Another year, another Language Show! If you attended the event in 2007, you may have met some members of JEB or even received a copy of our newsletter, ‘Saluton!’. But what have we been up to since then? Read on, to find out how JEB members having been using Esperanto during the last twelve months…

Practising Esperanto
Esperanto may be a relatively simple language to learn, but attaining spoken fluency can still be a daunting prospect. For that reason, JEB organises several meetings in Britain each year, where members can get together and speak as much or as little Esperanto as they feel comfortable with. One of the benefits of being an informal organisation is that we can arrange our get-togethers to suit those who are interested in attending. In Autumn 2007 a group of us met up in Leicester, and in Spring 2008 we all travelled to Peterborough. Both occasions were a great opportunity for us to get to know other young Esperantists living in Britain whilst having a laugh and a drink.

Having fun in Britain
As well as JEB’s weekend away in Buxton (see page ?), JEB members have been taking advantage of the opportunity to participate in events organised by the Esperanto Association of Britain. In January, Tim and Clare attended ‘Ni Festivalu’, an annual theatrical event held at Esperanto House in Barlaston. Those with acting ability read through and performed Esperanto-language plays. whilst those somewhat lacking in talent took part in a series of discussion groups. We talked about a whole host of subjects, ranging from Artificial Intelligence to the humanism… completely in Esperanto, of course.

The British Esperanto Congress took place in Southport during a sunny weekend in May, with a strong attendance from JEB members. It was an exciting weekend, with opportunities to attend presentations on themes as diverse as the Scouse accent and Esperanto music. There was also chance to purchase new books from the EAB stall, and explore the beautiful surroundings of what surely must be one of Britain’s most elegant seaside resorts. JEB members particularly enjoyed their visits to the local theme park!

Travelling with Esperanto
Esperanto is, of course, the international language, and members of JEB take every opportunity to travel abroad and meet new people. During summer 2008, Daniel and Brendan attended the Universal Congress of Esperanto in Rotterdam, whilst Rolf and Petra attended MIRO, a relaxed holiday for young Esperantists which takes place in a different part of Croatia each year. A grand total of nine young Esperantists from Britain travelled to the Hungarian town of Szombathely, which at the end of July hosted the Internacia Junulara Kongreso, the biggest annual meeting of young Esperantists in the world. In excess of three hundred people from at least thirty different countries participated in a week of courses, excursions and partying. From language lessons to concerts, Bible study to drinking games, cross-stitching to water fights – there really was something for everyone. In fact the program was so exciting that we hardly found time to sleep, with most of us staying up until the early hours of the morning, chatting to new-found friends.

Another major event of the Esperanto calendar is the Internacia Seminario, a week-long event which takes place in Germany each New Year. Despite the fact that the meet-up is officially organised by JEB’s German counterpart, our very own Rolf Fantom has taken on the role of chief organiser for the past couple of years. An awful lot of planning and hard work goes into trying to make the IS as professional and successful as possible, and Rolf is assisted in his efforts by several other JEB members. Whilst Gavan is in charge of lighting and similar technicalities, Tim concentrates on designing imaginative posters to promote the event, as well as the T shirts which will be on sale during the week. Meanwhile the rest of JEB just sit back, relax, and enjoy the festivities!

Promoting Esperanto
Back in Britain, the JEB committee are always coming up with new ideas for how to promote Esperanto. Having given up printing a quarterly newsletter in favour of maintaining an online blog, we have spent the year developing our website and ensuring it is always kept up to date with the latest JEB news. Much of our activity takes place online in the JEB forums, where we chat on an informal basis and help each other out with questions of grammar. As well as attending the Language Show this autumn, we have plans to produce welcome packs which provide new members with useful information about Esperanto in Britain. And of course, we’re also planning to meet up again in the new future. If you’re interested in coming along, or want to know more about any of our activities, don’t hesitate to visit us at http://www.jeb.org.uk

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