For the sixth year running, the Integration Foundation offered Estonian language learners the opportunity to hold conversations with mentors – volunteers who speak Estonian at a native level. This year, the Language Friends programme featured the largest number of friends of Estonian ever: 1,018 learners and 981 mentors formed 1,023 conversation pairs of language friends.

‘These language friendships show the importance of taking the time to communicate with each other – we keep finding more and more in common, in terms of both our language and our ways of thinking. This spring, 1,999 people from Estonia and beyond have found as little as an hour per week to chat in Estonian about all sorts of things – the goings-on of their families, new experiences, current news, or books they have read. Through these dialogues, the learners have become more confident in their use of the Estonian language and both language friends come to understand each other better – and this way, the ties that connect us from the shores of Peipsi to Kihnu and from Keila to Tõrva have become stronger,’ said Ave Landrat, Head of the Language Friends programme and the Head of Partnerships at the Integration Foundation.

This year, 1,018 Estonian language learners participated in the Language Friends programme, joining through public sign-ups. A total of 981 mentors who volunteered for the programme helped them practise their Estonian. Conversations took place on all kinds of topics at least once a week – online, by phone, or face to face – to practise conversational language.

“The number of language friends growing year by year confirms how necessary it is for language learners to have the opportunity to converse in Estonian. It is a pleasure that they are supported by volunteers, many of whom have been participating for several years. We see that communication often continues after the program and turns into true friendship. Through such conversations and meetings, compatriots with different mother tongues find much more in common with each other than they previously thought. A big thank you to all the volunteers who have found time to support and encourage Estonian language learners,” said Dmitri Moskovtsev, Head of the Integration Foundation.

A team of coordinators brought the language friends together and helped them find the best solutions for their conversations. In addition, they supported the mentors with relevant advice and appropriate learning materials, drawing largely on their own previous experiences of participating in the Language Friends programme.

The Integration Foundation launched the Language Friends programme in 2020 to offer language learners an opportunity to continue practising their language online, as they were unable to participate in events for conversational language practice due to the state of emergency. To date, a total of 7,364 language learners have taken part in the programme.

We are implementing the Language Friends programme with the resources of the European Union’s Cohesion and Internal Security Funds for 2021–2027 and within the framework of project No. 2021-2027.4.07.23-0006 under Order No. 80 of the Minister of Culture of 15 March 2023 ‘Conditions for granting support for the implementation of activities supporting integration, including adaptation, in Estonian society’.

Overview of the sixth season of the Language Friends programme:

This summer, the Integration Foundation will launch support for the teaching of native language and culture in hobby schools of national minorities. The basis for the support is the regulation of the Minister of Education and Research ‘Terms and conditions of and procedure for granting support for language and culture education of national minorities in hobby schools’, which entered into force on 27 April 2025 and which transfers the distribution of support from the Ministry of Education and Research to our foundation.

The aim of the support is to help children and young people with a mother tongue other than Estonian learn and preserve their native language and learn about their national culture. The grant will be used to teach children and young people in hobby schools of national minorities their mother tongue, i.e. the language and culture of the specific minority. The aim is to keep the cultural traditions of national minorities alive among children and young people and to get young people more involved in the activities of their own cultural associations.

Ethnic minorities living in Estonia are guaranteed opportunities to preserve their language and cultural specificities, in particular for children and young people through the learning of their native language and culture. Preserving the languages and cultures of ethnic minorities enriches the society, helps to preserve cultural heritage and develop young people with strong identities.

The Integration Foundation has been supporting hobby schools of national minorities and the native language education they provide since 2003. In 2018–2024, the allocation of grants was transferred to the Ministry of Education and Research, and from this year onwards, our foundation will take over again.

In addition to studies, the grants have been used to organise visits to museums and exhibitions, attend performances, celebrate national holidays, buy teaching materials and folk costumes, and much more.

In 2024, 33 hobby schools of national minorities received state support.

A call for applications is also open on our website until 2 June.

Taotlusvoor „Toetus huvikoolidele rahvusvähemuste keele- ja kultuuriõppeks“ | Integratsiooni Sihtasutus

The Integration Foundation is organizing information sessions in May and June to provide details about Estonian language learning and other state support available for acquiring Estonian citizenship. In the first week, over 200 people registered for the online sessions held in Russian and English, and registration is ongoing via the website integratsioon.ee/kodanik.

“The first session on May 5 took place in a very constructive and positive atmosphere, and soon after we began receiving applications for our language learning conract programme, which supports people on their path to citizenship,” said Jekaterina Gvozdeva, Head of Civic Education at the Integration Foundation. “We’re seeing the greatest interest in questions about legislation, language studies, and study leave.”

According to Gvozdeva, the first session saw the most questions about residence permits and the required duration of stay in Estonia – i.e., the legal requirements for applying for citizenship. There was also significant interest in the study leave and compensation available for employed individuals through the language learning contract programme.

“Language learning remains a crucial topic. Although many see achieving B1 level as a challenge, our experience, client success stories, and official statistics show that passing the exam is a very realistic goal for most. Our role is to provide support and encouragement throughout the process,” Gvozdeva added.

Three more sessions will take place before the beginning of summer – on May 12 and 19, and on June 2. There is no limit on the number of participants, and the sessions will be held online, allowing participants to choose a suitable time and language. Registration for the information sessions is available on the website integratsioon.ee/en/kodanik.