Dyfodol is proud to announce that it will be hosting two presentations at Pabell y Cymdeithasau during this year’s Eisteddfod. On Wednesday 8th August, Gwion Lewis will be analysing the Welsh language within the planning system, and the following Friday, Eluned Morgan will be discussing new structures to promote the language.
Plenty of food for thought, then, and a warm welcome awaits you. We look forward to seeing you at the Eisteddfod!
Dyfodol i’r Iaith has welcomed the Welsh Government’s Programme for the Welsh language. The organization believes that this Programme, along with the proposed new Commission will build upon experience, by continuing to regulate the language, while putting more emphasis than has been seen in the past on its promotion.
Heini Gruffudd, the organization’s Chair, said:
“There is much to welcome here. Dyfodol i’r Iaith have been pressing from the start for a better balance between regulation and the positive promotion of the Welsh language, and we believe that we need to invest in structures and policies that can achieve this. We need to work towards increasing language skills and creating opportunities to use the language in everyday life; in the home, the workplace and the community. We must expand our horizons, and this Programme, which acknowledges the importance of education, and which is based on the principles of language planning, is a significant step in the right direction.”
He warned however that the success of the Programme, and of the Commission needs to be backed up by investment and commitment:
“The Programme is an ambitious one in terms of language growth – and we welcome that, of course – but it must be given sufficient resources if it is to succeed.”
With successive Census returns revealing the decline of the Welsh language within its heartlands, out and in-migration changing the demographics of rural areas, and the insecurity of Brexit facing us, what is the future of the Welsh language within the traditional Welsh-speaking areas of north and west Wales? This is the question to be addressed at Dyfodol i’r Iaith’s Public Meeting at Galeri in Caernarfon next Saturday morning at 11 o’clock.
Very often, complex questions call for radical answers, and one answer that had been suggested already is ‘Arfor’, a new regional Authority for the north and west (Anglesey, Gwynedd, Ceredigion, and Carmarthen). This Authority would represent counties which face the same challenges regarding the Welsh language, the economy and culture; and could work strategically for the good of the region and the Welsh language.
With government restructuring again on the agenda, it is timely for us to welcome Adam Price AM to join us and discuss his vision for the Arfor scheme.
Is Arfor the solution? Come along to Galeri next Saturday to hear more, discuss and come to your own conclusion. A very warm welcome awaits you.