Lithuanians of British Columbia is opening its community language school this fall. With 22 students already registered, Sedula offers children—up to the age of 14—a chance to learn one of the oldest languages in the world and connect with Lithuanian heritage.  

“It’s a very big milestone for the community,” says Danguole Chandler, principal of Sedula. “There are more opportunities to practice the language, to explore and learn, and to maintain traditions.” 

Creating opportunities

Before it was a language school, Sedula was a children’s club. Active since 2022, the club brought together families to celebrate Lithuanian holidays. During these gatherings, parents observed that their children were not playing with each other. 

“We said, ‘That’s because they don’t meet each other on a regular basis,’” Chandler recalls, noting the group would gather around every two months. “That is not enough interaction to establish friendships [and] maintain friendships.” 

“We want to create a community for people to feel at home, feel that they belong here,” Chandler shares. “It’s also a support system for them because a lot of these families don’t have grandparents here.”

Sedula is also registered with Lithuania’s Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. The ministry sets minimum instructional hours and provides guidelines on curriculum. The school is also part of the Lithuanian Canadian Foundation, which unites Lithuanian language schools in Canada. 

“The status of the school offers opportunities with various Lithuanian government organizations for children to participate in projects,” Chandler explains, adding these projects include summer camps, sports activities and cultural events. 

Passing on heritage

Sedula is the Lithuanian word for “Dogwood,” B.C.’s official flower. The name symbolizes the bridge between its founders’ heritage and their current home. The desire to preserve cultural heritage has always been at the heart of Sedula—even during its days as a club. 

“When I had children, I wanted them to be proud of being Lithuanian, and it is very tough to do that in an isolated way,” Chandler shares of her experience celebrating Lithuanian holidays with her family. 

Classes will be held in a space rented from the local Estonian community. Chandler sees Sedula as a “destination school”; she expects that families will commute from across the lower mainland—including Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, White Rock, Surrey and Mission—just to be part of the school.  

“With that in mind, we will be organizing [students] by age and by language level,” the principal adds. “We have families [where] one parent is Lithuanian, and another is not Lithuanian-speaking, and in many cases, [they] don’t speak Lithuanian all the time at home.” 

The school works closely with Lithuania’s ambassador to Canada, who will help transport textbooks to B.C. Despite being a physically small country, Lithuania has many different dialects—a diversity that will be reflected in Sedula’s classrooms. 

“Sometimes children also bring their [different] words for the same thing,” the principal shares. “They learn something different from either their grandparents or their mom or dad, so we learn from each other as well.” 

For Chandler, the initiative still faces many challenges—including the lack of their own space and the need to source learning materials. But the community is undeterred. 

“Those types of struggles bring the community together, as we are very resourceful,” she shares. “I also heard that there might be an appetite within the community to teach some adults the language.”

Those interested in supporting the school are welcomed to contact Sedula. 

For more information, see https://www.mokyklasedula.com/about/.