The Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) is a center to enrich the connections between students and the Portuguese-American community, promoting the Portuguese-speaking world through language, history, culture, and influence. Portuguese is the third most spoken European language and the sixth most spoken language in the world, with millions of speakers in five continents. Portuguese is also the fastest growing European language after English and Spanish. California is home to an estimated 350,000 Portuguese-Americans (most of Azorean ancestry) the largest Portuguese-speaking community in the country.
In partnership with the Department of Linguistics Hub for Language Teaching and Learning (HUB), PBBI recognizes Portuguese speakers in the community who have a desire to share their language with others and would like to offer the following:
1. Train Portuguese “language experts” to become community Portuguese “language teachers” in formal and informal settings (community organizations, libraries, church groups, etc.)
2. Develop curriculum and materials to equip people to teach at home to their families.
3. Create an intergenerational bridge through storytelling in the Portuguese-American community and beyond.
PBBI and HUB will provide support for these community language experts and the materials will be shared online for community access.
As a Friend, your donation will support Storytelling and Language Learning - allowing us to bridge generations in the Portuguese-American community. Your donation will help us coordinate the variety of projects among the linguistics experts at Fresno State to create the fundamentals of this project.
As a Supporter, your donation of $50 can help us achieve the goal of building community through outreach to community organizations in order to create the tools that will set the foundation in creating "language experts" in our own community.
With a $100 Patron donation you will assist the research being done by linguistic students and faculty who are working to create the basis for a living inter-generational bridge through storytelling in the Portuguese-American community.
As a Pillar donor, your $250 dollar donation can help us in the development of tools to rain Portuguese “language experts” to become community Portuguese “language teachers” in formal and informal settings (community organizations, libraries, church groups, etc.)
As a Legacy donor, your $500 donation can be a part of assuring the academically solid development of curriculum and materials to equip people to teach at home to their families.