In January 2026, two new educational programmes in simple Estonian will begin, offering learners the opportunity to develop their language skills and learn about Estonian culture and society in a museum environment. 

You can participate in the educational programme of the Viljandi Museum and the educational programme of Museum Education MTÜ at the Sillamäe Museum, which will take place from January to July in 2026. The programme comprises a total of 70 academic hours, with activities taking place twice a month, mainly at weekends. In total, the educational programme consists of 14 regular meetings plus two days of cooperation with the local community. Each meeting focuses on listening, speaking, reading and writing, using worksheets, exhibits, archival materials and creative tasks.

All educational programmes are prepared and implemented in accordance with the Integration Foundation's guidelines ‘Educational programmes in simple language for Estonian language learners’, which support the inclusion of people with limited Estonian language skills and make the learning experience comprehensible and practical.

The programmes are open to at least 18 years old adult learners of Estonian – newly arrived immigrants, people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, returnees, and Estonian citizens.

You can register for educational programmes via the self-service portal of the Integration Foundation at https://iseteenindus.integratsioon.ee/login.

‘Welcome to Viljandi!’ educational programme of the Viljandi Museum

The educational programme introduces participants to Estonian everyday life, culture, and society through the history of Viljandi and its surroundings. The programme focuses on practical language learning, intercultural communication, and learning through experience.

During the programme, participants will learn about the history, cultural heritage, handicrafts, nature, and cultural life of Viljandi and Viljandi County. Simple Estonian is used at every meeting, and activities are structured so that participants can practise the language in real-life situations.

Topics covered in the programme include:
– Estonian history and Viljandi as a historical town;
– the Estonian state, elections, and security;
– the Estonian economy, green transition and digital state;
– cultural heritage and Viljandi as a UNESCO Creative City;
– Handicrafts and folk culture;
– Estonian language, literature, and book culture;
– Theatre, film, and local cultural life;
– Tourism and multicultural Viljandi;
– Mulgimaa and Estonian tribes;
– Estonian nature, forests, lakes, and bogs.

Activities include tours, workshops, guided tours, visits to nature and cultural institutions, and meetings with local partners. An important part of the programme is cooperation days, where participants can interact with local residents and take part in experiential activities in various fields, such as farm work, handicrafts, or folk culture.

At the end of the programme, each participant will summarise their learning journey, and the programme will conclude with a joint tour of Viljandi.

‘Journey Through Time’ educational programme of the Sillamäe Museum

The Sillamäe Museum programme combines Estonian literature, cultural history, and museum education and is based on the theme of 500 years of Estonian books. The programme focuses on the rich cultural heritage of North-East Estonia and Sillamäe, which is explored through exhibits, archival materials, literary texts, and digital resources.

The programme meetings will take place at the Sillamäe Museum (Kajaka 17a). Each meeting lasts four academic hours and consists of four parts. Teaching is conducted in simple Estonian, focusing on practical communication skills.

The programme consists of three parts and two collaboration days:

Part 1: Discovering the history of Sillamäe and North-East Estonia (5 meetings)

You will learn about the main periods in the history of the region: life in fishing villages, the resort town, industrial development, world wars, the uranium plant, the closed city, and regaining independence. Museum exhibits, magazines, films, and documents are used.

The cooperation day ‘Open Doors Day’ includes a museum tour conducted by the participants themselves, and a meeting with the museum director.

Part 2: Creation of the joint exhibition ‘Journey Through Time’ (4 meetings)

Participants develop the concept for the exhibition, select exhibits, and come up with descriptions.

The collaboration day ‘Exhibition Opening’ includes the opening of the exhibition, a tour led by the participants, and roundtable and panel discussions on the past and future of the city.

Part 3: Thematic meetings inspired by the cultural history of Sillamäe (5 meetings)

Topics include, for example, the Kirderannik dialect, Vaivara Parish, Baltic German heritage, the first mention of Sillamäe, and the depiction of the town in films and literature.

The programme includes role-playing, group work, pictograms, exhibits, and archive materials. Each participant collects worksheets and thoughts in their learning portfolio.

The aim of the educational programmes is to support the development of participants’ language skills, increase their confidence in communicating in Estonian, and raise awareness of Estonian culture and society. Practical activities, meetings with the community, and the museum environment make the learning process lively and meaningful.

The programmes are funded by the European Social Fund Plus under project No. 2021-2027.4.07.23-0006 ‘Activities supporting Estonian language learning and civic education’, sub-activity 3.4.4.3 ‘Establishment of educational programmes, including in simple Estonian language, in cultural and sports institutions’.

Did you know that one in five Estonians lives outside Estonia? With nearly 200,000 members, our global community is larger than most Estonian counties. The global Estonian information gateway globalestonian.com has been established to help Estonians maintain ties with their homeland and ensure that important information reaches all Estonians, regardless of where in the world they live.

‘Global Estonian, or globalestonian.com, is our direct line of communication with our compatriots around the world,’ emphasised Kaire Cocker, Head of Diaspora Services at the Integration Foundation. “Nearly 200,000 people constitute a very large community – this shows how important it is to maintain and strengthen ties and to be in a shared information space. Our goal is to offer opportunities and support to help maintain contact with Estonia and promote cohesion among Estonians around the world.

The information gateway is a hub for Estonian news, cultural and language learning opportunities, internship programs, business contacts, and information about community activities around the world. The events calendar helps keep track of Estonian events around the world – each community can add its own events so that the information reaches everyone.

‘We want every Estonian, regardless of where they live, to feel part of Estonia. In today’s global world, almost all of us have friends or relatives living abroad – it is important that they know how to stay in touch with their home country,’ adds Cocker.

A good example is Johanna Rivers, who lived in Australia and whose journey to Estonia took place step by step. ‘At first, I had no plans to come to Estonia, let alone move here. I missed Estonia and was looking for a way to “stay connected”, but I didn't know where to start,’ she says. ‘I wanted to know more about Estonia!’

‘During my search, I came across Global Estonian, where I found what seemed like a halfway solution – the opportunity to get a little taste of Estonia without having to make an immediate decision to move. That is how I discovered the internship programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which enabled me to come to Estonia for an internship. This experience helped me find a job later on, and I even decided to stay here for a while,’ adds Johanna.

Last year’s user survey shows that there is considerable interest in Estonia: almost 80% of Estonians living abroad follow Estonian news at least once a month. The most popular sources of information are Facebook, Estonian publications, Estonian organisations abroad, and streaming platforms.

On the portal you will find:

• practical advice in the section ‘Ekspert vastab’ (Expert Answers);
• information about opportunities to learn Estonian independently;
• overview of youth summer camps in Estonia;
• support for young people who wish to come for an internship or to study;
• information about funding opportunities for community events;
• practical guidance for those who wish to return to Estonia.

Interesting fact: in recent years, over 6,000 people of Estonian descent have returned to Estonia each year, and this number is on the rise. For those returning to Estonia, the information gateway offers a section entitled ‘Returning to Estonia’, where you can find services and stories to help you make a smooth transition back to your homeland.

Globalestonian.com is growing rapidly – it is used by nearly 4,000 people every month, the portal has thousands of followers on social media, and the community is becoming increasingly active.

The information gateway is managed by the Integration Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Education and Research. 

We expect teachers, doctors, police officers, and, of course, shop assistants and other service providers to speak Estonian. Language skills can determine whether you find a job or employee or are able to continue in your profession. Employers may find themselves in a difficult situation if some of their hard-working employees do not have the required level of Estonian language skills. Good language skills are therefore in the interests of customers, employees, and employers alike.

How can language practice be incorporated into working life? We hear various excuses as to why employees are not offered Estonian language training. For example, people claim they have no time to learn the language. However, today’s learning formats are often short, easy to integrate into everyday life, and even a few learning sessions can bring success. It should also be noted that language learning is not only the personal effort of the learner, but the shared responsibility and cooperation of the entire institution.

The Integration Foundation’s guide ‘Support your employees’ language learning!’ was compiled taking into account the experiences and needs of employers. Authors Helena Metslang (researcher in educational language policy and language learning) and Robert Szabo (Master of Education, developer and head of studies of international language programmes) describe the purpose of the guide. ‘Many hospitals, schools, and kindergartens have employees whose Estonian language skills need support, but managers and HR staff have often found that previous attempts have not yielded the desired results,’ says Metslang. Szabo adds, ‘The guide provides guidance on how to integrate language learning into working life in a way that benefits both the employee and the organisation as a whole. In the Estonian public sector, language learning is often project-based. Our goal is to show how language learning can be part of the organisation of work – not an extra burden, but a development opportunity.’

‘Support your employees’ language learning!’ consists of two parts:

1) The guide ‘Support your employees’ language learning!’ provides recommendations on how to plan language learning in your organisation, motivate employees, and evaluate results. The guide is available in A5 format as a printed publication and online.

2) Worksheets that help to implement language learning and adapt it to the workplace. The worksheets are in A5 format and can be printed out according to the needs of the organisation.

You can find the guide ‘Support your employees’ language learning!’ on the website of the Integration Foundation here. The printed version is available at the foundation’s offices in Tallinn and Narva.

The guide has been funded from state budget and with the support of the European Union’s Cohesion and Internal Security Policy Funds (ESF) for 2021–2027 within the framework of project No. 2021-2027.4.07.23-0005 under decree No. 80 of the Minister of Culture of 15 March 2023 ‘Conditions for granting support for the implementation of activities supporting integration, including adaptation, in Estonian society’.