Sjölunden
Encyclopedia
Sjölunden is the Swedish
camp site associated with Concordia Language Villages
and is located at the Concordia site at Turtle River Lake, near Bemidji
, Minnesota
. After 30 years without an architecturally authentic Swedish site, the first step towards a village was taken on August 11, 2006 when groundbreaking for the new site took place. Sjölunden can house approximately 85 people at a time.
Sjölunden is a village for language immersion
where American villagers come to live and experience Swedish language and culture.
Sjölunden moved to Salolampi, the Finnish site, shortly after it was built in the early 1990s.
The new Sjölunden is located right next to the Finnish site at Turtle River Lake. Rather than being a village on its own, it is designed to complement the Finnish site. Some facilities will be missing, as a soccer field and a camp store, and the three cabins will not be sufficient to house all villagers.
Former dean Linda Wallenberg just received her 25-Year "Evergreen" Award, and is the 5th person to receive this award. The Evergreen Award is received by contributing 25 years spent at Concordia Language Villages. To commemorate this amazing achievement, the Sjölunden students, villagers, and staff members dedicated the new pathway to the Sjölunden building site to Linda, naming it "Lindas Stig" meaning "Linda's Path."
and mostly Sweden
for four weeks. Two of the weeks they are given language classes in the town of Trosa
by Stensund Folk High School
. There is also usually a family stay and of course time is spent in the capital, Stockholm. The program originated in 2006 with 4 participants.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
camp site associated with Concordia Language Villages
Concordia Language Villages
Concordia Language Villages , previously the International Language Villages, is a world-language and culture education program whose mission is to prepare young people for responsible citizenship in our global community. Since beginning in 1961, it has grown to offer summer camp in 15 modern...
and is located at the Concordia site at Turtle River Lake, near Bemidji
Bemidji, Minnesota
Bemidji is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was at 13,431 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beltrami County. Bemidji is the most major city in North Central Minnesota and the largest commercial center between Grand Forks, North Dakota and Duluth,...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. After 30 years without an architecturally authentic Swedish site, the first step towards a village was taken on August 11, 2006 when groundbreaking for the new site took place. Sjölunden can house approximately 85 people at a time.
Sjölunden is a village for language immersion
Language immersion
Language immersion is a method of teaching a second language in which the target language is used as the means of instruction. Unlike more traditional language courses, where the target language is simply the subject material, language immersion uses the target language as a teaching tool,...
where American villagers come to live and experience Swedish language and culture.
History
The Swedish language was added to Concordia Language Villages in 1975 as the sixth language, following German (1961), French (1962) Spanish, Norwegian (both 1963) and Russian (1966). Notably is that the relatively small Nordic languages were added early, probably because of the high amount of Nordic descendants living in Minnesota.Sjölunden moved to Salolampi, the Finnish site, shortly after it was built in the early 1990s.
The new site
Groundbreaking for the new Sjölunden site took place on August 11, 2006. Architectural inspiration has been taken from Swedish fishing villages, of which there are a lot on the Swedish west coast. In the first step a villager cabin and a weaving studio will be built. Depending on economic flow, there are several other buildings planned: a boat house, two additional cabins, staff housing and the main building, planned for the third phase. The main building will contain a dining hall, classrooms, library, staff office and a traditional Swedish fireplace. Sjölunden is planned to be readily built in 2010.The new Sjölunden is located right next to the Finnish site at Turtle River Lake. Rather than being a village on its own, it is designed to complement the Finnish site. Some facilities will be missing, as a soccer field and a camp store, and the three cabins will not be sufficient to house all villagers.
Former dean Linda Wallenberg just received her 25-Year "Evergreen" Award, and is the 5th person to receive this award. The Evergreen Award is received by contributing 25 years spent at Concordia Language Villages. To commemorate this amazing achievement, the Sjölunden students, villagers, and staff members dedicated the new pathway to the Sjölunden building site to Linda, naming it "Lindas Stig" meaning "Linda's Path."
Programs
Sjölunden offers three different major language immersion programs, held in late summer: Family Week, Two-week program and Four-week High School Credit program, of which the 2 Week program is the most popular. There is also a range of different language courses and activities throughout the year.Family Week
For the family week, normally held in middle of August, families with children aged 4–10 can come to Sjölunden. They may, if they like, also bring older children.Two-week program
The two-week program is aimed at children aged 7–18. They come to camp to live and learn Swedish, and are divided into cabins with about 16-20 inhabitants. The children get language classes as well as different activities they can choose from. Recently, Sjölunden has added a sailing program for their Two and Four week sessions.Four-week program
The four week program offers one years worth of Swedish language training at High School level. The four week program takes place at the same time as two two-week sessions, and even though it contains more language class they do many activities together, most notably the evening programs.Credit Abroad
CLV also offers a Swedish Credit Abroad program where students travel to ScandinaviaScandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and mostly Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
for four weeks. Two of the weeks they are given language classes in the town of Trosa
Trosa
Trosa is a locality and the seat of Trosa Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 4,633 inhabitants in 2005 and 11,417 in 2010 ....
by Stensund Folk High School
Folk high school
Folk high schools are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal...
. There is also usually a family stay and of course time is spent in the capital, Stockholm. The program originated in 2006 with 4 participants.
Deans
These are some of the deans of Sjölunden, with their Sjölunden name in italics.Bemidji camp
- Roland Roland and Edi Edi Thorstensson 1975-1977
- Linda Linda Wallenberg 1977-1991
- Chad Torsten Bergman 1988, 1992–1995
- Patricia Pia Johnson 1996-2000
- Allison Magda Spenader 2001-current