Launch 2022: preparing a new generation

By Sharna Steinert | Wycliffe Today Spring 2022|

Where do you look for training for what God is leading you to do in the future? Who do you ask for advice?

SIL Australia (SILA) provides training in language development and linguistics for people who are or will be involved in intercultural work, either in their home country or in another context. One of the key ways in which we do this is through Launch, our four-week cross-cultural preparation course. The training is usually held in summer but in 2021 and 2022 it took place during winter.

Many students who come to Launch are members of Wycliffe Australia, or in the process of becoming members of Wycliffe Australia. Increasingly, SILA is partnering with more Wycliffe organisations in Asia and the Pacific. 

This year, two of the students at Launch came from Japan– one is already a member of Wycliffe Japan and the other is in the process of becoming a member. Two students in the Cultural Anthropology subject remained in their homes in Vanuatu and joined classes via Zoom.

A further two students were also non-native speakers of English, creating a diverse community in terms of language and culture. Everyone, staff and students alike, learns more in this environment, becoming more aware of their own language and culture as well as beginning to understand other languages and cultures better. 

We already anticipate having students from Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and around Australia for our next Launch course, which will be held in summer in 2023. 

For more information, check out our website: www.sila.org.au/launch