending on the languages in contact. Examples include "Je need a couteau" ("I need a knife") or "What did you seh at the Kino?" ("What did you see at the movie theatre?"). Villagers at every camp employ a unique variety of [[code-switching]] with English and the target language. Site buildings are given names in the target language, are rarely referred to with their English names, even when speaking English. Additionally, some words have been invented by native-speaking staff members for concepts that are not native to the target cultures but daily words in camp life, such as "[[chipmunk]]", "[[poison ivy]]", and "[[mosquito repellent]]".

===Village activities===
A typical day at one of the Villages includes cultural and typical summer camp activities. In the target language, villagers might go canoeing, create art projects, play traditional music, practice yoga, play ping pong, or make a film. Camp songs and daily skits are an integral part of the village experience, including at mealtimes, as are jokes, games, and weekend dances, all of which surround campers with the language.

Villagers may sign up for two-week or four-week programs, the latter of which are accredited academic programs which gives students high school credit via "a thematic curriculum, experiential immersion techniques and performance-based assessments."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/Programs/Youth/hs_credit1.php |title=High School Credit |publisher=Concordia Language Villages |date= |accessdate=2013-02-15}}</ref> To earn the 180 hours to gain credit at a high school, villagers attend multiple structured classes during the day with a higher level of focus on reading, writing, listening, and conversation. "Credit villagers", as they are often referred to in English, are still able to participate in all-camp activities such as evening programs, sports, arts and crafts, and other unique offerings in each village.

==Programs==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2013}}
Concordia Language Villages has offered a 10-day, 4-credit graduate level course for teachers in [[second language]]s and immersion, along with various adult programs to serve its diverse audience, not all of which are offered in every language. High school credit abroad programs were formerly offered in China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Cameroon, and Argentina.

During the summer, CLV serves youth with villages in the United States. Villagers can stay for one week, two weeks, or four week programs, and it is possible to earn high school or college credit for the time spent being immersed in the language. Wilderness programs during the summer offer additional opportunities to spend time in the outdoors of Minnesota for those who enjoy the environment, exploration, and camping. Many camps also offer other themed programs, such as [[French colonial empires|French African]] or [[Swiss (people)|Swiss]] culture (which is a blend of the German, French, and Italian villages) or the [[Middle Ages]] in combination with [[theatre]]. Summer day camps are offered for younger learners who live in the area, and family week programs during the summer serve entire families, even those with young children.

Between September and June, CLV offers weeks and weekends of immersion for adults, families, teachers, and school groups. These programs meet over weekends and long weekends, and each school year has a theme for its weekend.

===International Day===
[[File:IDay.JPG|thumb|right|Immediately before the International Day festival closing program, in front of [[Waldsee (camp)|Waldsee]]'s ''Bahnhof'' administrative building]][[File:ELdBiDayPerformance.JPG|thumb|right|First-half closing program performance of El Lago del Bosque, 2008]]
During each half of the summer, all the camps within driving distance travel to Waldsee, the German camp, for a day-long festival of cultures called International Day, or I-Day. The camps bring out their wares and each has a booth of ethnic food to share, and each camp prepares a short closing performance to share. Each year has a different theme. Additionally, campers in every village learn a choreographed dance to the year's "I-Day song" during the two weeks preceding I-Day. This is a song from a language not covered by the camps; everyone dances to it together during the festival. Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], International Day has been postponed until further notice.

==International ties==

===Notable visits===
Over the years, Concordia Language Villages has been visited by numerous dignitaries and supporters, including:
* [[Spain|Spanish]] Consul General Rodrigo Aguirre de Cárcer (1983)
* [[German Ambassador to the United States|German Ambassador]] [[Peter Hermes]] (1983)
* German Ambassador [[Günther van Well]] (1987)
* [[Minnesota]] Governor [[Arne Carlson]] (1991)
* [[Arkansas]] Governor [[Bill Clinton]] (1991 and 1992)
* [[Finland|Finnish]] Ambassador [[Jaakko Laajava]] (1998)
* [[Germany|German]] Ambassador [[Jürgen Chrobog]] (1998)
* [[Austria]]n Ambassador Peter Moser (2002)
* Ambassador of [[Norway]] [[Knut Vollebæk]] (2003)
* Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany [[Wolfgang Ischinger]] (2003),
* [[Italy|Italian]] Consul General in Chicago Eugenio Sgró (2003)
* [[Finland|Finnish]] Consul General in New York Jukka Leino (2003)
* Finnish Ambassador Jukka Valtasaari (2004)
* Ambassador of the [[Principality of Liechtenstein]] [[Claudia Fritsche]] (2004)
* Deputy Chief of Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany Klaus-Peter Gottwald (2005)
* Deputy Chief of Mission of [[Sweden]] Caroline Vicini (2005)
* Counsellor of the Royal Norwegian Embassy Kirsten Hammelbo (2005)
* Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany [[Klaus Scharioth]] (2007)<ref name="elink_jul07">[http://concordianow.com/concordia_villages/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=13160444] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006002738/http://concordianow.com/concordia_villages/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=13160444|date=October 6, 2008}}</ref>
* Second Secretary for Cultural Affairs at the [[Russia]]n Embassy Irina Khortonen (2007)<ref name="elink_jul07" />
* Swiss Ambassador Urs Ziswiler (2008)
* [[United Nations]] [[Under-Secretary-General]] for Communications and Public Information [[Kiyotaka Akasaka]] (2008)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.germany.info/relaunch/info/publications/week/2008/080815/misc1.html |title=German Missions in the United States |accessdate=September 26, 2008}}</ref>
* United Nations Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management [[Muhammad Shaaban]] (2011)
* U.S. Senator [[Amy Klobuchar]] (2018)<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Focus: Sen. Klobuchar Visits Concordia International Day - Lakeland PBS |url=https://lptv.org/in-focus-sen-klobuchar-visits-concordia-international-day/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=lptv.org/ |language=en-US}}</ref>

===International patronage granted===
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2013}}
His Majesty King [[Harald V of Norway]] has granted royal patronage to [[Skogfjorden]], the Norwegian Language Village. Patronage is an affirmation from the Royal Family of Norway of the quality educational programming of Concordia Language Villages.

In 2009, Tove Irene Dahl, the dean of Skogfjorden, was named a Knight of the First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, by His Majesty King Harald V of Norway for the advancement of Norwegian language and culture in the United States.

[[Johannes Rau]], former President of the Federal Republic of Germany has also granted personal patronage to Waldsee, the German Language Village. This patronage is symbolic of the strong bonds between the people of Germany and Concordia Language Villages.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Concordia Language Villages| ]]
[[Category:Language schools in the United States]]
[[Category:Summer camps in Minnesota]]
[[Category:1961 establishments in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota)]]