2026 Winter Immersion Symposium

2026 Winter Immersion Symposium at Salish School of Spokane, February 12-13, 2026

Creating a Successful Indigenous Language Fluency Transfer System to Train New Fluent Speakers and Teachers

Goal:  provide training and inspiration for Indigenous language leaders, teachers, activists and program managers on how to develop a proven fluency transfer system that can be used to train new, advanced fluent speakers who are empowered to teach and live in the language to inter-generational use and transmission of Indigenous language.

Salish School of Spokane uses its n̓səl̓xčin̓ fluency transfer system to train new advanced fluent speakers, teachers, and parents. Our new fluent speakers make it possible for us to operate a full-immersion school serving students from 1 year old to 8^th. We have more than 50 new fluent speakers of our language, and our youth are becoming fluent speakers and have high achievement in literacy, math, science, culture, physical education, music and art.

2025 Winter Symposium participants will learn about:

• how we understand the difference between language revitalization work and community language services
• how we can understand and engage in language revitalization strategies and that fit with current community conditions
• the Indigenous Language Fluency Transfer System (ILFTS) theory, scope and sequence
• the first steps to making the ILFTS in their own languages, or for advanced attendees, individualized training on ILFTS development

Symposium training includes observation in immersion classrooms, keynote talks, and hands-on workshops. The full Symposium agenda will be posted here in early 2026.