The meeting, led by Mayor Leire Artola, allowed attendees to learn about the Beasain Euskera Plan and local experiences, as well as exchange practices and challenges for revitalizing minority languages. The event, lasting about an hour, provided an opportunity to understand municipal planning and strengthen mutual reflections and support networks.
Following an introductory video of the participants, the mayor presented the planning strategies developed by the Town Hall to promote the use and normalization of Euskera. The Beasain Town Hall has its own language plan aimed at guaranteeing citizens' language rights, strengthening social cohesion, and recognizing linguistic diversity, allocating 5.32% of its budget to language policies.
The Expert program is a pioneering international training initiative coordinated by Garabide Elkartea, now in its fourth edition. Through this program, 11 language activists are undertaking a month-and-a-half stay in the Basque Country (September 18 to October 29), receiving training from experts in Basque sociolinguistics and revitalization strategies.
The languages represented by the 10 communities participating this year are: Quechua (Ecuador), Amazigh (Morocco), Guaraní (Paraguay), Mixe (Mexico), Yucatec Maya (Mexico), Mapuche (Chile and Argentina), Quechua (Bolivia), Bubi (Equatorial Guinea), Kaqchikel (Guatemala), and Nasa Yuwe (Colombia).
The cooperation agreement between the Beasain Town Hall and Garabide Elkartea has been renewed annually since 2017. This initiative is part of the municipality's broader commitment to supporting developing countries, recognizing linguistic identity as a cornerstone of collective development. Consequently, the Town Hall directs a quarter of its development cooperation budget to Garabide, fostering revitalization processes for minority languages worldwide.
