hS a p ing Our Future , Toge t reh •Since 1961•

Concordia Language Villages focuses on expanding education programs and rejuvenating its sites to shape the future

Shaping our future, together. Since 1961.” Concordia Language Villages’ theme for 2023 is an all-encompassing message for staff, donors, and villagers. As the organization continues to rebound from COVID’s effects on both enrollment and staffing, a strategic plan has been put into place to strengthen its future for years to come.

A key piece of the strategic plan is to increase the reach of its language and cultural education programs, thus providing additional income streams. A key partner that took root in 2022 is Sanford Health in Fargo. During the last year, two groups of Sanford employees have completed the English Language Learner program, sponsored by Sanford and implemented by the Language Villages locally in Fargo-Moorhead.

Sanford is no stranger to the staffing crunch felt by many businesses across the country. And, in the local area, many of their environmental services employees do not speak English as a first language. In order to ensure the safety of employees who work with hazardous materials (with instructions in English) and to further develop these employees for a future ladder of success within Sanford, the partnership with Concordia just made sense.

“These classes can give participants a boost of confidence that’s needed to really succeed in the workplace, as well as bridging the gap between language and culture,” says Mary Maus Kosir, executive director of Concordia Language Villages.

Another imperative piece of the strategic plan is the renewal of the Language Villages’ nearly 900-acre site at Turtle River Lake, just outside Bemidji, Minn. This is an area in which donors continue to make an impact together. As the summer 2022 programs wrapped up in late August, construction crews made their way to the site and began the restoration of Gimle dining hall at Skogfjorden, the Norwegian Language Village. A generous group of donors gathered at the site to dedicate the space, which will equip the building with an expanded dining hall, modernized kitchen, and extra meeting space, as well as a lower level sauna.

Additional donor-led site renewal projects include building the second phase of the Sup sogŭi Hosu site, home to the Korean Language Village, as well as the establishment of the Chinese Village Cultural Fund. The goal of the new fund is to support the restoration of cultural program supplies that were destroyed in a fire last fall at Maplelag, home to Sēn Lín Hú, the Chinese Language Village.

As the Concordia Language Villages’ family continues to join together, there’s no doubt that the future will remain strong for the next 60+ years.