LATIN IN THE PARK
pick up some Latin and ancient culture while eating lunch in your local park!

Latin in the Parks is a seasonal initiative for communities in London and East Oxford. Over the summer months (May-July) free and relaxed classes are offered in the two cities as lunch time sessions which take place in local parks.

Adults and families can bring their lunch (and blanket!), and learn some Latin and also ancient culture. Sessions are designed for adults, but children are very welcome to come along and take part. Each session lasts an hour, and involves a Latin activity and worksheet, which the group works through together, and then a short talk on some aspect of ancient culture - topics have included women in the ancient world, religion, the history of the Roman republic, and others.

The sessions are entirely relaxed and informal, and no knowledge of the Classsical world or Latin is expected or needed! People from all walks of life come along to enjoy the classes, and there is no charge for the teaching - we do however welcome a donation of £1 per session for material costs.
The classes were set up tohelp promote access to Classics amongst adults in local communities, and have been running since April 2008. Latin is often viewed as an elite area of study only accessible to the very educated, and this can be daunting or off-putting, so the intention is to encourage people from all walks of life and backgrounds in these communities to have a go at picking up a bit of Latin over lunch in a relaxed setting!

If you're interested in coming along, please contact us through the website

NEWS UPDATE...

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Houses of Parliament
Early Day Motion
Thursdy, 10th July 2008

LATIN IN THE PARK

Brake, Tom
That this House welcomes the initiative of the Iris Project, Latin in the Park, as an excellent opportunity for people from all backgrounds to learn Latin and about ancient culture free of charge in a friendly and relaxed setting; recognises that the project enables adults and families to explore various aspects of ancient culture, such as women in the ancient world, religion, the history of the Roman Republic and other subjects; further recognises that Latin may be viewed as an elite area of study discouraging wider participation; and draws attention to the fact that this initiative promotes access to the classics amongst all and any local communities.
Click here to read

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The Iris Project launched its Latin the Park scheme in Oxford's South Park in April 2008, running through to July. Sessions on Latin and ancient culture are run weekly for adults and families - these are free (with a £1 charge per session for materials per person or family) and all ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Group one, 'Orpheus group', is meeting every Thursday lunch time at 12 noon.

Group two, 'Demeter group, is meeting every Sunday at 2pm.

Meeting point is the entrance to South Park at the bottom of Headington Hill (for the Thursday sessions please meet at reception in Cheney School next to the park). Sessions last 45 minutes, and you'll need to bring a pen, something to lean on and a blanket if you don't want to sit on the grass.

Everyone is welcome, but we would appreciate people getting in contact if they would like to attend as this helps us organise materials and other aspects of the sessions.

The first session was covered by the BBC PM programme on Radio 4 - click here for the link

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London Latin in the Parks...

One off sessions have been organised across various London regions for specific groups. If you're interested in having a one-off session in your local park, please get in touch with us.