Mastering a foreign language is a gateway to personal growth, offering far more than just the ability to translate words. It builds confidence, enhances cognitive flexibility, and creates bridges to new cultures. However, finding the time to dedicate to such a pursuit can often be difficult amidst a busy academic schedule. Addressing this need, FOLT (Foreign Language Training), a department within SAFEL dedicated to facilitating language education, organized its program, Minggu Lingua (MINGLING). This year’s edition was designed to be a productive getaway during the semester break. Held from July 3rd to July 19th, Minggu Lingua 2025 focused on the elegance of the French language, inviting SAFEL crew members to spend their holidays learning something new under the guidance of Kak Selma Intan Oktapristia.
Organizing an educational event during the holidays presented its own unique set of challenges. The committee opened registration from June 27th to July 2nd. Since the program coincided with the university holidays, many crew members had returned to their hometowns or had other vacation plans, making the recruitment process slower and more challenging than anticipated. Despite these hurdles, the committee successfully gathered a group of dedicated learners willing to spend their break studying. To maximize this free time, classes were held three times a week on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 15:30 to 16:30 WIB at a venue around Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta.
The learning journey was both interactive and visually documented. During the sessions, Kak Selma introduced the participants to the beauty of French, starting from basics like greetings, self-introductions, and pronunciation rules. Beyond the classroom, the committee ensured that the knowledge shared was accessible to everyone. They actively converted the materials from the meetings into aesthetically pleasing and informative posts on Instagram. These posts served as digital summaries, covering topics ranging from daily vocabulary to interesting cultural fun facts about France. By archiving the lessons on social media, the committee provided a lasting resource that participants could revisit anytime and allowed the wider public to witness the fun learning process of Minggu Lingua.
To maintain structure, the committee utilized Google Classroom for material distribution. Although the atmosphere was relaxed due to the holiday season, the program remained serious about results. To measure how well the participants had absorbed the materials, a final examination was conducted at the end of the program. As a form of appreciation for their hard work and dedication during the holidays, the committee prepared special rewards for the top three performers. The participants with the highest scores—ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd—received prizes to celebrate their achievement. Through this French edition, SAFEL crew members successfully turned a quiet holiday period into an opportunity to broaden their horizons. We look forward to an even more exciting Minggu Lingua in 2026. See you at next year’s MINGLING!
-Taqia –
