Multilingual and Intercultural Communication for a Democratic Society

The Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH) and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) are pleased to announce a hybrid expert panel as part of the International Conference “Implementing EAN in Practice and Transformations in Preschool Education.”

📅 Event Details

  • Date: Sunday, 10 May 2026

  • Time: 12:30 – 14:00 (CET)

  • Location: Alexandroupolis (Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Thraki) & Online via Zoom

  • Topic: “Multilingual and Intercultural Communication for a Democratic Society and the Importance of Starting Early”

🔍 Focus and Objectives

The panel aims to highlight the importance of introducing foreign language learning -particularly English as a Foreign Language- from early childhood.

It will bring together distinguished speakers from five European universities, as well as a representative of the Directorate-General for Translation at the European Commission Representation in Athens, offering a diverse and international perspective.

This is an EMERGE event, as it brings together three partners of our Alliance: Democritus University of Thrace (Greece), Matej Bel University (Slovakia), and Neapolis University Pafos (Cyprus).

 

🎙️ Panel Program & Speakers

Chair: Efthymia Penderi & Aikaterini Alexandri, Democritus University of Thrace

European Commission Directorate-General for Translation, multilingualism and democracy Thanos Nottas, Head of the Directorate-General for Translation at the European Commission Representation in Athens

Empowering early childhood educators to move beyond native speaker ideologies Julie Waddington, University of Girona

Linguistic and Cognitive Benefits of Early Second Language Exposure: Research Evidence and Implications for Kindergarten Education Loukia Taxitari, Neapolis University Pafos

How easy or possible is the introduction of English in dialectal-speaking environments? Marina Tzakosta, University of Crete

Approaches to teaching foreign languages in a playful and meaningful way (Slovak projects) Dana Hanesova, Matej Bel University, Slovakia

EAN at Five: An Evidence-Based Model for Early Language Education

💻 How to Join

We invite all partners and interested parties to join the conversation online:

For more information, please visit the conference website: https://ece-efl.psed.duth.gr/

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