BILINGUAL students from Tavistock College and Okehampton College have become 'Youth Cultural Champions' after undertaking two days of training. The 14 students, who speak a variety of languages including Portuguese, Slovac, Thai and Russian, came together over two days to learn how to communicate more assuredly about their culture, language, country and heritage. During the training sessions, delivered by the Ethnic Minority Achievement Team (EMAS), participating students were encouraged to develop a presentation suitable for a variety of audiences, including primary school pupils and governors. Heather Day from EMTAS, which works in schools across Devon to support bilingual pupils and their families through the Youth Cultural Champions programme, said: 'Students who speak English as an additional language can sometimes feel isolated, particularly if they are the only pupil speaking their home language. 'Our programme helps to increase the self-esteem of the students, enhancing their attainment and raising their aspirations. 'In this instance we were able to bring students from the two colleges together, which enabled students to meet each other and enjoy a shared experience.' The students were pleased to share their common skill of being bilingual. As some students have only been in this country a few months, they found the experience of meeting young people in a similar situation very supportive. Friendships were forged and both schools are encouraging students to maintain the links made.  Tavistock College assistant principal, Gary King, said: 'The work and commitment of the students to this training was inspirational and all the champions are a credit to their schools.'