11 Frisian speakers outside Fryslân & international cooperation
In this chapter we will take a look at some of the cooperations and joint activities between West Frisian organisation and minority groups in Europe.
The Frysk Ynternasjonaal Kontakt (FYK, Frisian International Contact organisation) is a West Frisian youth organisation that seeks exchange with other minority youth organisations in Europe. They organise trips and activities within and outside of the Netherlands and while enabling the exchange with other minority groups, FYK also strives to raise awareness among the Frisian youth of their own language, culture, and position as a minority.
The Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) is platform where representatives come together. FUEN is the umbrella organisation of the autochthonous, national minorities/ethnic groups in Europe and represents the interests of European minorities at the regional, national, and European levels. Within this union are working groups and the different Frisian groups[1] are part of the Non-Kin-State minorities (NKS) working group.
In chapter 1 we learnt about the other Frisian languages, outside of the Netherlands, specifically North Frisian and Sater Frisian in Germany. Between the communities there is scientific and societal exchange.
Interfrisian Council represents the interests of all of Frisian groups to the outside world. It is composed of representatives of the three local Frisian councils (from the Dutch province of Fryslân, East Frisia in Lower Saxony, and from North Frisia and on Helgoland in Schleswig-Holstein)[2].
Lectures are co-organised by like the first „Dai fon do Seelter“ (Day of the Sater Frisian) in June 2023 in Ramsloh/Roomelse in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was a joint event by the Fryske Akademy (NL), Seelters Kontoor (DE), and the Sater Frisian umbrella organisation Seelter Buund. Next to that, the Fryske Akademy is co-financing a newly appointed staff member at the Seeltees Kontoor since February 2023. Staff members of the Kontoor aim to strengthen Sater Frisian with research, support, and emancipation of the Sater Frisian language community.
Exchanges and cooperations on an academic level include, for example, publishing the Sater Frisian grammar (Slofstra & Hoekstra, 2022). This was a collaboration between researchers from the Fryske Akademy, Sater Frisian teachers, and the scientific officer for Sater Frisian. 
Another example is the Journal of Frisian studies (University of Groningen Press) that publishes papers on Frisian language and literature. The Dei fan de Fryske taalkunde (day of Frisian linguistics), regularly organised by the Fryske Akademy, is open for proposals for papers in all sub-fields of linguistics and on all Frisian languages. Reports on ongoing or completed research are welcome, as are submissions of new projects.
Additionally, there is the Conference on Frisian Humanities that took place for the second time in 2022[3]. The conference covers a broad spectrum of topics, welcoming researchers and practitioners from various backgrounds, but which all centre around Frisian (all Frisian languages). In 2022 the programme covered Frisian linguistics, history, educational research, language planning projects, and multilingual projects in Fryslân.
Takeaways
This little overview gave you hopefully an idea of the many ways that different groups of the same community cooperate and exchange with other minority groups.
- Do you know of exchanges between your community and other groups?
- In what kind of exchanges are you interested?
- How can it benefit you personally and professionally?
- The three Frisian organisations represented are Ried fan de Fryske Beweging, EBLUL Deutschland - Komitee für Regional- und Minderheitensprachen, Friisk Foriining) ↵
- ( West Frisian: Fryske Rie, Sater Frisian: Fräiske Räid, North Frisian: Frasche Rädj) ↵
- The 2nd conference on Frisian humanities took place and was organised by 5 partners: Fryske Akademy, Leeuwarden (NL); Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning, Leeuwarden (NL); NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences – Lectorate Multilingualism & Literacy, Leeuwarden (NL); University Groningen – Frisian language and literature, Groningen (NL); University Groningen / Campus Fryslân ↵
