"People who have lived in the village for 25 years have now started speaking Catalan"

Barcelona"Hunting area," reads a sign hanging from some trees in the Campredó area. A group of sub-Saharan Africans living in this part of Tortosa, on the banks of the Ebro River, saw it every day on their way to work but didn't understand it. "In the Catalan course, they discovered what the letter 'c' means and were able to read the sign. They were incredibly proud," explains Damià Grau, the mayor of Campredó and president of the Soldevila Cultural Association. This is one of 205 organizations that have applied for one of the new grants from the Generalitat (Catalan government) to help associations and town councils launch basic language courses in areas with limited offerings. "We have 1,300 inhabitants, and 28 people signed up in just one week. Very different backgrounds and nationalities. We have to break down stereotypes. There are people who have lived in the village for 25 years and who, using the course as an excuse, have now started speaking Catalan," Grau explains.

The call for proposals was open to municipalities with fewer than 17,500 inhabitants and private entities throughout the region. Ultimately, 350 courses were subsidized, offered by 104 town councils, 100 organizations, and the El Moianès County Council, the only one not affiliated with the Consortium for Linguistic Normalization (CPNL). €1.4 million was allocated, and a minimum of €1.5 million will be invested in 2026. Basic levels are fundamental for linguistic integration and a requirement for immigrants to obtain residency permits.

The aim is to reach areas previously underserved by the CPNL's Catalan courses, both geographically and in terms of learner profiles. For example, the Bayt al Thaqfa Foundation in Barcelona, ​​which is dedicated to welcoming Arab or Muslim immigrants, has been able to expand its social support for newcomers—who are essentially seeking work, a sense of belonging, and independent living—to include language support, thus encouraging students to continue studying at higher levels. The transition to level B, which allows not only comprehension of Catalan but also its use, is one of the administration's challenges. The Department of Language Policy estimates that around 100,000 places were offered in Catalan courses in 2025, a number that needs to be increased to meet waiting lists and generate new demand. "Meeting 100% of the demand is impossible. Learning a language is a dance; there must be flexibility on both sides," states Minister Francesc Xavier Vila emphatically.

Press the social elevator button

Another example is the Noima Foundation, a new opportunities school in Olot, where young people aged 15 to 24 try to reintegrate into the education or workforce through literacy and vocational training. "If you don't have a good level of Catalan, it's difficult to maintain your education. And can you work in La Garrotxa? Yes, but where? Catalan can help you get better jobs," says Àngel Serrat, co-director of the school. "Knowing Catalan in La Garrotxa lets you press the button for the first floor of the social elevator." In Alcover (Alt Camp), the town council has been offering all levels of Catalan for seventeen years, but it used to do so through language volunteers—retired teachers with free time. The funding helps finance the teachers and teaching materials and will allow the courses to be "professionalized," says Mayor Robert Figueras. "We are a small town where everyone knows each other. The course goes beyond learning Catalan. It's a social function that unites people," he adds.

The Minister of Language Policy affirms that the administration "must respond" to a very high demand for training: "Anyone who wants to learn Catalan should be able to do so throughout the territory." He recalled that an 8.8 million euro stimulus plan is being deployed to relaunch Catalan language teaching for adults and that the Consortium is growing, with 15% more classes and 100 new teachers. The goal now is to create a system that is "more robust, more flexible, territorially balanced, and connected to the social reality of the country." Therefore, coordination with other municipal, educational, business, and social entities is the way they see to expand the offerings.which can be viewed on this interactive map).