Category Archives: Ymgynghori

PLANNING THE REGENERATION OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE CONSULTATION DISCUSSION POINT 7: TECHNOLOGY AND THE MEDIA

Reply

The latest discussion point of our consultation on Planning the Regeneration of the Welsh Language is the role of TECHNOLOGY AND THE MEDIA.

As before, we would be very grateful to receive your comments, suggestions and any practical experience you may have. You are welcome to use the questions and template below or send your comments in any other format that suits you.

Below is a summary of Dyfodol’s demands in relation to technology and the media. If you would like to read the full text of Planning the Regeneration of the Welsh Language, a copy is available on our website, dyfodol.gwerin.it

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to our discussion. We look forward to hearing from you – do get in touch:

[email protected]

or telephone 01248 811798

 DISCUSSION POINT 7: TECHNOLOGY AND THE MEDIA

 Dyfodol believes that:

It is plain to see this is where culture, the economy and social interaction are being transformed at an extraordinary rate. It is central to the project.

How to use technology and the media to strengthen the Welsh language and to serve Welsh speakers is too large a question to discuss in detail here. But the main players, S4C and the BBC, need to accept their responsibility not only to provide content, but also to promote the Welsh language in the digital world including the social media. An essential step, which Cymdeithas yr Iaith are campaigning for, is the establishment of a Welsh Ofcom. 

 DO YOU AGREE WITH US? HAVE YOU ANY FURTHER COMMENTS ON HOW TECHNOLOGY AND THE MEDIA CAN SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE?

 

PLANNING THE REGENERATION OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE CONSULTATION DISCUSSION POINT 6: DEMOGRAPHY AND PLANNING

Reply

The latest discussion point of our consultation on Planning the Regeneration of the Welsh Language is the demography of language and planning to support its growth.

As before, we would be very grateful to receive your comments, suggestions and any practical experience you may have. You are welcome to use the questions and template below or send your comments in any other format that suits you.

Below is a summary of Dyfodol’s demands in relation to demography and planning. If you would like to read the full text of Planning the Regeneration of the Welsh Language, a copy is available on our website, dyfodol.gwerin.it

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to our discussion. We look forward to hearing from you – do get in touch:

[email protected]

or telephone 01248 811798

 DISCUSSION POINT 6: DEMOGRAPHY AND TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING

 Dyfodol believes that:

Demography is the relationship between people and territory. The term is used here to cover several aspects – economy, housing, land use, town and country planning etc. – in relation to the Welsh language. This section is concerned with areas where the Welsh language is the normal medium of communication, mainly located in the west but including many other areas too. This is a complex and challenging field.

The linking of the western areas together as a region, Arfor, has been proposed so as to address their economic weaknesses and the haemorrhaging of young (often Welsh-speaking) talent from the area – one of the main contributors to the decline of the language. The Welsh Government have embraced the concept. Our view is that this vision should be developed as a key component in the general strategy for developing Wales as a confident and successful nation. The intention would be for the Arfor region to offer diverse and exciting career opportunities and encouragement for innovation and enterprise, so that young people can create their own futures within this region, by staying, returning or moving into the area. Tied to this would be the intention of protecting and strengthening the Welsh-speaking community and communities.

Town and country planning and housing policy would reflect and empower the needs of the region and its communities rather than serving the interests of powerful commercial developers and the current drive towards damaging and insensitive over-provision.   

 DO YOU AGREE WITH US? HAVE YOU ANY FURTHER COMMENTS ON DEMOGRAPHY AND / OR PLANNING MATTERS?

 

PLANNING THE REGENERATION OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE CONSULTATION DISCUSSION POINT 4: CREATING WELSH SPEAKERS – DEVELOPING THE WORKFORCE

Reply

The latest discussion point of our consultation on Planning the Regeneration of the Welsh Language is Developing the Workforce.

As before, we would be very grateful to receive your comments, suggestions and any practical experience you may have. You are welcome to use the questions and template below or send your comments in any other format that suits you.

Below is a summary of Dyfodol’s demands in relation to the role of the workplace. If you would like to read the full text of Planning the Regeneration of the Welsh Language, a copy is available on our website, dyfodol.gwerin.it

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to our discussion. We look forward to hearing from you – do get in touch:

[email protected]

or telephone 01248 811798

 DISCUSSION POINT 4: CREATING WELSH SPEAKERS – DEVELOPING THE WORKFORCE

 Dyfodol believes that:

One significant challenge in education, and to which the response is at present insufficient, is developing the workforce, both teachers and classroom assistants, to undertake the work through the medium of Welsh and do so to a high standard. The only way of doing this is to release staff from their posts for extended periods, either to improve their language skills or to learn Welsh from scratch.

This is absolutely fundamental and there is no option but to invest heavily in this. Habe, the organisation responsible for this in Euskadi, has an annual budget of 40 million Euros. If we are serious about creating a million Welsh speakers, we need a comparable sum and to focus on two things:

  • Workforce development, particularly teachers and classroom assistants
  • Supporting parents whose children receive Welsh-medium education, particularly in the early years, who want to create Welsh-speaking homes to learn Welsh or develop their confidence in using it.

 The effect of such investment would be cumulative: creating new Welsh speakers who in turn would produce a host of new speakers through the education and care sectors.

In addition to the above summary, Dyfodol have also written a paper on the Welsh language among the public sector workforce and in the workplace. We concluded that:

  • We need to collect comprehensive data on the language skills of public sector staff.
  • We need a clear policy aimed at providing an appropriate quota of Welsh language workers and workplaces.
  • Establish a 10-year targeted programme for Welsh language skills within public sector workplaces.
  • 4 local authorities to work, or set out a programme for internal, Welsh-language administration: Gwynedd (who currently do so), Ynys Môn, Ceredigion and Sir Gaerfyrddin.
  • We must acknowledge the comparative strength of the language within different areas and set targets based on the percentage of Welsh speakers within these areas.
  • Where it is not practical to aim for Welsh language administration, public sector organisations in those areas should adopt and promote the principle of welcoming and encouraging the Welsh language as a working medium and elevate and appreciate the language as a professional skill.

 DO YOU AGREE WITH US? HAVE YOU ANY FURTHER COMMENTS ON THE ROLE OF THE WORKFORCE AND THE WORKPLACE IN REGENERATING THE WELSH LANGUAGE?