ILCF :: International Language and Cultural Foundation

From the Desk of the President of the ILCF:

I would like to speak to you about who we are as a Foundation that is dedicated to furthering the study of languages and cultures, worldwide. The ILCF is a Member of the Joint National Committe for Languages, the National Council for Languages and International Studies, and the Monterey Language Capital Advocates.

We began at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center located at the Presidio of Monterey, California. In June, 1987, we gained 501c III status from the US Government and incorporation in the State of California. Our mission is to promote the study of languages and cultures, worldwide, in elementary schools through graduate schools and to recognize and support students, teachers, research and development people, and administrators, both at the local level and across the nation and abroad.

Why would anyone be interested in spending time in such endeavors? We are convinced that all people who have a knowledge of languages, combined with an accurate knowledge of their own and other cultures, will understand each other better and possess a more humanistic attitude towards people from other lands. Put another way, we believe that our knowledge of languages and cultures is an important factor that can serve to bring us together rather than keeping us distant from one another or promoting confusion and distrust.

So this Foundation will continue to:

Recognize people, through an award program, who excel in language and culture studies;

Provide information to those who are developing programs for other schools or the general public on the relevancy and importance of language and culture studies;

Establish an International Language and Culture Museum and Research Center (ILCMARC);

Assist in conducting seminars and symposia concening language and culture issues;

Conduct an annual display of innovative language-learning materials and media;

Provide grants to teachers for host-country sabbaticals and immersion courses;

Support scholarships for students who study languages and cultures;

Furnish information on educational exchange programs to public schools, colleges, and universities.

With our volunteer Board of Directors, who serve so very well without reimbursement of any kind and with your support, we can continue to strive toward our goals and reach our objective. Our Foundation began with eyes and hearts directed toward distant horizons, not simply focused on where we sit, but on where we may go. It is that which is in our hearts that propels us forward.

Our quest is not an easy one. You may have noticed that our logo has a gold banner that never quite touches as it encircles the globe. The reason for this is that it tells us that there is always something to be accomplished in our world of languages and cultures.

We invite you to come and work with us and to support us in our many projects. We ecourage you, your colleagues, and friends, to join us. We are a small candle of light. Yet, even a small light in the darkest of rooms can be seen and become a useful guide.

Thank you very much for coming to our website and spending some time with us. Come and join us. We would like to know you too.