Kura reo (language school) 2017
Aotearoa's 1st language is not safe. I believe not only Maori but also non-Maori must learn it in order to save it. This comes at a cost.
Auckland
Around the country are run a series of five-day full immersion kura reo Maori (Maori language schools). The value of 100% immersion is immense, and its critical for breaking through to fluency. My goal is to attend up to six of these schools in 2017 but they cost up to $500 per school (after you include travel and dog kennels!). I can't currently afford this. My 40th birthday is coming up on Jan 8th and for those wanting to give a gift I can't think of anything better to spend your money on than to help me improve my reo Maori through these schools. There may also be those who aren't much into gift giving but want to contribute because of the cause it represents. Whatever you give will be a brilliant help. If the target is met it would meet about 2/3 of the costs. In the event of exceeding my target, the money will just go into paying a higher proportion of kura I plan to attend.
John Catmur's involvement (page creator)
I'm doing this firstly in order to uphold the mana (dignity/prestige) of te reo Māori and te iwi Māori (the Māori people). I'm doing it secondly to play my part in the collective effort to revitalise the language. Te reo Māori is not safe: less than 4% of the population of Aotearoa consider themselves 'fluent' (that's only 20% of Māori). Linguists say that for a language to survive at least 25% of a people group must be fluent. I believe it requires not only Māori but also non-Māori to become fluent in order to save the language. I'm doing it thirdly (but not leastly!) because of the dream that Māori and Pākehā will one day truly be able to say 'in the bonds of love we meet'. For me to learn the language is to reposition myself from coloniser to subject. Its a gesture of love, breaking down barriers, learning more deeply about the other's world, and setting an example for others to do the same.
Latest donations
Thanks heaps buddy! Means a lot. I'm excited about the learning journey in the year ahead.
Thanks guys! Means a lot.
Thanks so much! I'm quite overwhelmed by your generosity.
Thank you this is really really awesome! Very much appreciate the encouragement.
Thanks guys what an encouragement!
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