Zorja project starts: Learn Sorbian for the future of Lausitz!

Zorja project starts: Learn Sorbian for the future of Lausitz!

The language project "Zorja" in Dissen, which has been committed to promoting the threatened language in a low -acadronic manner, starts the second round today and lasts for a total of ten months. This project, which is promoted by a scholarship, aims to win around a thousand new speakers in the Lower Sorbian language by 2050. Maximilian Hassacky, the project manager, highlights the importance of Sorbian culture and language for the Lausitz region and emphasizes how important it is to maintain these linguistic traditions. According to [RBB24] (https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/biebtrag/2025/06/zorja language project-sorbisch-lernen-dissen.htm/alt=amp.html), the program is specially designed for adults who learn from Monday to Friday Sorbian. This is done in the historic Vierseithhof in Dešno, where the participants not only actively experience language, but also the culture.

The participants come with a wide variety of previous knowledge. Some have already learned Sorbian at school, while others have found their language through personal connections or from other regions. A realistic goal for beginners without previous knowledge is the B1 level; In the past round, three participants have even reached the C1 level. Lisa Wimmer and Erik Bivour share their positive experiences: Wimmer reported that she was able to talk well in everyday life, while Bivour experienced a rapid improvement in his language skills.

versatile learning methods and offers

The new program, which begins on September 1, 2025 and lasts until June 26, 2026, is organized by the language nest in Dissen. The application deadline runs until February 23, 2025, and there are scholarships based on the BAföG or the statutory minimum wage, which depends on the respective professional qualification. The participants are supported by four language coaches: inside and a personal mentor, the so -called "KMótš". Learning takes place according to natural language acquisition principles, without the use of dry grammar knowledge or vocabulary lists. The participants experience project and cultural-based learning activities that take place from Monday to Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

A colorful method cocktail accompanies learning: from movement-based teaching techniques to storytelling activities to project work that promotes real communication. In addition, regular excursions are planned in the entire Lausitz, in which the participants can use and experience the language in their cultural context. Community lunch not only promote language acquisition, but also the interaction of the participants, which is supplemented by cooking together.

a contribution to cultural diversity

The Sorbian language is not just a mere communication channel, but an essential part of Sorbian identity. According to the results of a project for the linguistic revitalization of minority languages in Lausitz, it becomes clear that social and institutional mechanisms are of fundamental importance in order to maintain language alive Serbski-Institut. The everyday life in Lausitz is based on this condition, which means that the language project "Zorja" not only contributes to language development, but also to intercultural understanding.

For the future third round of the project in September, there are already considerations to initiate an additional program that integrates Sorbian into teaching training. With these initiatives, a clear step towards a stronger implementation of the Lower Sorbian language is taken into the educational landscape. The hope remains that such measures strengthen the language community and thus have sustainable solutions against language loss.