About us

Cultural and linguistic diversity is one of Canada’s main characteristics and strengths. Beyond the two official languages, English and French, millions of Canadians are speakers of indigenous and immigrant languages, which are taught, learned and promoted mainly by community and educational institutions. This portal is the result of an ongoing community-based research project that aims at supporting Greek language education in Canada. It is based on a doctoral study at the Curriculum, Teaching and Learning department in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto, entitled “The Hidden Schools: Mapping Greek Heritage Language Education in Canada”. Dozens of researchers, volunteers, educators and other stakeholders have shared their insights on where, how and by whom Modern Greek is used, taught and learned across Canada. Developed and hosted by the Hellenic Studies Program in the Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy of the University of Toronto and funded by the Hellenic Heritage Foundation, GREEKLANGUAGE.CA is here to connect communities, educational institutions, language programs and resources for Greek language and culture users, learners, and teachers in Canada.

Community Institutions

Dozens of communities, associations and groups linked to the Greek language and culture, operate across Canada. Their services include organizing cultural events, providing scholarships and awards to students, supporting Greek language education, preserving and promoting Greek traditions, music, dances, theatre, cuisine, and more. Our goal is to locate and to portray the activities of all Greek community groups in Canada.

Language Programs

The Modern Greek language and culture is taught across Canada. Many Boards of Education, community institutions and private or community schools, offer classes on a daily or weekly basis to more than 10,000 Greek language learners of various age groups and proficiency levels. Our objective is to locate all those programs and to showcase their educational and cultural activities.

Educational Resources

A plethora of textbooks and learning materials are available through the Internet to Greek language users who live outside Greece. Funded by the Greek government and the European Union, produced through university programs or shared by educators and private developers, these resources are valuable to Greek language teachers, students and parents in Canada. Our goal is to locate and categorize Greek language and culture textbooks, teaching and learning tools, lesson plans, academic articles, and all services that promote and enhance Greek heritage language education.

News and Events

Access to community events and educational news is important to keep teachers and learners updated with all developments related to Greek language and culture. Whether it is about a school function, a community festival, a cultural celebration or a new program and resource, we look forward to receiving and posting your news. We welcome all contributions from interested users who wish to update our community on happenings in Greek schools or communities across Canada.

Support us

If you wish to support in any way this research and to contribute to Greek language education in Canada, please contact us at: info@hhf.ca or info@greeklanguage.ca

Acknowledgments

We appreciate the contribution of the following agencies:

  • Hellenic Heritage Foundation
  • Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies/ Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy/ University of Toronto
  • Greek Embassy in Canada
  • Greek Education Office, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada
  • Office for Educational Affairs, Consulate General of Greece in Toronto
  • Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, York University
  • Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
  • Department of Primary Education, University of the Aegean, Greece