CAIL celebrates its first birthday

Costa Latsos,  Emelie Loeb and Valentina D'Errico

C.A.I.L. the Bologna based Cultural Association for Interactive Learning was set up to continue the activities of FunSongs Ltd in Italy after its founder Charles Goodger left Bologna for the Baltics a year ago. In just one year the new Association has established itself on the Italian educational scene. Its main activities are booking and supplying FunSongs Shows, English Weeks and Labs as well as holding seminars and events for teachers and students alike.

You can see the leading members of the international team of people behind C.A.I.L. in the photograph above. Each brings their own particular talents to the growth of the organization -  and in a broader sense to furthering the benefits of  foreign language education to young Italians. At the time of writing, February 2009, C.A.I.L. boasts a growing part-time staff of over fifteen mother-tongue teachers and actors.

Valentina D'Errico (on the left in the photo) is the association's vice-president. From Apulia, she graduated from DAMS at Bologna University with a degree in dramatic arts in 2007. Part of her studies  involved an Erasmus year studying at Bangor University in the UK where she perfected her English.  Valentina also attended a class in English language proficiency held by Charles Goodger at the university's language centre CILTA where she first came into contact with the FunSongs Approach of language learning. It was also through Charles Goodger that she met Emelie Loeb (June 2006) who had just started  working for the UK-based organization as an actress and English teacher.  

Emelie Loeb

Emelie graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2006 with a degree in education and languages. She heard about Charles Goodger and FunSongs through her Bologna roommate Kerstin Zimmerman (who had worked for the organization) and Peggy Kidney who runs  the University of California liaison centre in the Italian city. Emelie is highly musical and as well as a background in singing and theatre has a TEFL qualification from Eurotefl in Florence. 

Costa Latsos    

Though not part of CAIL's administration, Costa who comes from Sydney, Australia dedicates much of his time to the association as the leading FunSongs Show actor and puppeteer. He is also an experienced English teacher.  A trained opera singer Costa  has been involved in many prestigious musical events. He  played the role of the Italian tenor in Italian American Reconciliation at the Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney, and that of Tadzio in Death in Venice (after Thomas Mann), directed by Bogdan Koca for Sydney Art Theatre.