WEEKEND HUNGARIAN SCHOOLS MEETING IN BUDAPEST

In 2025, the Hungarian Government has declared the Year of the Next Generation in national policy, placing special emphasis on supporting Hungarian youth living in the diaspora. As part of this initiative, the Weekend Hungarian Schools Meeting was once again held in Budapest, where representatives of Hungarian communities from around the world shared their experiences and achievements. The event also included discussions on the most important programmes, grant opportunities, and community-building efforts taking place in the diaspora.

"The year 2025, dedicated to the next generation, focuses on supporting Hungarian youth living in the diaspora, helping them preserve their identity and strengthen their communities," emphasised Dr. Péter Szilágyi, Deputy State Secretary for National Policy, at the Weekend Hungarian Schools Meeting in Budapest.

Since its inception in 2018, the event has brought together Hungarian school representatives from across the globe — this year, representatives from 107 weekend Hungarian schools across 28 countries attended. The Auckland Hungarian School (AUSkola) was represented by Erika Andrell.

Currently, there are 260 such schools operating worldwide, with more than 13,000 children being educated and supported by over 1,000 teachers, parents, and volunteers. The goal of the meeting was not teacher training, but professional dialogue and knowledge-sharing.

Dr. Szilágyi also highlighted that the 2025 Strengthening Diaspora Programme grant has now launched, and diaspora organisations can apply until May 5. He further emphasized that the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Programme’s scholarship holders are supporting Hungarian communities in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries. This year, 90 scholarship holders are active in the northern hemisphere and 25 in the southern hemisphere.

The Rákóczi Association also hosts hundreds of diaspora youth in summer camps every year; this year’s application deadline was extended to April 23. The Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris organises educational camps as well, open to youth with Hungarian heritage — even if they don’t necessarily speak Hungarian.

Dr. Szilágyi pointed out that 12.5 million Hungarians live in the Carpathian Basin, and an estimated 2.5 million live in the diaspora. In recent years, many new communities have formed and grown stronger around the world.

Although State Secretary for National Policy Lőrinc Nacsa was unable to attend Friday’s meeting due to official obligations, he shared a voice message emphasising the importance of umbrella organisations involved in Hungarian education, as well as the network of weekend Hungarian schools operating globally.These institutions play a crucial role in enabling Hungarian children to learn in their mother tongue, wherever they may live in the world.

The goal of all the aforementioned support initiatives is to help diaspora youth preserve their Hungarian identity and build strong, connected communities.

The key themes for this year include digitalisation, artificial intelligence, cultural preservation, and media literacy.

Source: kormany.hu

Erika Andrell and Viola Vadász