1  Two exceptional contest ideas with an in-country Spanish course as Grand Prize

THE RAFFLE

Raffle an in-country Spanish language course (or a don Quijote scholarship) at the Study Abroad Fair. To participate in the raffle, students must attend the fair. This creative marketing idea:

Increases attendance at the Study Abroad or language event

Generates student interest in Spanish and Study Abroad

Creates a list of students (those who entered the raffle) for language programme and Study Abroad marketing campaigns throughout the year

EL PREMIO LITERARIO

Award an in-country Spanish language course as first prize in a Spanish Literary contest, to the student who writes the best short story, essay or poem in Spanish.

2  Encourage students with their peers’ real life Study Abroad stories

• Include testimonials by recent Spanish programme graduates in the university’s prospectus
• Invite former Spanish students to present their experiences on life since they left school – and the importance of their language skills to their success
• Have returning Study Abroad students share their experiences on the school Web site
• Create your own ambassadors: Give language courses abroad to 10 students, and watch them become the institution’s ambassadors of language Study Abroad

3  Host a Language Showcase Round Table

• Round table discussion with representatives of government (The USA Departments of State, Commerce and Defence, for example for the Washington, DC Area programme that presented this idea) or business
• Participants discuss the demand for languages, and the “critical languages skills” needed by government or industry

4  Encourage students to participate in community events related to Spanish

• Service Learning volunteer projects with organisations serving the local Hispanic community
• Local Instituto Cervantes events

5  Offer vibrant cultural programmes to complement language courses

• A free screening of a Spanish language film every week
• 2005 activities related to the 400th anniversary of Cervantes’ Don Quixote
• Cultural programmes focused every semester on a different Hispanic culture. Example: Concerts, a tango course and conferences during Argentina’s semester
• Offer some subjects in Spanish: high school social studies course, university business course
• Bring Spanish language theatre productions to campus

6  And more great ideas:

• Interview native Spanish speakers in class
• Unite students from several schools weekly for a joint Spanish club, combining fun activities with active learning
• Have a Spanish teacher host a radio programme
• Send a student team to local and regional Spanish competitions
• Open the institution’s language labs and language library to the public
• Launch a campaign to keep students well-informed about scholarships and financial aid programmes for Study Abroad
• Create a Spanish language resource Web site for students