Huffington Post | November 17, 2017
Why Learn Languages? Ask the Experts at ACTFL!
“Learning another language is one of the most rewarding things a person can do,” says Christine Schulze, executive director of Concordia Language Villages. “One doesn’t have to become fluent to begin reaping the benefits. In fact, in an immersion environment, communicating in another language can come surprisingly quickly for young learners and adults alike. That’s the good news.”
Associated Press | February 7, 2017
Summer’s a great time to dive into a foreign language
For a lot of kids, summer is a time to travel intellectually as well as literally, to dive headlong into new languages and cultures in a way that classroom learning alone doesn’t allow. For instance, every summer around 4,500 kids between the ages of 7 and 18 travel to one of dozens of “language villages” nestled in the north woods of Minnesota and run by Concordia College.
Public Radio International "The World" | July 1, 2016
Balalaikas and banyas: An average summer at Russian language camp
Listen to Nadia, a seven-year villager at Lesnoe Ozero, talk about her experiences learning Russian at Concordia Language Villages. Interview begins at 28:30.
The Washington Post | May 1, 2016
Why Harvard ‘encourages’ students to take a gap year. Just like Malia Obama is doing.
A gap year also does not need to be one full-year program. Students often piece together different options to explore a range of interests or can work for a few months to fund a shorter opportunity. Short-term options can range from three weeks at a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa with BroadReach to a month studying French at Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota.
JetSetTimes.com | May 18, 2015
7 Rad Summer Camps For Young Jetsetters
In Moorhead, Minnesota, summers are perfect for parents who want to instill cultural and linguistic skills in their children. Concordia Language Villages offer 15 different types of foreign language immersion programs aiming to reach language proficiency.
The New York Times | December 26, 2014
Making Language Immersion Fun for the Kids
In Minnesota, Concordia Language Villages offers programs in 15 languages. “Each language has its own village,” said Patricia Thorton, the dean of program. “Kids eat the food of that culture, change their dollars for local currency; they’re completely immersed.” Concordia accepts children as young as 7, which made it a great option — in a few years.
Business Insider | May 8, 2014
10 Summer Camps Where Your Kid Will Actually Learn Something
What they'll learn: Kids at Concordia Language Villages aren't called campers, but villagers. They're issued passports and given names in other languages to create an immersive language-learning environment.
Chicago Tribune | April 13, 2014
Summer Camp for Adults
Les Voyageurs (northern Minnesota): Participants in this adventure paddle back in time more than 300 years to when French fur traders canoed through the uncharted waters of Minnesota's North Woods.
(Article also appeared in the Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun.)
Ladies' Home Journal | August 2013
Learning + Vacation = Best Trip Ever
Set in Bemidji, a rural town in the woodsy Lakes Region of northern Minnesota, Concordia Language Villages feels like summer camp for adults. The teaching style is "full immersion," meaning you'll conduct all your daily activities -- eating meals, chatting with other students, or greeting your instructors on the walk to class -- in your language of choice.
MSN Money| March 7, 2013
10 Summer Camps Worth the Money
Can't explore the world this summer? Your child can get a taste of Germany, Finland or China at Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, Minn.
Parade.com | July 22, 2012
My Week at Camp for Adults
For me, going back to camp offered a chance to finally learn Spanish. (I’d taken a few scattered lessons years ago, but could barely string a sentence together.)
SpanglishBaby.com | June 4, 2009
What are Summer Language Camps?
I hadn’t really given language summer camps much thought because I believed Vanessa was too young. I mean, she is still too young for actual going-away type camps, but apparently not for just day summer camps. And I have to tell you, the more I’ve researched this topic, the more fascinated I’ve become.
DallasNews.com | February 7, 2008
More, Including Me, Should Be Fluent in Another Language
Imagine this: Stranded in a strange country, you cannot ask for help and directions, despite having taken three years of the language in high school. Scale it back, and you get what I experienced on a recent trip to Spain.
The New York Times | February 2, 2008
If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Spanish
Conventional wisdom says it is never too early for children to learn a foreign language. But conventional wisdom predates the days of paying someone to teach your child another tongue.
Fast Company | September 1, 2005
What Executives Learn at Summer Camp
Companies send employees to camp to teach them vital job skills. Last winter, Microsoft invited more than three dozen employees and family members who would be working with Microsoft's software division in Denmark to Concordia Language Villages, a cultural and language-immersion camp in northern Minnesota.
Concordia College News | July 9, 2018
Dreams of Korean Village Come True
The Korean Language Village celebrated its 20th year with drums, dance and dreams of a Village site with authentic Korean architecture becoming a reality.
Fargo Forum | May 8, 2017
A guide to summer camps: How to close the right experience
Sun, bugs, hikes, crafts, laughs, s'mores and snores; summer camp packs transformative life experiences into short, bite-size portions. Some residential camps like Concordia's Language Villages are a tradition. "The residential setting fully immerses the participants in the culture of the countries where the language is spoken through food, music, sports, dance, games and activities," Schulze says.
Fra Noi | May 2017
Sending Bambini to Camp
Over my years running the Italian Concordia Language Village, Lago del Bosco, I’ve seen dozens of kids return year after year and eventually study in Italy for a year. Several have found jobs — or sweethearts — while abroad. One even landed a position at the Vatican translating for its newspaper. Many return home to share their experiences with the next round of bambini whose parents or grandparents signed them up for Italian summer camp. The cycle begins all over again.
Star Tribune | March 6, 2017
First time for summer camp? Minnesotans share tips on being a happy camper
Homesickness isn't a surprise, it's a given, said Eric Dregni, longtime camper, dean of the Italian Concordia Language Village, Lago del Bosco and author of "You're Sending Me Where? Dispatches From Summer Camp."
Minnesota Public Radio | August 16, 2016
Concordia camps mark 50 summers of 'willkommen,' 'bienvenue,' welcome
Concordia College professor Gerhard Haukebo was no fan of the traditional way schools taught languages to children in the 1950s. He wanted kids steeped in the culture of the language they were trying to learn.
Minnesota Parent Magazine | March 11, 2016
Family Camp
All ages can immerse themselves in different languages and cultures at Concordia Language Villages.
Mankato Free Press (MN) | November 14, 2013
Tu t'apelle what?
St. Peter teacher grows French camp program over 30 years
Bemidji Pioneer (MN) | November 12, 2013
Art Lee: Skogfjorden village not just for young people
Bemidji’s Concordia Language Villages, located some 12 miles northeast of Bemidji on Turtle River Lake, are owned and run by Concordia College of Moorhead and are now celebrating their 50th year. The villages have attracted thousands of students from literally all over the world. Usually, the villages are thought of as places for young people only with most students between the ages of 8 and 18. But before the young folks arrive in the summer, and after they leave in the early fall, the villages are opened for adult programs.
Minnesota Monthly | August 2013
Girlfriend Getaways
Concordia Language Villages aren’t just for kids. The adult week or weekend immersive programs pair language instruction with presentations on culture, history, music, and art. By the end of your stay, you’ll be giving mange tusen takk to the cooking staff for whipping up ethnic meals from the culture you’re studying.
Bemidji Pioneer (MN) | August 14, 2013
Soccer scores big at CLV: Famous German football team Bayern München visit Waldsee
Players from Germany's fabled Bayern München team -- the country's winningest club, having won a record 23 national titles and five European Cups -- developed specific drills for strikers, goalies, defensemen and midfielders. At CLV, then, children declared their positions and worked with staff as they each completed five drills.
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) | April 5, 2013
Not just for kids anymore: Family camps are fun for the whole crowd
Family camp at Concordia Language Villages, a program of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., started about 12 years ago at the request of parents who had been sending their kids to the immersion language camps, but wanted the chance to experience the variety of languages and cultures for themselves.
The Twin Cities Daily Planet | August 1, 2007
Concordia College Language Camp in China
By JENNIFER HOLDER
At a two-week summer day camp in Shanghai, China, Minnesota's Concordia College shares a slice of American life with 32 Chinese students ages 7-14. Under the moniker of Hometown China, students are immersed in English language learning and exposure to American culture. After the Shanghai...{subject areas: China; English Language Village; American Culture}
Minnesota Public Radio | August 3, 2006
Concordia Language Villages Goes Green
By KATERI JOCHUM
The recent heat wave has sent energy bills skyrocketing. Excel energy company warned people to watch their energy usage to keep brownouts and blackouts at bay. What would you think if you could stay cool and still cut your energy bills by over 85 percent? {subject areas: BioHaus; Passive House; German Language Village; Environmentalism; Energy-Consciousness}