Summary | Student Comments | Photos

On 9th August, 900 Year 9 and 10 students and teachers of German from 33 schools attended the Why Learn German? Year 9 and 10 Student Forum in the Union Hall at La Trobe University Bundoora. The students travelled to the Forum from across a wide area, covering Ballarat, Geelong, southern Mornington Peninsula, the Yarra Valley and well north of Bendigo.

This event was supported by the Goethe Institut Melbourne and SBS Radio. The forum featured a variety of presenters who spoke of the benefits of having German language skills and provided the audience of Year 9 and 10 students with 101 reasons why they should continue learning German. Doors are opened, career paths are enhanced and the bonus points boost your ENTER scores to get you into the course you really want to do! But most of all, it really is fun!

One of the highlights of the Forum was the presentation of the Southern Cross Cultural Exchange Award to Germany to Ms Carly Robertson, a promising Year 10 student from North Geelong Secondary College. Carly was awarded a 3-month in-country student exchange in Germany from November 2001 to January 2002.

The real highlight was provided by the students themselves who showcased their German language skills with an impressive range of performances ranging from songs, roleplays and musical pieces. Schools offering performances included Viewbank College, Macleod College, McKinnon Secondary College, Oberon High School, Methodist Ladies College and Firbank Grammar School. SBS provided a lunchtime outdoor radio broadcast with students participating. The afternoon continued with a screening of the award-winning German film "Run Lola Run".

Student Comments:

"Very interesting and informative. The SBS newsreading comps were fun."
- Torin

"An enjoyable and informative day, that included fun performances from other schools around Melbourne."
- Dina

"I was having doubts about continuing German next year but after the La Trobe day, I will definitely keep it up. It was fun."
- Harry

"It was an enjoyable day with some very good information. It made me realise how helpful a second language can be when looking for a future job."
- Keith

"The La Trobe open day opened my eyes to the career opportunities that speaking another language gives you in the globalised community. I definitely recommend it."
- Emma

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GermanLinx - Association of German Teachers of Victoria 2001