Getting 2021 underway: EuroCALL AGM paves the way for this year's conference.

 

EuroCALL AGM in zoom January 22nd 2021

The invitation to attend our Annual General Meeting:

It was unusually joyful as formal meetings go, especially given we are still in the throes of a global pandemic! You can find all the documentation for the AGM on the EuroCALL website by logging in to the Member's Area.

 

Despite our regrets about missing our physical visit to Copenhagen, we reflected on the fellowship we had enjoyed at the Gathering in the summer where circumstances had led to many new experiences. Our first ever visualisation of our community on our Gathering map and our first ever You Tube channel. Our Treasurer delighted all with his media rich presentation which included a soundtrack and a reminder that EuroCALL has to be prepared whatever the weather:

And so, with this in mind we continue our preparations for the future. The Eurocall 2021 conference website is up and plans are quite advanced despite the many uncertainties. You can follow updates on twitter too. This year we will have a blended conference with some in person possibilities. See the website for details. 

As ever, there will be a rich, research-informed programme, many opportunities to network and learn from this wonderful community. Our Special Interest Groups will host workshops or symposia on the second day and these will be open to all comers online. The conference committee wish us to continue to build upon the wonderful fellowship we all enjoyed at the Gathering and we need your help to help ensure the future of this organisation through expanding our membership. 

Please spread the word, encourage friends and colleagues to join EuroCALL and we can all support each other in overcoming the challenge that is teaching and learning in a global pandemic. 

#eurocallgathering kicks off

 

Prior to the Graham Davies keynote (see recording above) this morning Mirjam welcomed us all with these words:

Good morning, good day, good evening, and welcome everybody wherever you are in the world! 

The saying “Life is what’s happening while you are busy making other plans” which is attributed to John Lennon – although he was not the one who coined it – probably captures best what has happened to all of us in 2020 so far. 

We, the EUROCALL community were not spared the impact of Covid-19, and while the  Copenhagen team – Karen-Margrete, Sane and Patrick - were getting ready to host us on their campus and in their city, it became increasingly clear that an on-site event was not an option this year. 

Life took over in the shape of a pandemic and I know that this has brought hardship to some of you. An especially warm welcome to you to the Gathering of our – of your - CALL community. 

What has moved me most over the past weeks and months is the spirit and enthusiasm with which everybody has risen to the challenge (against all odds!), my colleagues on the executive committee, first and foremost. 

The solution for Plan B was clear: we’d be using technology for what it should be used: to bring us together, to first prepare and now share what we feel passionate about, that is our work as CALL scholars. 

I would like to say, “Thank you!” to Teresa, Kate, and Toni in particular who have picked up the baton from the Copenhagen team and have created – with your input – this event. 

It is with immense gratitude to all of you that I declare the EUROCALL Gathering 2020 open. 

 

Before I hand over to my colleagues, I would like to invite you all to tomorrow evening’s social. Bring a glass of your favourite drink and a song, poem, tongue twister, any object with an associated story in any language or anything else that lends itself to online entertainment of a language-related nature. 

and so it began...

and we ask you tell us of your experiences of the #eurocallgathering event using flipgrid, a video sharing platform. To contribute you will need to sign on with either a microsoft or a google mail account. 

The topic is here or you can scan this QR code:

Wonderful Copenhagen, we wish we could have been there.

Video from Copenhagen University Faculty of Humanities Facebook page.


Our plans for EuroCALL 2020 were rudely interrupted by Covid 19 but a great deal of work had of course already taken place. The EuroCALL Executive team would like to open our posts for this year's online Gathering with a tribute to the Copenhagen team and all their hard work to put a great conference in place. We are delighted to know that they will be joining our forthcoming Gathering. 

This from the organising team:

"The Copenhagen team had been looking forward to hosting EUROCALL 2020 for quite some time. In all modesty it was shaping up to be a very attractive conference with a strong academic programme, a social programme with beautiful venues and an event with plenty of chances to get a taste of what Danish hygge is all about. Unfortunately, a huge 2020 conference in Copenhagen was not to be. All our aspirations to provide the best possible framework for the EUROCALL community to meet in 2020 were trumped by a global crisis that is still ongoing. The EUROCALL community will have to take a raincheck on the little mermaid, the Carlsberg museum, Nyhavn, Copenhagen city centre and not least our beautiful South Campus.

In the meantime we are excited to take part in the EUROCALL 2020 Online Gathering. The EUROCALL organization has acted quickly and professionally to ensure a high quality online event for the EUROCALL members to take part in. In times like these we are all aware of how much effort and planning a successful online event requires. With the support of the community the Online Gathering will be a success. We will see you online 20 and 21 August – and hopefully in Copenhagen at some point in the future.  "

  

Karen-Margrete, Sanne and Patrick from the Copenhagen Team. 

While abstracts are still being submitted for this year’s #EUROCALL conference, the local organising committee is exited to announce that the reception at #EUROCALL2020 will take place at the Carlsberg Museum & Business Centre. #Copenhagen#Carlsberg@VisitCarlsberg pic.twitter.com/zWOOXbxV4B

— Eurocall (@EurocallLang) January 27, 2020

@EurocallLang My Home Office, now with flowers 🌞 pic.twitter.com/HZix4wbfBw

— Karen-Margrete Frederiksen (@MargreteKaren) April 22, 2020

Mutual support in difficult times: a message from EuroCALL

A message from the EuroCALL executive:

Dear EUROCALL Community,
We hope this message finds you and yours well in these uncertain times.

What we are doing

The EUROCALL Executive and the Copenhagen Team have been working together on a Plan B for August. It is clear that we cannot hold our usual conference at Copenhagen in the current circumstances. Instead we intend to organise on online ‘gathering’ this year (around the same time as the Copenhagen conference would have taken place) and not the full conference. The gathering will consist of workshops and SIG symposia only. Details of this online event will be sent shortly. Regarding our current accepted submissions - our intention is to carry over this year’s successful submissions to next year. The exact details of the process will be announced once the Executive finalises details with the Copenhagen team.

What we hope you can do

At this difficult time, and in order to support the ongoing work of our EUROCALL family, we would encourage you to please renew your annual membership as normal. You can renew via the EUROCALL website. Given the circumstances, we have decided to offer the 65€ online membership to everyone. This reduced rate will be available to all until 31st August 2020. The fee for participating in the August ‘gathering’ (for those who are not already members) will be 65€ and will also entitle attendees to EUROCALL annual membership. Please visit our website to join. 

What we hope to do next year

After a pause of one year, it is hoped that our Danish colleagues will be in a position to host at EUROCALL2021. The team are still in discussions about this with their University. We will confirm what is happening regarding 2021 at the end of May. Our colleagues in Paris have confirmed that they will be making preparations to host EUROCALL2022.

We are deeply grateful to all our Members for your continued loyalty. Your support is helping us to sustain our association through a time of great uncertainty. Thank you for making this possible.
I look forward to updating you further at the end of May when I will also confirm the details of the ‘gathering’.

Until then: stay safe and be well!

Mirjam (on behalf of the EUROCALL executive committee)