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Lazkao, Gipuzkoa.  Julian Celaya Director of Basque Citizens and Collectivities Abroad, along with Lurdes Auzmendi, Vice-Minister of Culture, and Iñaki Uribe, Director of HABE, took part in the opening day and addressed, as well as socialized with the participants.  The course will last for 15 days and will treat issues of methodology and teaching techniques, even though the majority of the participants will stay another 15 days in the euskaltegi  getting a crash course in Basque. 

There was a moment yesterday for protocol and words of welcome and good wishes in hopes that these Basque teachers in American Basque clubs will enjoy their stay, on a day that already entered fully into a busy program coordinated by Kinku Zinkunegi, on behalf of HABE, with Jon Urdangarin as an experienced teacher dealing with students and teachers from the Diaspora. 

During an event, entirely in Basque, Julian Celaya served as host to this group that includes people of different ages, countries and language proficiency, all united by the commitment to teach and disseminate the Basque language in their respective clubs, centers and communities.  Celaya recalled the commitment of the Basque Administration to Basque and the value of the language as common heritage, despite of origin, ideology, paraphrasing the words of Lehendakari Lopez a the World Congress of Basque Collectivities. 

Some of the “gaztemundularis” also intervened to share their motives for learning Basque, teach it, and what has driven them to participate in Gaztemundu 2012 with Julian Celaya, Lurdes Auzmendi and Iñaki Uribe.

The course itself will last two weeks and aims to deepen the teaching methodology of Basque in hopes that these teachers can continue to teach in their respective Basque Centers.  Moreover, most of the participants will remain for another 15 days in the euskaltegi in Lazkao to take an intensive Basque course. 

The Gaztemundu program will also include various outings during the weekends when the teachers will have the chance to participate in activities related to Basque culture.  For example, this weekend they will visit Donostia and participate in the Basque Cultural Festivals in Zarautz.