Elder fluent speakers team with younger adult apprentices to engage in weekly activities using their language together. During the program year, the teams attend intensive trainings in immersive methods of language learning and teaching. Between trainings, they return to their home communities to work together, using the book, “How to Keep Your Language Alive”(Heyday Books) for guidance, and assisted further with mentorship and language immersion techniques provided by the AICLS team.

Teams receive a grant of $9,000 per team to aid them in their work together. Team members are expected to work together for up to 300 hours immersed their language per year, and if successful, can remain in the program for up to 3 years. After apprenticeship is over, many apprentices become instructors or language leaders in other capacities, for schools or their community language programs, and some have become Masters themselves. We support on average 10 teams per year.