Original edition (2000) initiated by:

Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services

Baltic House, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5FH

Tel: 02920 473498 www.cwvys.org.uk

Second edition (2009) commissioned by:

and supported by the Youth Work Strategy Branch, Department for Children, Education,

Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS)

1st and 2nd editions produced by:

Units 2-4, Aberarad Business Park, Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, SA38 9DB

Tel: 01239 711668 www.iaith.eu

Contents

Page

Preface 3

1.0 Introduction 4

1.1 YoungWelshspeakers 4

1.2 TheWelshLanguageandPublicPolicy 5

1.3 TheWelshLanguageandYouthWorkPolicy 6

1.4 Languageandyouthworkprovision 7

2.0 UnderstandingBilingualYouthWork 9

2.1 Languageandidentity 9

2.2 Thelanguageskillsspectrum 10

2.3 Languagechoices 10

2.4 Languageandequalopportunities 11

2.5 Creatinganenablingenvironment 12

3.0 BilingualProvision 13

3.1 Theyouthworkenvironment 13

3.2 Youthworkersandtheirlanguageskills 19

3.3 Organisingbilingualactivities 22

4.0 Welsh-mediumprovision 29

5.0 Whatnext? 30

6.0 ResourcesandContacts 31

opening both doors

2

opening both doors

opening both doors

3

preface

Thishandbookisaimedatyouthworkersandyouth

workmanagersinallsectorsofyouthprovision

–statutory,voluntaryandindependent.Itshould

alsoberelevanttoallyouthservicesettings,be

theytraditionalclubsettings,activitybasedgroups,

supportservicesorprojectbasedcontexts.

Beyondtheyouthserviceitselfthecontentsshould

alsobeofrelevancetowideraudiencesthatwork

informallywithyoungpeople–leisurecentres,

sportingclubs,environmentalgroupsandarts-

basedorganisations.Indeed,anyonewhoworks

withgroupsofyoungpeopleinthecommunity.

Theaimofthehandbookistoofferpracticaladvice

andguidanceastohowtopromotebilingual

practicewithinthemainstreamofyouthwork

provisioninWales.Itisbasedongoodpractice

found in the field as well as accepted tenets of

bilingualpracticeingeneral.Whilewecannot

specifically refer to every example of youth work

deliveryandyouthprovisioninsuchahandbook

thegeneralprinciplesremainthesameforall

groups.Wehopethatyouwilltakethoseprinciples

fromtheexamplesoutlinedinthedocumentand

adaptthemtoyourowncircumstance.

Whilethereisastrongcasefordevelopingparallel

youthworkprovisionbasedonlanguageusein

mostpartsofWales,therealityisofanincreasingly

bilingualyouthpopulationwithinmainstream

provision.Bilingualyouthprovisionhaslongbeen

recognisedandvalidated.However,thereisaneed

toincreaseandexpandthenumberandnatureof

bilingualyouthworksettingsinWalestomeetthe

needofthegrowingnumbersofbilingualyoung

peopleinWales.Thisdocumentincludespractical

guidelinesforthosewhoseresponsibilityitisto

facilitatethesebilingualcontexts.

ThissecondeditionofOpeningBothDoors

hasbeenfundedthroughtheauspicesofthe

CommunitiesFirstSupportNetworkandthe

DepartmentforChildren,Education,Lifelong

LearningandSkills(DCELLS)withintheWelsh

AssemblyGovernment.Isincerelyhopethat

thedocumentwillbeofpracticalassistancein

facilitatingatrulybilingualWales.

GarethIoan

IAITHcyf.

January2010

opening both doors

4

1.0 introduction

1 Source: Census 2001, Office of National Statistics (2003).2 Language Use Survey, Welsh Language Board (2004).3 Source: Census 2001, Office of National Statistics (2003).

No.ofspeakers10-19years

(2001)

%ofpopulation10-19years

(2001)

Carmarthenshire 12,781 58.5Gwynedd 12,335 85.6Cardiff 10,345 24.4RhonddaCynonTaff 9,687 30.8Caerphilly 7,700 33.6Flintshire 6,791 35.2Ceredigion 6,637 67.4Newport 6,580 34.6Anglesey 6,574 79.2Powys 6,572 42.5Swansea 6,478 22.3Conwy 6,372 49.1Pembrokeshire 5,975 41.1NeathPortTalbot 5,188 29.8ValeofGlamorgan 4,920 30.2Denbighshire 4,855 41.8Torfaen 4,847 39.2Wrexham 4,526 27.6Bridgend 4,506 27.2Monmouthshire 3,414 31.7BlaenauGwent 3,284 34.3MerthyrTudful 2,077 26.1

1.1 YoungWelshspeakers

Inrecentyears,theWelshlanguagehas

experiencedaresurgence.The2001Census

figures provided a positive base with an increase

recordedinboththenumbersandpercentageof

Welsh speakers in Wales. Over one in five (20.8%)

ofthepopulationofWaleswererecordedasbeing

Welshspeakers,apercentagethatrepresented

582,368individuals,youngandold1.Othersurveys

conductedsincetheCensushaveindicatedthat

thetrendcontinuesandthatafurtherincreaseis

likelyby20112.

AgrowingnumberofyoungpeopleinWalesare

bilingualinboththeircountry’slanguages.The

NumbersandpercentageofWelshspeakers:

10-19yearsbylocalauthorityarea3

2001Censusindicatedthattherewere142,444

Welshspeakersbetween10–19yearsold

– 37.4% of the total 10-19 population. This shows

a significant reversal in the decline of the Welsh

languageduringthe20thcentury.

ThegeographicdistributionofyoungWelsh

speakers,ingeneral,mirrorstheWelshspeaking

populationasawholewiththeexceptionof

someSouthWalesvalleyswhereWelsh-

mediumeducationhashadamarkedeffect.So

muchsothat,numerically,areasintraditionally

Englishspeakingareasarebeginningtorealise

comparablepopulationsofyoungWelshspeakers

tothetraditionalWelshheartlandcountiesofNorth

andWestWales.Althoughpercentagesremain

encouraginglyhighinCeredigionandAnglesey

– 67.4% and 79.2% respectively – actual numbers

ofyoungWelshspeakersaregreaterinseveral

othercounties.Cardiff,RhonddaCynonTafand

Caerphillyfeatureinparticular;whileFlintshireand

Newport have also gained significant populations of

Welshspeakersintheyoungeragegroups.

TheestablishmentofWelshasacoresubject

withintheschoolcurriculuminWaleshastobe

recognised here as a significant influence on these

figures. We must also point out that Census returns

often reflect parents’ aspirations for their children

ratherthanadetailedunderstandingoflanguage

skilllevels.However,thetrendhasbeenmirrored

by the resurgence of a confident and dynamic

Welshidentityportrayedbymedia,entertainment

andsportingsuccesseswhich,linkedtotheadvent

andgrowthoftheWelshAssemblyandagrowing

Cambro-centriccivilsociety,hasseenouryoung

peopleenthusiasticallyembracingtheirWelsh

identityanew.

opening both doors

5

1.2 TheWelshLanguageand

PublicPolicy

TheWelshlanguagehasenjoyedconsiderable

increasedsupportfrompublicpolicymakers

overthepastdecade.Thereisunanimous

cross-partysupportforthepromotionofWelsh

andtheincreasedprovisionofWelsh-medium

services.Thiscross-partypoliticalcommitment

wascementedinJuly2002withthepublication

ofDyfodol Dwyieithog: Bilingual Future,aWelsh

NationalAssemblyCommitteereportonthefuture

ofthelanguage.

“In a truly bilingual Wales both Welsh and

English will flourish and will be treated as

equal. A bilingual Wales means a country

where people can choose to live their

lives through the medium of either or both

languages; a country where the presence of

two national languages…is a source of pride

and strength to us all”.

ThisaspirationledtoIaith Pawb: a National

Action Plan for a Bilingual Walesin2003,inwhich

theLabour/LiberalDemocratWelshAssembly

Governmentsetoutitsvisionforabilingualfuture

andpracticalmeasurestoachievethisaim:

“The Welsh Assembly Government is strongly

committed to supporting and promoting the

Welsh language. We consider the Welsh

language to be integral to the identity of our

nation and we shall continue to do all we

can to promote its well being. We believe

that further positive action on behalf of the

Welsh language is needed and justified…

The Assembly Government believes that a

more holistic approach to policy-making and

support for the Welsh language and Welsh

speaking communities is needed. As the Welsh

Assembly Government, it is our role and our

responsibility to take the lead in developing that

holistic approach ”.

Iaith Pawbremainsaworkingdocumentandthe

primaryreferencepointforallconcernedwith

Welshlanguageplanninganddevelopment.Much

oftheresponsibilityforthepracticalpromotionof

WelshremainswiththeWelshLanguageBoard,a

NationalAssemblysponsoredbodythatreportsto

theMinisterforHeritagewithintheWelshAssembly

Government.Aswepreparethiseditionof‘Opening

Both Doors’theWelshLanguageBoardand

HeritageDepartmentcivilservantsarepreparinga

LegislativeCompetenceOrderregardingtheWelsh

languagewiththeintentionoffurtherstrengthening

legislationwithregardtothestatusanduseofthe

WelshLanguageinWales.

SincethepublicationofIaith Pawb,along-term

processhasbeeninitiatedtomainstreamthe

Welshlanguageintoallaspectsofpublicpolicyand

initiativeplanninginWales.Acaseinpointisthe

CommunitiesFirstinitiativewhichputslanguage

considerationscentraltoitsmodus operandi.

“The Assembly Government’s Welsh language

and Communities First strategies complement

and support each other. Both are long-term

commitments and both encourage and promote

community-based strategies and initiatives.

Stronger and sustainable communities in

predominately Welsh-speaking areas will

help maintain the language as part of the

fabric of everyday life in Wales; encouraging

Communities First Partnerships to increase

their use of the Welsh language will open

up social, cultural, educational, training and

business opportunities for communities all

over Wales. Likewise, in areas where use of

the Welsh language is not as predominant,

TheincreasinglybilingualnatureofWelshyoung

people,therefore,isafactorwhichbothlocal

authoritiesandvoluntaryyouthorganisations

needtotakeonboardinassessingtheneedsof

theyoungpeopletheyserveandinplanningand

deliveringtheiryouthservices.

opening both doors

64 The Youth Work Curriculum Statement for Wales, The Standing Conference for Youth Work in Wales (2007).

“Encouraging and enabling young people

to express their emotions and aspirations,

through creative, sporting and challenging

opportunities which raise awareness of: cultural

identity; bilingualism and the value of one’s

own language; heritage; respect for diversity;

citizenship and respect for others.”4

Moreover, and significantly, the YWCSW places

Welshlanguageprovisionsquarelywithinthe

contextofequalopportunities-theunderlying

ethosofallgoodyouthwork.Referringtoits

descriptionsofallfourmainthemesitstatesthat:

“Youth Work through its practice should:

• promote opportunities and access for all

young people whatever their race, gender,

sexual identity, language, religion, disability,

age, background or personal circumstances;

•challenge oppression and inequality;

•recognise the importance and value of the

Welsh language and the need to promote its

use…”

Providinglanguagechoicesisacorecomponent

ofequalopportunity.Extending Entitlement,a

keyyouthservicereportpublishedinJuly2000

andwhichsetthesceneforvariousyouthservice

developmentsoversubsequentyears,including

county-basedYouthPartnerships,placedlanguage

choiceascentralandintegraltoyouthwork

provisioninWales:

“Support for young people in Wales should be

structured around an entitlement for all young

people to a range of service in the language

of their choice, designed to promote their

attainment and development as individuals”.

Communities First Partnerships can play a key

role in creating the circumstances in which use

of the language can develop and flourish within

the community and so build on the gains made

thanks to education policies”.

Allorganisationswhoinvolvethemselveswith

thepublicneed,therefore,tobearinmindthe

wide-rangingpublicandpoliticalsupportforthe

Welshlanguagethathasgrownoverrecentyears;

intermsofequalityofopportunity,aspartofa

growingsenseofnationalidentity,intermsof

seeingbilingualismasanassettoWalesandasa

reflection of a general national aspiration to secure

abilingualfutureforourselvesandourchildren.

1.3 TheWelshLanguageand

YouthWorkPolicy

Intermsofyouthworkpolicy,theYouthWork

CurriculumStatementforWales(YWCSW),the

guidingdocumentforyouthworkpracticeinWales,

recognisesthebilingualnatureofourcommunities

and the significance of Welsh to our national

identity.Thecurriculumdocumentestablishesfour

mainthemesforgoodyouthworkpracticethathas

becomealitanyforallyouthworkers.Youthwork,it

states,shouldofferopportunitiestoyoungpeople,

whichare:

•educative;

•participative;

•empowering,and

•expressive.

Whileallfourthemeshavelanguagerelated

implications,thedocumentisprescriptiveand

explicitinitsdescriptionoftheplaceoflanguage

inrelationtoensuringexpressiveyouthwork

opportunities,whichitsaysshouldbeabout:

opening both doors

7

5 Guidance for the Inspection of Youth Support Services, Estyn, (August 2007)6 Supplementary Guidance for Inspecting Bilingualism within Youth Support Services, Estyn (Fenruary 2006).7 Welsh-medium Opportunities and Welsh Curriculum Provision within the Youth Service in Wales, Cwmni Iaith, CWVYS/Welsh Language Board, (1998).8 Quality and Standards in Youth Work within Local Authorities in Wales, OHMCI, Crown Copyright, (1997).

Estyn,theeducationinspectorate,expandson

thiskeyprincipleandincludeslanguagechoice,

languageskillsdevelopmentandayouthwork

curriculumthatfostersunderstandingofthe

Welshlanguageandculturewithinitsinspection

frameworkforyouthsupportservices.5Estyn

alsolinksyouthprovisioninthisrespecttothe

Cwricwlwm Cymreig,seeingyouthprovisionasa

complementarysourceofextra-curricularactivities

foryoungpeople.6

“Estyn expects inspectors to judge whether

or not the requirements of the Cwricwlwm

Cymreig are being met and to what extent

they contribute to the development of young

people’s knowledge and understanding of the

cultural, economic, environmental, historical,

and linguistic characteristics of Wales”.

Suchextra-curricularlinksarealsobolsteredby

localauthorities’EducationLanguageSchemes

approvedbytheWelshLanguageBoard.The

Board’sYouthStrategy,subtitled‘Increasing the

Social Use of Welsh by Young People (11-25)’,

publishedin2005,emphasisestheyouthservice’s

roleinprovidinganinformalandcommunity-based

environmentforyoungpeopletousetheirWelsh.

ReferringtotherecentmarkedincreaseofWelsh

languageskillsamongyoungpeople,asdiscussed

above,theStrategystates:

“Clearly, the challenge for organisations

working with young people is to plan the

provision of a social, community and

vocational context that will support the way

these skills are developed and used…

These social opportunities are essential

to ensure that young people feel a sense

of ownership towards the language. They

are also vital in order to provide contexts

where individuals can develop their Welsh-

language skills and gain confidence in order

to use Welsh in every aspect of life”.

Providingabilingualyouthserviceisabout:

• recognisingthebilingualnatureofWales

andstrengtheningWales’identityasa

bilingualnation;

• providingequalityofopportunitytoall

youngpeoplesothattheycanparticipate

andexpressthemselvesintheirpreferred

language;

• providingayouthworkcurriculumthat

increasesunderstandingoftheWelsh

language,itshistory,cultureandrelated

issues;

• providinganinformalsocialenvironment

whereyoungpeoplecanuseandimprove

theirknowledgeofWelshandgain

increased confidence to use their Welsh

languageskillsinarangeofsettings.

1.4 Languageandyouthwork

provision

Duetohistoricalanddemographicalreasons,youth

workinWalesisgenerallyprovidedthroughthe

mediumofEnglish.AsurveyofWelshlanguage

youthprovisioninWalesin1998(WYA/WLB)7

reaffirmed an OHMCI finding8thatWelshlanguage

opportunitieswithintheyouthservicearescarce,

sparseandad hoc.Thesurveyfoundthatonly

13% of youth clubs used Welsh as their only

or predominant language, while a further 13%

describedthemselvesasvariouslyproviding

abilingualenvironment.Whereastherewere

geographicalvariationstothispattern,aswouldbe

expected, the vast majority (74%) of youth clubs

werefoundtobeEnglish-onlysettings.

opening both doors

8

Althoughmuchoftheadvicesetoutinthis

documentdealswiththeprovisionofbilingual

opportunitiesitisimportanttorealise,however,that

providingexclusivelyWelshmediumprovisionis

recognisedasanessentialpartofprovidingequal

opportunitieswithintheyouthservice.YoungWelsh

speakersshouldbeaffordedtheopportunityto

socialiseincontextswhereWelshisconsidered

thenorm,i.e.themain,oronly,languageused.

SuchsettingsallowyoungWelshspeakersto

expressthemselvesfreelyinWelsh-freeofthe

compromisestheynecessarilymakeinbilingual

situations.(Similarequalopportunityparallels

canbedrawnwithotherparallelprovision,e.g.

parallelprovisionforyounggirls,certainreligious

groups,specialneedsgroupsetc.).Somevoluntary

organisationsandlocalauthoritiesrecognisethis

need and cater specifically for Welsh speakers.

Although,astheresearchindicates,moresuch

opportunitiesareverymuchneeded,particularly

inSouthEastandNorthEastWales.Section4of

thisdocumentoffersfurtheradviceaboutproviding

Welsh-mediumprovision.

WhilstexclusivelyWelsh-mediumprovisionis

bothcrucialanddesirable,therealitywhicha

largenumberofthosewhoworkwithyoung

peopleexperiencewithintheyouthserviceisof

anincreasinglydiversebilingualmembership.

Moreover,localauthorityyouthserviceshavea

dutytoensuretheneedsofWelshusersaremetto

thesamelevelasEnglishusersundertheauspices

oftheirstatutoryWelshLanguageSchemes.

Providingsensitiveandappropriateyouthwork

inthesebilingualsettingsprovidesafargreater

challengethanworkingwithmonolingualgroupsof

anykind.Itisthischallengeweaimtoaddressin

thishandbook.

opening both doors

9

2.0 Understanding bilingual Youth Work

Infuture,iftheydonotalreadydoso,youth

workersinmostpartsofWaleswillprobablywork

withgroupsofyoungpeoplethatareincreasingly

bilingual.Todealequitablywithyoungpeople

insuchsituationsyouthworkproviders,both

organisationsandyouthworkers,willneedto

understandbasicissuesconcerninglanguage

onbothapolicyandpracticelevel.Below,we

outlinesomefundamentalprinciplesthatshouldbe

consideredasacontextforthepracticalaspects

describedinlatersections.Themainpremises

addressedarethat:

• languageiscentrallyimportantto

personalandculturalidentity;

• languageabilityisaspectrumofskills;

• havingtwolanguagesmeanshavingto

makelanguagechoices;

• apowerrelationshipexistsbetween

languagesandlanguagegroups,and

hence

• aneffectiveandequitablebilingualism

hastobefacilitatedandfostered.

2.1 Languageandidentity

Issuesaroundlanguagecanbeverysensitive.

Oneofthemainreasonsforthissensitivityisthat

languageisintrinsicallylinkedtoanindividual’s

identity–andwe’reallsensitiveaboutthat!

Languageisameansofexpressionaswellas

abadgeofidentity–bothonapersonallevel

andasameansofidentifyingwithothers:family,

communityandawiderlanguagegroup.Language

isanimportantpartofwhoweareandwhowe

relateto,howweseeourselvesandhowweare

seenbyothers.Languageisintrinsicallyus.

Manyhavenaïvelyclaimedthatlanguageisonlya

meansofcommunication.Clearly,communication

isaprimaryfunctionoflanguagebutlanguageis

also crucial to how we view the world. We define

andorganisetheworldwhichweexperience

physically,emotionallyandspirituallybymeans

oflanguage.Itisthroughlanguagethatweshare

ourexperiencesandagreemeaningwithothers.

Languageistheprimaryvehicleforcultural

expressionandreproduction.Thelanguagewith

whichweidentifyourselvesisalsooneofthemost

importantculturalmarkerswecarry.Itlinksusto

aparticularpeople,particularvalues,particular

perspectives,particularculturalactivities,a

particularpastandaparticularpresent.

Culturalidentitiesaresomethingweallvalue,

whateverlanguagewespeak,beitconsciouslyor

unconsciously,simplybecausewevaluewhowe

are.Similarly,languages,asbothamediumand

anexpressionoftheseculturalidentities,arealso

valued.Ingeneral,weallhavearighttotherespect

ofothers–avaluethatyouthworkhasalways

championed.Thismeansrespectingourvarious

languagesandculturalidentitiesaswell.

Appreciatingthevalueofbilingualismmaywell

facilitateabroaderunderstandingofcultural

differencesandengenderempathytowardsother

culturalgroups.Inthatsensebilingualismmaywell

bringaddedvaluetoaninclusiveyouthservice.As

stipulatedbytheYWCSW,ourdiversityshouldbe

celebratedbyall.

opening both doors

10

2.2 Thelanguageskillsspectrum

Onemythorfallacyofwhichweallshouldbe

aware from the outset is the oversimplification of

languageandculturalidentity.Traditionally,people

havebeendescribedasWelsh-speakersornon-

Welsh-speakers–asifbilingualismwasaswitch

youeitherturnonoroff,an‘either/or’situation.The

Office for National Statistics has recognised that

thetraditionalCensusquestion,“Can you speak

Welsh – yes or no?”,helpsnooneinthisrespect.

Languageskillsandculturalidentityaremuch

morecomplicatedandsubtlethanthat.Asaresult,

the2001Censusaskedafewmorequestions

regardingthefouraspectsoflanguageskills

–understanding,speaking,readingandwriting

Welsh–andhencegainedaclearerpictureofthe

diversityoflanguageskills.

At the 2001 Census 20.8% of the population

ofWalesregisteredthemselvesortheirfamily

membersasbeingabletospeakWelsh.However:

• 661,526(23.6%)recordedthatthey

understoodspokenWelsh;

• 567,152(20.2%)couldreadWelsh;

• 495,519(17.7%)couldwriteWelsh;

• 797,717(28.4%)recordedthattheyhadat

leastonelanguageskill.

Languageatthesimplestlevel,isaskill.Likeall

skills,individualshavevaryingdegreesofability.

Howgoodajoke-tellerareyou?Howwelldoyou

cook?Howwelldoyoudriveacar?Similarly,

languageskillsareaspectrumofability–from

providingmonosyllabicgruntstoinspiringoratory,

frommanagingtoscribbleanoteforthemilkman

topenninganaward-winningnovel.Ourlanguage

skills vary greatly. Being fluent or literate is a

relativecompetencenotanabsolutecharacteristic

–languagegroups,therefore,containarainbowof

individualskills.

9 The State of the Welsh Language, Beaufort Research/ Welsh Language Board (2000).

Similarly,beingbilingualdoesnotmeanthat

youareequallycompetentinbothlanguages.

Anindividual’slanguageskillsindifferent

languagesmightwellbeatdifferentpointsofthe

spectrum. Individuals might well be more fluent

inonelanguageoranotherdependingonthe

circumstances,thetopicorthejobinhand.

Anotherpointtobearinmindisthatthedegree

oflanguageskillhasnothingtodowithattitudes

to language. While only a significant minority of

the general public claim some fluency in Welsh

researchbyBeaufortResearchin2000hasshown

thatthevastmajorityseeWelshinapositivelight.9

• 89%agreedthattheWelshlanguageis

importantforWelshculture.

• 81%agreedthatitisimportantthat

childrenlearntospeakit.

• 80%agreedthattheWelshlanguage

belongedtoeveryoneinWales.

• 76%agreedthatWalesisabilingual

country.

• Only5%ofthetotalsamplewere

opposedtotheuseofWelsh.

ThisgeneralsupportforWelshismirroredbythe

publicpolicycontextpreviouslydescribed.

2.3 Languagechoices

Oneofthemainresponsibilitiesofyouthsupport

workersistoensurethattheycometoknowthe

youngpeopleintheircare.Thosewhoworkwith

youngpeopleneedtoknowofayoungperson’s

familybackground,charactertraits,interests

–anythingandeverythingthatmakestheir

relationshipsupportiveandconstructive.Buthow

many youth workers know the language profile of

theyoungpeopleintheircharge?Whatlanguages

dotheyspeak,towhomdotheyspeakthem,when

andinwhatcircumstances?

opening both doors

11

Ifyouaren’taWelshspeakeryourselfitmight

be difficult to assess a young person’s language

fluency and preferences. It’s not so straightforward

even if you are a fluent Welsh speaker. However,

withWelshacoresubjectwithinschools,most

youngpeoplehavesomeknowledgeofWelsh,

howeverlittle.

Oneofthemaindifferencesbetweenbilingual

peopleandmonolingualpeopleisthatbilingual

peoplehaveachoiceofwhichlanguagetouse.

Theymightusedifferentlanguagesfordifferent

purposes,withdifferentpeopleatdifferenttimes.

TheymightuseEnglishathome,Welshatschool,

Englishattheleisurecentre,Welshinformal

interviews,EnglishattheshopsandbothWelsh

andEnglishatthelocalpub.

All manner of social factors influence a bilingual

youngperson’schoiceoflanguageandtheir

willingnesstoassociatewithoruseaparticular

language.Languageusewithinthefamilyand

widercommunityareobviousfactors.Othersmight

include:

• socialexpectationstouseaparticular

language;

• thelanguageusuallyusedwithina

certainsetting;

• peerpressuretoconform-perceptions

of‘cool’and‘sad’;

• aneednottobeexcluded;

• aneednottobeperceivedasa

‘nuisance’or‘troublemaker’;

• being more confident, fluent or

expressiveinaparticularlanguage;

• beingdisadvantagedbychoosinga

particularlanguage;

• unsureofthelanguageregisterexpected

ofthem–formalorinformal;

• wanttoidentifywithaparticular

languagegroup,orconversely;

• wanttodisassociatethemselvesfroma

particularlanguagegroup.

Thosewhoworkwithyoungpeopleneedtobe

awareofthesubtletyoflanguageskills,language

choicesandidentityissues.Itisimportantto

rememberthatwhatevertheirlanguagechoices

withintheyouthworksetting,whateverfactors

influence this choice, bilingual young people

shouldberespectedfortheirbilingualismandtheir

bilingualismshouldbefacilitated.

2.4 Languageandequal

opportunities

Youthworkisalsoaboutempoweringyoung

people.Allsocialcontextscontainapower

relationship.Therearepowerfulgroupswithin

societyandtherecanbepowerfulindividualswithin

groups.Sotooinrelationtolanguages.There

arepowerfullanguagesthatenjoyhighprestige,

worldstatus,largenumbersofspeakersandstate

sponsorship;andtherearelesspowerfullanguages

thatmayhavefewerspeakers,lowerstatus,a

historyofrestricteduseandmaybeheldinlow

esteembyspeakersandnon-speakersalike.

Thepower,statusandesteembestowedupon

individuallanguageshaveabearingonthe

perceptionsandbehaviourofindividualsand

groups–ourself-perceptionaswellasthe

perceptionofothers.Becauseofthispowertension

betweena‘majoritylanguage’anda‘lesserused

language’bilingualsituationsareseldomequal.In

bilingualsituationsmembersofthelesspowerful

languagecommunitywillmoreoftenthannot

accommodatetheirbehaviourinordertoattemptto

over-ridethepowerrelationshipbetweenthetwo

languages(andbyinferencethepowerrelationship

betweenthemselvesandmembersofthemore

powerfullanguagegroup).Thisaccommodating

behaviouristhatmucheasiertoachievewhen

speakersofthe‘lesserusedlanguage’arealso

fluent in the ‘majority language’, as in Wales.

opening both doors

12 10 YWCSW (2007), ibid.

Sothatyoungpeoplecanfullyparticipate,

communicateandexpressthemselvesthey

needtobeenabledtoparticipatefreelyintheir

ownlanguage.Youthworkprovidersshould

beconstantlyawareoftheirdutytoprovidea

non-threatening,non-judgementalandenabling

languageenvironment.

IntermsoflanguageuseinWales,suchan

enablingbilingualenvironmentcanbedescribedas

aplacewhere:

• bothlanguagesareequallyvisible;

• both languages are used in an official

andpubliccapacity;

• bothlanguagescanbeused‘safely’

(withoutfearofintimidation,ridiculeor

exclusion);

• practicalactivitiesareorganisedin

suchawayastofacilitateand

encouragelanguagepreference,and

where

• diversityofidentityispromotedand

celebrated.

Theremainderofthishandbooksetsoutto

describepracticalmeasuresthroughwhichthis

kindofenablingenvironmentcanbedeveloped

andfostered.

Participationisanotherpillarofeffectiveyouth

work.TheYWCSWstatesthatyouthworkis

aboutopportunitieswhereyoungpeopleare

‘encouragedtoshareresponsibilityandtobecome

equalpartnersintermsoflearningprocessesand

decisionmakingstructures’10.Whilethishandbook

mainlyreferstoaspectsoforganisationandthe

roleofyouthworkers,theroleoftheyoungpeople

themselvesinplanningandrealisingbilingualyouth

provisionmustnotbeoverlooked.Theirlanguage

skills,positiveattitudesandbilingualaspirations

areanassetthatshouldbeutilisedfullytofacilitate

bilingualyouthworkprovision.

Youthworkersconcernedwithprovidingequality

ofopportunitytoallmustbeawareoftheir

responsibilitytoredressthispowerrelationship

indealingwithgroupsfromdifferentlanguage

communitiesinbilingualsituations.Thebilingual

groupwithintheyouthclubmightwellchoose

touseEnglishifthatistheconsiderednorm

withinthegroupbutitdoesn’tmeanthatthey

wouldchoosetouseEnglishoneveryoccasion

ifgivenothersensitivelyofferedopportunities.

Meaningfulbilingualismneedstobefacilitated

andbilingualyoungpeopleneedtobeenabled

fairly,sensitivelyandproactivelytomakethese

languagechoices.

Powerrelationshipsthatalsolieattheheartof

otherequalopportunityissuessuchasprovision

foryoungwomen,disabledyoungpeopleorblack

youth.Challengingtheseoppressionsisacentral

functionofyouthwork.InWales,bilingualism

iscentraltothisanti-oppressiveandequal

opportunitiesagenda.

2.5 Creatinganenabling

environment

Indevelopingeffectivebilingualyouthwork

practice,youthorganisationsandyouthworkers

shouldbeprimarilyconcernedwithcreatingan

enablingenvironment.

Youthworkitselfisanenablingprocess.Thosewho

workwithyoungpeopleshouldbeconcernedwith

enablingyoungpeopletolearnaboutthemselves

andothers;enablingthemtotakepartinaraftof

learningexperiences;enablingthemtodevelop

asindividualsandasmembersofgroupsand

communities;enablingyoungpeopletoparticipate

indecisionmakingatalllevelsandempowering

themtoactontheirconcerns.Youthwork,as

wehavepreviouslyseen,isalsoaboutenabling

youngpeopletoexpressthemselvesthroughtheir

preferredlanguageandculture.

opening both doors

13

3.0 bilingual provision

Whatdowemeanbybilingualyouthwork

provision?Ideallyitshouldbeapracticethat

givesequalvalueandstatustobothWales’main

languages,wherebothlanguagesareseen,heard

andusedinformalandinformalcontexts,and

wheremembersorparticipantsarepermitted,

encouragedandsupportedtoparticipatein

whateverlanguagetheychoose.Havinganethos

andanenvironmentthatencouragesrespectfor

diversityiscrucialiftrulybilingualprovisionistobe

offered.Withoutabasiclevelofrespect,thereisa

danger that any other steps taken will be superficial

andineffective.

Indevelopingeffectivebilingualpracticewithin

theyouthservicewecanlookatthreeparticular

aspects:

• theyouthworkenvironment;

• youthworkersandtheirlanguageskills,and

• thewayactivitiesareorganised.

We’lladdresseachaspectinturn,providingsimple

andpracticaladviceonallaspects.

3.1 Theyouthworkenvironment

Youthworksettingsarevariousandvaried.They

mayincludearangeofinformalsettings,outreach

projects,residentialfacilitiesaswellasthemore

traditionalclubs,villagehallsandyouthcentres.

Swimmingpoolsandleisurecentresarealso

importantlocationsforyoungpeople.Eventhough

wemightmentionparticularsettingsinthetext

fromtimetotime,thefollowingcommentswillbe

relevanttoallyouthworksettings.Readersshould

translatetheprinciplesunderlyingthecommentary

totheirownparticularcircumstances.

Ifyouareconcernedthatyouryouthcentreor

projectshouldhaveanopen-housepolicyas

regardslanguageuse,creatinganappropriate

enablingenvironmentiscrucial.Anopen-house

policymaybehinderedbythefactthatpotential

users’preferredlanguageisnotvisibleoraudible

withinthecentre.Evenregularmembersmight

attimesfeelalienatedandexcluded.Acentreor

projectthatdoesnotvisiblyacknowledgeyour

preferredlanguageissurelylesslikelytorecognise

andrespectyouasaspeakerofthatlanguage.

Asabilingualperson,youhavetwochoices

–eithertoaccommodatethesituationandopt

tousetheexplicitlanguage(eventhoughyou’re

not completely satisfied with the situation,) or opt

outandgoelsewhere.Researchindicatesthat

a significant number of young Welsh speakers

goforthesecondoption.Insuchcasesusing

Welshmaywellbeanopportunitytoincreaseyour

membership!

Anopen-housepolicyshouldpromoteinclusivity.

Itmustberememberedthatbilingualismdoesnot

exclude.Bilingualismdoesnotbarordisadvantage

Englishusersinanyway.Bilingualismisinclusive.

Ifabilingualenvironmentisessentialforinclusive

practice–howdowedoit?

opening both doors

14

3.1.1Name

Thenameofyourclubisanimportantpartofits

identity.Itisthebanneryouwaveattheyoung

peopleinyourareainordertoattracttheirattention

andmakeyourselfknown.Themessagesand

signals conveyed by your official name have the

potentialofbeinginclusiveanddrawingpeoplein,

orexcludingandalienatingpeople.

Mostyouthclubsareusuallynamedafterthe

communitytheyserve.Ifthisisthesituationinyour

casethenusingthedescriptionClwb Ieuenctid

aswellasYouth Clubisaneasywaytoensurea

bilingualname.Grammaticalconventionwillmean

that the Welsh should be placed first, which will

furthersignalapositiveattitudetoWelsh,e.g.:

InthecaseofcommunitiesthathavedifferentnamesinWelshandEnglish,prioritywilloften

reflect local contexts e.g.

or

Moreimaginativenamescaneitherbetranslatedor

asinglebilingualnameadopted:

(Arosmas,was!

Stayoutside,pal!)

Bilingualsignssay:

(Mae’nddiogel-it’squitesafe!)

Consider what language messages are flagged

upbyyourpresentnameandconsiderchangesif

necessary.

3.1.2Signs

Signsarealsoanimportantpartofyouryouth

club’senvironment.Signsportrayobvious

messagesregardinglanguageandtheclub’s

attitudetobilingualism.Bilingualsignscanopen

doors or leave them firmly shut.

Englishonlysignscanconveythefollowing

impression:

or

Clwb Ieuenctid

GlanffrwdYouth Club

Clwb Ieuenctid AberteifiCardigan Youth Club

Newbridge Sports Club

Clwb Chwaraeon Trecelyn

Canolfan Hamdden

Y Ffenics - The PhoenixLeisure Centre

Antur Youth Project

Come in!

Dewch i mewn!Come in!

opening both doors

15

Ifthebuildingisnotunderyourcontrolwhynot

explainthesituationtotheownerandaskfor

bilingualsignstobeconsidered.Youmighteven

wishtoconsidermovingyourcluborprojectto

anotherbilingually-signedbuilding.

Languagepriorityonsigns,i.e.whichlanguage

appears first, is most often open to local decision

makingbasedonlocalcontexts.However,a

generallyacceptedruleisthatpriorityshouldbe

giventothelesser-usedlanguageinordertoafford

itagreaterdegreeofprominenceratherthan

reinforceitsoftenlowerstatus.

Ensurethatsignscarrythecorrecttranslation.

Neverentrustanytranslationworktoso-called

onlineautomatedtranslationengines.Onthe

wholetheyaretotallyineffectiveandincorrect,

withnumerousexamplesincirculationofbasic

errorsandregularmistakesoccuring.Havingto

correctasignaftermis-translationcanbecostly,

andleavinganincorrecttranslationonasign

canbeverydamagingintermsofthemessages

conveyed.Mistakescancausebothmirthand

offence.Incorrecttranslationssendmessagesto

Welshspeakersthattheirlanguage(andhence,

theythemselves)areofsecondaryimportance

andnotworthyofdetailedattention.Thisobviously

wouldnotbeamessagethataproactivelybilingual

organisationwouldwanttoconvey.Moreover,

incorrecttranslationswhichhaveahumorous

connotationcanmaketheorganisationlook

somewhatfoolish,e.g.

• BlwyddynCadfridogynCwrdd(“The

yeartheMilitaryGeneralMeets”instead

of“AGM”);

• Galwchhebbenodiad(“Callwithout

beingappointedtoapost”-insteadof

“NoAppointmentNecessary”);

• CroesoiBaw(“Dirtwelcomed”instead

of“EveryoneWelcome”).

Forshorttranslationsthatarefreeofcharge–and

correct–theWelshLanguageBoardofferaservice

calledLinkLinetoWelsh.Byvisiting

www.llinellgyswllt.co.ukbycalling08456076070

orbyemailingcyswllt@bwrdd-yr-iaith.org.ukduring

office hours from Monday to Friday, you can have

upto30wordstranslatedfreeofcharge.

Someofthesignsandstickersinyourbuilding

willbeinformationsignsthathavetoconformto

Europeanstandards.Ausefulonlinecatalogueof

suchbilingualsignscanbeobtainedfromThink

Signs (www.bilingualsigns.co.uk).

Likewisewithtemporarynotices:

Ifyouryouthclubisownedbyalocalauthority

allsignsshouldbebilingualundertheauthority’s

WelshLanguageScheme.However,ifyouown

yourownbuildingconsiderwhicharethemost

importantsigns,whichsignsneedtobereplacedin

anycaseandgraduallyreplacethemwithbilingual

versionsovertimeasthebudgetallows.Don’t

focussolelyonpermanentsignage.Thesame

principlesaretrueofshorttermandtemporary

signs,e.g.:

Rhowch eich enwau yma i gadw lle ar y

bws dydd Sadwrn:

Write your names below to ensure a

seat on the bus on Saturday:

Paent Gwlyb / Wet Paint

opening both doors

16

opening both doors

16

opening both doors

17

3.1.3 Official literature

Yourorganisationwillnodoubtproducesome

official material during the course of a year -

membershipcards,aclubbrochure,information

leaflet, programme of activities, letters to parents

andguardians,etc…

Ifyoudonotcurrentlyissuebilingualliteraturewhy

notconsiderwhatyoucandointheshortterm,

e.g.ensuringthatthemembershipcardorterm

programmeisbilingual.Considertheresponse

andseewhatelsecouldbedonebilinguallyin

future.

Noticesandnoticeboardsmightbeanimportant

wayofsharinginformationaboutsportsteams,club

events,tripsetc.Boththeheading-Hysbysfwrdd/

Noticeboard-andtheassortednoticescouldwell

bebilingualwithverylittletrouble.Translation

neednotberepetitiveorcostly-onceyouhave

abilingualteamsheet,discoposterorparental

permissionformtheywillchangeverylittleover

time.

Mostcentreswillhavevariousothersignsand

noticesdisplayed–openingtimes,Healthand

Safety Notices, smoking policies, confidentiality

notices,behaviourpolicyetc..Thesetoocouldwell

bebilingual.

TheLinkLinetoWelshisidealforshort

translations(seeabove).Fortranslationsof

morethan30words,asktheWelshLanguage/

TranslationUnitofyourlocalauthorityforadvice,

orcontactyourlocalMenter Iaith(Language

Initiative).ThereareMentrau Iaithinmostof

thecountiesofWales,andmanyofthemoffera

translationservice(writtenand/orsimultaneous).

Usuallythetranslationratesforlocalcommunity

groupsaresubstantiallyreduced.Yourlocal

Menter Iaithwillbeabletoadviceyouastothe

extentoftheirtranslationprovisioninyourarea.

ThecentralMentrau Iaithwebsitecanbefound

atwww.mentrau-iaith.comwhichthenallows

youtoselectyourlocalMenter Iaith.Evenmore

effectiveandintunewithgoodyouthworkpractice

wouldbetoasktheyoungpeoplethemselvesto

translaterelevantmaterialandtogetitcheckedby

acompetentprofessional.TheLinkLinetoWelsh

willproofread/editupto75wordsfreeofcharge.

ItisalsoworthnotingthattheWelshLanguage

Boardcanoffersmallgrantstovoluntary

organisationstoassistinproducingbilingual

material.ApplicationstotheGrantsforthe

PromotionofWelshSchemecanbemadeatany

timeofyear.Forfurtherdetails,visittheWelsh

LanguageBoardwebsiteatwww.byig-wlb.org.uk

3.1.4Theinformalenvironment

As well as ensuring equal status on official signs

anddocumentationyoucouldalsoconsiderthe

moreinformalaspectsoftheclubenvironment.

Theyarelikelytohaveanevenstrongerbearingon

thewayinwhichbilingualismisperceived:

Posters–manyagenciesnowsupplybilingual

campaign posters and leaflets around issues such

ashealth,thirdworldandenvironmentalissues

etc.,whichcanbedisplayedandcirculatedinthe

club.

OrganisationssuchastheWelshLanguage

Board,S4C,MenteraBusnes,WelshBooks

Council,WelshSportsCounciletc.haveattractive

postersportrayingWelshlandscapes,Welsh

foods,rugbystarsetc.Eveniftheyarenot

bilingual,suchpostersdoportrayaspectsof

Welsh life and culture and can fulfil a curricular

roleinawidersense.

Graffiti– if you have a graffiti wall in the club

includeafewWelshsloganstogettheballrolling.

Youmightbesurprisedbywhatelsegetswritten

inWelshoritmightrevealsometensionsaround

bilingualismwhichneedtoberesolved.

opening both doors

18

Music-manyyouthclubshaveaCDormp3

playerformembers’use.Whynotensurethat

thereisamixtureofWelshmediumaswellas

Englishmediumbands.Manyoftoday’sleading

Welshbandsandartistsrecordandperforminboth

languages–SuperFurryAnimals,CerysMathews,

Duffy,andtheTexasRadioBand,andmanyother

bandsthatdon’tperforminWelshdisplaytheir

Welshidentitywithpride–Stereophonics,Manic

StreetPreachers...

www-ifyouhaveaccesstotheinternetwhynot

postupsomebookmarkstoWelshlanguagesites

suchastheBBCsiteCymru’r Byd,RadioCymru’s

C2website,golwg360(Welshlanguagenews),

theNationalEisteddfod,S4C,WelshLanguage

Board,Maes-e.com(amultitopicchatforum),

FunkyDragon,Blogiadur.com(adirectoryofWelsh

blogs),curiad.org(music),locallanguageinitiatives

(Mentrau Iaith)andotheryouthorganisationssuch

asUrddGobaithCymru,DukeofEdinburghAward

SchemeandYFCWales.

Someyouthgroupshavetheirownweb

pages,eitherindependentlyoraspartoftheir

organisation’swebsite.Howaboutensuringthatthe

webpageisalsobilingual?

IT&PCs–it’spossibletoinstallaWelshlanguage

interfaceonmostcomputeroperatingsystems

bydownloadingsoftwarefreeofchargefromthe

MicrosoftorWelshLanguageBoardwebsite.

It’spossibletoswitchbackandforthfromthe

EnglishlanguagetotheWelshlanguageinterfaces

dependingonthepreferredlanguageofthe

individualusingthecomputeratthetime.Thisisa

costfreeandeffectivewayofensuringlanguage

choiceintherealmofinformationtechnologyand

personalcomputinginyouryouthclub.Ifyouare

lookingforfreeWelshlanguage‘OpenSource’

office software, there is a specific website you can

visitinordertodownloadthesoftware:

www.agored.com

Magazines-ifyouhavealibraryoracoffee

areawithreadingmaterialwhynotsubscribeto

WelshlanguagemagazinessuchasGolwg,Y

Cymro,Lingo(amagazineforWelshlearners)and

variousotherpublicationsandfanzinesaswellas

toEnglishmediumpublications.It’spossibleto

subscribetoanelectronicon-lineversionofsome

ofthesepublications(e.g.Golwg).

Information-ifyourunadrop-ininformation

serviceforyoungpeople,acounsellingservice

orifyourunissuebasedsessionsintheclub,

ensure that leaflets and handouts are bilingual.

Mostnationalandregionalagenciesnowensure

thattheypublishbilingualmaterialforyouruse.

Moreover,beproactiveinusingthematerial.Find

outifthepersonyouaredealingwithisbilingual

and give them the bilingual version of leaflets

orbothEnglishandWelshversionsifseparate.

Theycanthenchoosewhichlanguagetheywish

toreadandwhichversiontogivetoothers,such

asparentsorfriends.Bydoingthisyouhave

respectedtheirchoiceandhavenotmadethe

choiceforthem.

3.1.5Announcements

Havingavisiblebilingualenvironmentiscrucial

buthavinganenvironmentwherebothWelshand

Englisharealsoheardstrengthensthemessage

thatbilingualismisOK.Ifyouthworkersintheclub

arebilingual,themoreWelshtheyusethemore

likelymembersaretouseWelshaswellasthey

seethatitis‘allowed’.

opening both doors

19

Weshalldiscussinformalrelationshipsbetween

youthworkerandclubmemberinthenext

section.However,inthecontextofcreatingan

enablingenvironmentthelanguageofgeneral

announcementscanbeimportant.Imparting

instructions,directionsorinformationbilingually

givesauthoritytobothlanguages.

Notallyouthgroupswithbilingualmemberswill

havebilingualyouthworkers.Remembering

whatwassaidearlierregardingtheneedtosee

languageasaspectrum,mostyouthworkers,with

helpandsupport,willbeabletopickupkeywords

andphrasestousefromtimetotime.Bilingual

messagescancarrygreaterweightifcomingfrom

anunlikelysource.

3.2 Youthworkersandtheir

languageskills

Havingbilingualstaffwouldclearlymakeiteasier

toensureabilingualethoswithinyouthclubs.

However,mostclubsareclearlynotinthisposition.

Sinceanindividualyouthworker’sbilingualskills

willimpactupontherelationshiptheyhavewith

bilingualyoungpeople,wewilldealwiththis

relationshipfromthreeperspectives:

•a fluently bilingual youth worker;

•ayouthworkerwith‘someWelsh’;

•ayouthworkerwithnoWelsh.

By a fluent bilingual we mean somebody who can

conversewithyoungpeopleinsimple,everyday,

colloquialWelsh.Youdonotneedtobeableto

addresstheGeneralAssemblyofthePresbyterian

ChurchofWales!Ayouthworkerwith‘someWelsh’

wouldbeapersonwhohassomeknowledgeof

Welsh,someabilitytoconversebutwhonormally

woulduseEnglishasthelanguageofchoice.

PeoplewithabsolutelynoknowledgeofWelshat

allarefewandfarbetween,asmostpeoplehave

somelevelofWelshlanguageskills.Mostofus

areabletosay“boreda”,or“hwyl”,sothereality

ofthesituationisthatmostyouthworkerswill

either be fluent Welsh speakers, or will have ‘some

Welsh’.Theimportantthingisthatthoseyouth

workers have enough confidence to use whatever

Welshtheyhavewithpride,andinapositiveway

thatwillempowerothers.

Whatisvitallyimportanttorealise,however,isthat

allyouthworkerscancontributeconstructively

and significantly to bilingual practice. Bilingualism

belongstoallofusinWaleswhateverlanguages

wespeak.

3.2.1 Fluentlybilingualyouth

workers

Bilingual youth workers can fulfil several key roles

inmaintainingabilingualethoswithinaclub,

projectorsetting.

Theymayoftenbeabletocontributetothelevel

ofWelshusedina public or official capacity

-makingannouncements,givingdirections,

refereeinggamesorimpartinginformation,as

mentionedabove.

Theycanalsocontributevaluablyinaninformal

mannerbyusingWelshintheirgeneraldealings

withclubmembers-instigatingandresponding

toconversationsineitherlanguage,andensuring

thatthelingua francadoesnotalwaysmonopolise

conversations.Bilingualyouthworkersneedtobe

proactiveinheruseoflanguageinordertoensure

thatlanguagechoicesremainviableandopen.

opening both doors

20

Thirdly,theyhaveakeyroleinpersonal

relationships.Itisgenerallymucheasiertobuild

arelationshipwithsomeoneinasharedmother

tongue.YoungWelshspeakersmightwellbemore

inclined to confide or trust a Welsh speaking youth

worker and they most certainly would find it easier to

expresspersonalmattersandconcernsinWelsh.

InsituationswhereWelshisthemainlanguage

withinanopen-houseclub,Welshspeakingyouth

workersneedtobeawareofthelanguageneedsof

young people who may not be as fluent in Welsh as

othersandneedtoaccommodatethemsensitively

withintheclub’sbilingualculture.

opening both doors

21

3.2.2Youthworkerswith“some

Welsh”

Adultstendtounderestimatetheirabilitytospeak

Welsh.Thismayoftenbeduetoshyness,lack

ofpractice,badexperiencesinthepast,low

confidence and a host of other reasons.

However,youthworkerswithwhattheywould

regardasonly“someWelsh”cancontribute

positivelytobilingualismwithinyouthclubsby

breakingdownthe‘either/or’mythmentioned

earlier.BeingabletospeakWelshisnotsimply

acaseofblackandwhite–therearesomany

shadesinbetween.Whenindividualswhoare

perceivedasbeingmonolingualEnglishspeakers

useWelsh,howeverlimitedthatusemightbe,

theybegintobreakdownthemythandhelpyoung

peoplerecognisethelanguagerainbowwhich

beingWelsh-speakingisallabout.

WhendealingwithyoungWelshspeakers

somemayconsiderusingWelshgreetingsand

pleasantries,suchas:Sut mae? Hwyl! Da iawn,

Nos da, Diolch.Thiscangoalongwayonthe

relationshipfront.Welshspeakers,likeeverybody

else,generallyrespondpositivelytorecognition

andwouldbegenuinelyappreciativeofsuch

efforts.

With time, confidence will no doubt increase

andpracticewillfurtherstrengthenvocabulary,

phraseologyandpronunciation,contributingin

turn to a greater confidence in the use of Welsh in

future.IncreasingyourWelshlanguageskillscan

formavalidpartofyourprofessionaldevelopment.

OpportunitiesareavailablethroughtheWelsh

forAdultsCentresthroughoutWalestolearnor

improveyourWelshlanguageskills.Theirdetails

areincludedintheResourcesandContactsection

below.

However,languageskillsarenotallabout

speaking.Understandinglanguageisaskillinitself.

ManymorepeopleunderstandWelshthanspeak

it.YouthworkerswhounderstandWelshshould

usetheirskilltofacilitateandencourageothers

tospeakWelsh.Havingaconversationintwo

languageswhereallpartiesunderstandeachother

butcancontributeintheirownpreferredlanguage

seemstooffertheoptimuminbilingualism.

3.2.3YouthworkerswithnoWelsh

EvenifyouhavenoWelshatallyoucanstill

contributetocreatingabilingualenvironment.In

fact,yourroleiscentral.

Thebiggestobstacletopositivebilingualismrelates

topeople’sattitudesandfears.Forbilingualismto

workinameaningfulwayitneedstobebuilton

mutualtrustandtheattitudesofyouthworkerswith

noWelshisvitallyimportantifsuchanopenand

trustingbilingualcultureistobefostered.

Partoffosteringthesepositiveattitudesmeans

beingawareoflanguageissuessuchasthose

outlinedintheprevioussection-languageand

identity,reasonsforlanguagechoicesetc..As

withallequalopportunityissuesitisalsoabout

challengingprejudiceandpromotinggoodpractice.

Thosewhoworkwithyoungpeoplecantoa

significant extent set the moral or cultural tone of

theirgroupsbytheirownvaluesandattitudes.

Apositiveattitudetobilingualismonyourpart

willprovideagoodbasisforsuccess.Again,

professionaldevelopmentopportunitiescanbe

arrangedtofacilitatepositiveattitudesamongyouth

workers,e.g.languageawarenesstraining.

Itshouldbeacentralpremiseofyouryouthwork

thattheWelshlanguagebelongstoeverybody

inWales-notjustthosewhospeakit.Thevast

majorityofpeopleinWaleshavesomecontact

withWelsh-eitherwithintheirownfamily,through

friendsandacquaintances,orinthecommunity.

opening both doors

22

Weallhavesomeownershipofitevenifit’s

only as superficial as having a Welsh address.

Whatiscertainisthattoliveinadynamicand

positiveWalesweallneedtohaveownershipof

bilingualism.

3.3 Organisingbilingualactivities

Organisedeventsareacentralpartofthe

youthserviceprovision–beitonclub,regional

ornationallevel.Organisingeventscanbea

headacheinonelanguageletalonetwo.However,

ifwearetoprovideabilingualyouthservice,

organisingsuccessfulbilingualeventsiscentral.

Whatthenshouldwebearinmindinlanguage

termswhenplanningourevents?Oneofthebasic

generalprinciplesthatshouldbeadheredtoatall

timesisthatbothlanguagesshouldbeconsidered

atthebeginningofanynewevent,campaign,

initiativeorproject.Itcanbecounterproductive

toplaneverythinginonelanguageandthento

considertheotherlanguageasanafterthoughtat

theendofthecreativeprocess.Theonlywayof

creatingatrulybilingualeventoroccasionisby

givingbothlanguagesequalconsiderationfromday

one.

As all events vary in their organisation it is difficult

topindownacatch-allscenario.Wethereforeoffer

youthreeexamplesofeventsacrosstherange

ofyouthworksettingsthatvaryaccordingtotheir

nature,participantsandlevelofoperation.We

hopetheycovermostpertinentaspects.Thethree

exampleshighlightedare:

• groupwork-anissue-basedsessionin

theclub;

• anactiveevent-aregionalfootball

tournament,and

• aformalmeeting-aregional/national

AGM.

3.3.1Groupwork-anissue-based

session

Ensuringasuccessfulbilingualissue-basedor

trainingsessionisnoteasy.Althoughtheyareoften

informalinnatureissue-basedsessionscanbe

aboutsensitiveorcontentiousissuesthatengender

emotion or disagreement. It is often difficult to steer

certainsessionsinonelanguage;ensuringan

elementofbilingualismneedsevenmoreskill.

Bilingualfacilitator–obviously,havingabilingual

leadfacilitatororjointfacilitatorwouldhelpthe

sessionbebilingual.Heorshewouldbeableto

setthetoneandrespondineitherlanguagetoall

participants.Thiswouldbeaninformalwayofusing

bothlanguageswhichwouldmakeWelshspeakers

feelincludedandrespected,andwouldmeanthat

participantswouldbeencouragedtocontributein

theirpreferredlanguage.

Oftenthiswillnotbethecase.However,ifyour

grouphasbilingualyouthworkerstheycouldbeat

handtoassistandfacilitateanybilingualaspects

ofthesession.However,manyvoluntaryand

statutorybodieshavebilingualrepresentativesthat

theycanasktoconductissues-basedsessions

withyouthgroups.Inaddition,allareasinWales

have‘TheatreforYoungPeople’companieswho

canoftenbeusedasaresourceforbilingualissue-

baseddramawork,forexample.

Plenarygroups–inthemain,whileconducting

issue-basedwork,plenarygroupstendtobe

conductedmainlyinonelanguage.Thisis

principallyduetothefactthatsuccessfully

conductingdiscussionsoncontentiousand

complexissuesisquiteskilledworkandsecondly

thatgroupsofmonolinguals/bilingualstendtodrift

towardsusingthecommonlanguage–usually

English.

opening both doors

23

However,manybilingualsmightwellbeableto

facilitatebilingualplenarygroups.Ifyoubelieveyou

canmanageabilingualdiscussionbyallmeans

do so – but do so flexibly i.e. do not attempt to

translateeverysinglewordorsentence.Gowith

the meaning, go with the flow, making sure that

everybodycatchesyourdrift.

Bilingualworkinggroups–evenifplenary

groupscanonlybeheldinonelanguage,using

languagebasedworkinggroupsisausefulway

ofensuringlanguagechoice.Welshspeakers

wouldthenbegivenanopportunitytodiscuss

thetopicinWelsh.Iftheissuewasofasensitive

orcontentiousnaturebilingualyoungpeople

maywellexpressthemselvesbetterinWelsh.

Smallerworkinggroupsgenerallyproducebetter

discussioninanycase.Encourageanynote-taking,

practicalexercisesorrapporteurtasksthatneed

tobeundertakentobedonebilinguallyorineither

language.

Translationequipment-usingtranslation

equipmentininformalissue-basedsessionscan

oftenbeproblematic,althoughtheycanworkwell

inmoreformaltrainingsettings.Theyareusually

beyondayouthgroup’sbudget-unlessyouhave

freeaccessthroughyourlocalauthority.Local

Mentrau Iaith(languageinitiatives)mightwellbe

anothersourceofhelponthisscore.Someof

theMentrau Iaithloansimultaneoustranslation

equipmentfreeofcharge–butyouwillstillneed

atranslator.AskyourlocalMenter Iaithfor

theprovisionlocally:(www.mentrau-iaith.com).

Translation equipment is not a quick fix in itself.

Usingtranslationequipmentisonlyonetoolinthe

largertaskoforganisingabilingualevent.

Languagebuddies-amorepracticalidea,

particularlywheremonolingualsareintheminority,

istoropeintheservicesofafew‘language

buddies’.Languagebuddiescanbebilingual

youthworkers,seniormembersorpeerswhocan

roughlytranslateandwhisperwhat’sgoingonin

somebody’searandgenerallykeeptheminthe

picture. It’s a much more informal, flexible and

interactivearrangementthanusingsimultaneous

translationequipment.

OHPsandhandouts–bilingualOHPsand

handoutsarerelativelyeasytopreparebeforehand

withsomeplanning,forethoughtandsupport.

Informationmaterial–allstatutoryagenciesand

mostvoluntarybodieshavebilingualinformation

literatureonrelevantissuesthatcanbeusedand

disseminated.

Training–trainingisanimportantaspectofall

goodyouthworkbeitissue-basedtraining,senior

members’trainingorthetrainingofyouthworkers.It

isalsopossibletofacilitatetrainingeventsbilingually.

A useful leaflet ‘Notes on Bilingual Training’ by Alan

WhittickandGarethIoanpublishedbyUrddGobaith

Cymru/YMCA(1992)givessoundadviceonaspects

oftrainingbilingualgroups.

JointlyArranginganEvent–it’salwaysanoption

toconsiderarranginganeventjointlywithaWelsh

medium youth group. The first step would be to

fosteracloserrelationshipwithlocalyouthgroups

andclubsthatoperatemainlythroughthemedium

ofWelsh,andthentodiscussthepossibilityof

jointlyarranginganevent.

opening both doors

24

Name–namesareimportant,theyarelabelson

whichwehangbarrowloadsofmeaning.Eventhe

nameofafootballtournamentcanportrayyour

organisation’sattitudetolanguage.

LogosandSlogans–It’simportanttoensure

thatanylogo,sloganorstrap-lineworksinboth

languages.Thisunderlinestheimportanceof

givingbothlanguagesequalconsiderationfromthe

outset.Aparticularlycleversloganthatworkswell

inonelanguagemaybeuntranslatableormaynot

haveanequivalentmeaningintheotherlanguage.

Particularcaremustalsobetakenwhencreating

anacronymoracleverpun.Theseveryrarely

workinmorethanonelanguage.

Flyersandposters–Theyportrayyour

commitmenttobilingualismaswellasgivingyour

potentialspectatorsandcompetitorsanequal

opportunityofreadingyourmaterialineither

language.It’sbetter(andcheaper)toproduce

bilingualmaterialinasingledocument–posteror

leaflet – rather than producing materials seperately

inEnglishandWelsh.Allittakesisabitofvision

andcreativedesignskills.Furtherdetailsare

availableinA Guide to Bilingual Designinthe

publicationssectionoftheWelshLanguageBoard’s

website(www.byig-wlb.org.uk).Havingboth

languages on one poster or one leaflet avoids the

difficulty of having to ensure equality of distribution

anddisplay(i.e.ifseparatelanguageversionsof

aparticularposterexist,howwillyouensurethat

3.3.2 Anactiveevent–aregional

footballtournament

equalnumbersaredistributed,andhowwillyou

ensurethataWelshversionwillbedisplayednext

toanEnglishversioneverytime?)

Pressandmedia–youmightwellwantto

considerissuingbilingualpressandmediareleases

forregionalandnationalevents.Someregional

newspapersinNorthandWestWalesareWelsh-

medium,otherscarrynewsstoriesinWelsheven

thoughmostofthepaperisinEnglish.Onalocal

level,reportsofsportingeventsaremorelikelyto

gaincoveragethanpressreleases,particularlyif

youcanincludephotos.Writeyourreportsnotonly

to reflect the language of local media but of the

localreadershipaswell.

NationalpublicationssuchasY CymroorGolwg

mightwellshowaninterestinyouractivities,

aswouldnationalWelshlanguagemediasuch

asRadio Cymru,S4CandBBC’sCymru’r Byd

website.ManylocalradiostationswelcomeWelsh

languageitems.Commercialradiostationsinnorth

andwestWalesbroadcastasubstantialpartof

theiroutputinWelsh.

Itisalsoworthknowingthatthereisanational

networkoflocalWelshlanguagenewspapers/

magazinescalledPapurau Bro.Doyouknowof

anduseyourlocalpapur bro?

Programmes, team sheets and fixture charts

–duringthecompetitionitselfanyliteratureyou

producecouldwellbebilingual.Thereareall

mannerofformatsthatcanbeusedforbilingual

publications.Usuallyhowever,placingone

languageabovetheotherorsidebyside,phrase

forphrase,isthemosteffectivemethodforbasic

informationsuchasprogrammes,teamsheets

and fixture charts. Some international sporting

programmescanbeagoodexampletofollow.

Cystadleuaeth Pêl-droed 5-bob-ochr

Maldwyn5-a-side Football

Tournament

opening both doors

25

Referees–ensuringabilingualrefereeis

sometimeshelpful,particularlyiftherearemany

Welshspeakersinvolved.Temperscanoftenbe

cooledifcombatantsarespokentointheirown

language–astheboys(andgirls)inbluewill

attest!EncouragingrefereestousebothWelsh

andEnglishtermsformaindecisions-suchascic

gosb/penalty,tafliad/throw-in,cic rydd/freekick,

camsefyll/offside–alsofacilitatesbilingualism.

Averyimportantpointisthatatnotimeshould

refereesbanplayersfromusingWelshonthe

field on the basis that they or the opposition don’t

understandwhat’sbeingsaid.Everybodyhasa

righttospeakwhateverlanguagetheychoose.

Howmanylanguagesareheardonthefootball

pitchesoftheFAPremierLeaguethesedays?

Publicannouncements–ifusingapublicaddress

system,bilingualannouncementsgiveboth

languages a public profile and can set a positive

contextfortheuseofbothlanguageswithinthe

competition–asdoneintheMillenniumStadium

andRoyalWelshShow.

Certificates and trophies–trophiesand

certificates are prestigious mementos of

participationorsuccess.It’simportantthatboth

WelshandEnglishareassociatedwiththisprestige

andsuccess.

GigsandConcerts–occasionally,attheendof

asportingtournamentorcompetition,aconcertis

arrangedtoroundoffevents.Onceagain,consider

howyoucanensurethatbandswhosinginWelsh/

bilinguallyarebookedalongwithbandswhosing

inEnglish.YourlocalMenter Iaithcanagainadvise

andassistyou(www.mentrau-iaith.com).

opening both doors

26

Weareawarethatnotallyouthgroupswillhave

anAGM,letaloneaformalone.However,some

youthgroupsdohaveformalAGMsandcertainly

manylocalassociationsofyouthgroupswillhave

aformalannualeventofsomekind.Thepoints

below,however,canalsoberelevanttoyour

organisationonaregionalornationalbasis.

Bilingualmeetings–conductingformalbilingual

meetingsisarelativelynewpracticeformost

organisationsandthere’salongwaytogobefore

itbecomesthenorm.Toconductasuccessful

bilingualmeeting,bilingualismlikeallotheraspects

ofthemeeting,hastobeplanned.Thekeyto

asuccessfulbilingualmeetingistocreatean

environmentwhichis:

• inclusive;

• non-threatening;

• inwhicheverybodyisenabledto

contributeintheirchosenlanguage;

• inwhicheverybodyisunderstood,and

where

• everybody’scontributionisrespected.

Noticethewording‘enabledtocontribute’.

Unfortunately,bilingualismstillneedsasteeranda

helpinghand.Duetocenturiesofmonolingualism

informalWelshpubliclifeorganisersneedtobe

proactiveintheirpromotionofbilingualism.

Callingpapers – the first point of contact with a

formalmeetingisoftenthecallingofpapers.These

needtobetranslated.Weofferfurtheradviceon

translationattheendofthissection.Bilingual

paperscanbeformattedback-to-backorinvertical

columnsaffordingyouabilingualidentityandgiving

delegatesanopportunitytouseeitherorboth

languages.

3.3.3Formalmeetings–Annual

GeneralMeeting

Asstatedearlier,bilinguallanguageskillsare

not an either/or situation. A significant number of

peoplewouldactuallyprefertousebothlanguages

in a meeting. Some fluent Welsh speakers who

mayhavenotreceivedformaleducationinWelsh

wouldsometimeswishtorefertotheEnglish

paperwork.Moreover,Welshlearnersandless

confident Welsh speakers will often use the Welsh

versionasalearningdisciplinetoimprovetheir

vocabularyandwordrecognitionskills.

Ifyouareusingtranslationequipment,ensurethat

youincludetheneedfortranslationequipmenton

thelistofpreferencesthatdelegatesinformyou

aboutaspartoftheregistrationorbookingprocess.

Similarly,ifyouareplanningdiscussiongroups,

aquestionregardinglanguagechoicewouldalso

assistyourplanning.

Annualreport–yourannualreportisinmany

waysyourstandardbearerbothinternallyand

externally.Annualreports,ifusedcreatively,can

beamajorplankinyourmarketingandpublicity

strategy.Ensuringabilingualreportsignalsthe

intentionofkeepingbilingualismatthetopofyour

corporateagenda.Anannualreportdescribes

yourorganisation–whatitdoes,whoisinvolved,

whatareitstriumphsandtribulations.Publishing

abilingualreportstatesthatbilingualismisalsoa

partofwhattheorganisationisabout.

ChairsandSpeakers–havingbothWelshand

Englishspokenfromtheplatformgivesboth

languagesauthority.Welshspeakersareoften

shyofparticipatinginWelshwhenthemeeting

isheldmainlyinEnglish.(Onereasonbeingan

unwillingnesstoembarrassthemselvesandothers

inascrambleformislaidheadsets!)Havingsome

ofthespeakers,andparticularlytheChair,speak

WelshlegitimisesthecontributionofotherWelsh

speakers,makingthemhappiertouseWelsh.

ThewaytheChairsetsthesceneforameeting

iscrucialinanymeeting.HavingabilingualChair

whocanfacilitatecontributionsineitherlanguageis

crucialtoasuccessfulbilingualoutcome.

opening both doors

27

TheChair,ifhe/sheisaWelshspeakerornot,

canconsiderthefollowingpointsasgoodpractice

guidelineswhenchairingabilingualmeeting:

• Welcomepeoplebilinguallyfromthe

chair;

• Drawpeople’sattentiontothetranslation

equipment,anditspurpose;

• Ensurethateveryonewhoneedsa

headsethasreceivedone–it’s

sometimeseasiertodothisthantoleave

aheadsetoneveryseat;

• Checktheequipmenttoensurethatit

works,andthateveryoneknowshow

touseit.It’simportanttodothisatthe

beginningofthemeeting;

• Explaintheimportanceoflistening

tocontributionsmadeinWelsh,inorder

toavoiddiscriminatingagainstWelsh

speakersonthebasisoftheirpreferred

language;

• IftheChairisaWelshspeaker,he/she

shouldchairthemeetingpartiallyor

totallyinWelshinordertonormalise

theuseoftheWelshlanguagewithinthe

meetingandtoempowerotherstodothe

same;

• IftheChairdoesnotspeakWelsh,

it’simportantforhim/hertoregularly

encourageotherstouseWelshatthe

meeting;

• Remindpeopletoreturntheirheadsets

attheendofthemeeting.

opening both doors

28

MeetingOrganiser–therearecertainthingsthat

ameetingorganisercandoinordertofacilitatea

trulybilingualevent:

• Promotethemeetingbilingually,and

distributeinformationinbothlanguages;

• Arrangeasimultaneoustranslatorand

equipmentwhenneeded.Thereisno

needtosimultaneouslytranslatefrom

EnglishintoWelsh,onlyfromWelshinto

English;

• Welcomedelegatesbilinguallyasthey

arrive;

• Ensurebilingualinformationpacks,

documentsandothermaterials;

• Ensurethatalldisplaysandmarketing

materialsarebilingual–including

stallsandmaterialdisplayedbyexternal

organisations;

• Ensurethatvisualpresentations(e.g.

PowerPoint)arebilingual;

• Arrangeforatleastoneofthekeynote

speakerstomakehis/herpresentationin

Welshinordertoenhancethestatusof

theWelshlanguageatthemeeting.This

willempowerotherstocontributein

Welsh;

• Considerwaysofholdingsome

workshopsinWelsh,ifatallpossible,

orconsiderwaysofutilisingbilingual

facilitatorswhowillbeabletoencourage

theinformaluseofbothlanguages

withinworkshops.

Discussionandplenarygroups–aswiththe

groupworkexampleabove,itisalwaysworth

consideringlanguagebaseddiscussiongroupsor,

whenmonolingualsareinaminority,ensuringthat

thosewhoneedtranslationareplacedwithinthe

samegroup(s).

Bilingualplenarygroupscaneitherbefacilitatedby

asimultaneoustranslator–or,ifyouonlyexpect

afewquestionsinWelsh–byabilingualChairor

other senior figure who can translate contributions

clearly,sensitivelyandwithauthority.

Simultaneoustranslation–usingasimultaneous

translationservice(STS)isbecomingcommon

practiceinanumberofsettings.Theuseof

STScanbeagreatboontobilingualmeetings.

However,theycanalsobeexpensiveandneed

tobeusedappropriately.Thereareotherwaysof

enablingbilingualmeetingsotherthanthroughthe

use of STS. An informative leaflet on organising

bilingualmeetingscanbehadfromlanguage

planningconsultantsCwmniIaith.(seeResource

andContactssection).

Pressandmediareports–aswithactiveeventsit

isimportanttoassessthelanguageneedsofyour

pressandmediacontacts.Nationalandregional

Welshlanguagemediamaywellhaveaninterest

inyourmeetingsandseminars.Issuingbilingual

pressreleasesandensuringthatyouhavebilingual

representativestospeakforyouwillfacilitateuseful

mediaattention.SomePRcompaniesspecialisein

Welsh-mediumwork(seeResourceandContacts

section).

Texttranslation–texttranslationcanoftenbe

seenasamajorobstacleformanyorganisations.

However,inayouthworkcontextitshouldnot

beburdensome.Mostyouthgroupsdon’tuse

weightydocumentsneitherdotheyhaveavast

bureaucracy.Translationneedsareoftensimple–

posters, flyers, key words and a few forms. Most of

ayouthgroup’stranslationneedscouldwellbemet

byappropriatelyskilledlocalsupporters,byyour

localauthoritytranslationunitor,evenbetter,bythe

youngpeoplethemselves.TheWelshLanguage

Board’sLink Line to Welsh(www.llinellgyswllt.

co.uk)offerssimpletranslationsforfreeandyour

localMenter Iaith(www.mentrau-iaith.com)would

alsoseeyouright.Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru

(theprofessionalbodyforWelshtranslators)

publishaDirectoryofWelshTranslators

(www.welshtranslators.org.uk).

opening both doors

29

4.0 Welsh-medium provision

Whilstthisdocumentaimstopromoteand

facilitatebilingualyouthworkopportunitiesitis

importanttoremember,aspreviouslystated,that

providingexclusivelyWelshmediumprovisionis

alsorecognisedasanessentialpartofproviding

equalopportunitiestoyoungpeople.YoungWelsh

speakersshouldbeaffordedopportunitiesto

socialiseincontextswhereWelshisconsidered

thenorm,i.e.themain,ifnottheonly,language

used.SuchsettingsallowyoungWelshspeakers

toexpressthemselvesfreelyinWelshwithout

theneedforlinguisticcompromiseandtoenjoy

valuable cultural affinity within their own language

group.

ForWelsh-mediumorganisationssuchas

UrddGobaithCymru,providingWelsh-medium

opportunitiesistheirraison d’etre.However,many

localYFCClubsandFederationsalsooperate

solelyormainlyinWelshaccordingtothelinguistic

natureoftheirareasandmembership.Numerous

othervoluntaryorganisations,localauthoritiesand

other institutions also provide specifically Welsh-

mediumopportunitiesforyoungpeople.However,

throughoutWalesasawhole,suchopportunities

aregenerallyscarce.

Whilewewouldencourageallorganisationsto

developbilingualprovision,somethoughtaround

providingmonolingualWelsh-mediumopportunities

mightalsobevaluable.Suchprovisionmight

includeregularclubbasedprovision,beit

communityorinterestbased,orone-offevents.

Examplesofsuchworkare:

• Welsh-mediumfootballtrainingsessions

atCardiffCityFC;

• youngWelshspeakingvolunteers

staffing exhibition at National

Eisteddfod;

• youthclubdirectlylinkedtobilingual

secondaryschool;

• Welsh-mediumawardgroups;

• youngWelshspeakersinvolvedin

producingorganisation’spublicity

material;

• peer-ledWelshmediumhealthpromotion

work.

Thepossibilitiesareofcourseendless.With

theaidofWelsh-speakingyouthworkersany

organisationcanrealisticallyprovideWelsh-

mediumopportunitiesanywhereinWales.Itisa

muchneededdevelopment.

opening both doors

30

5.0 What next?

Inthisdocumentwehaveattemptedtooutline

themainfactorswhichthoseworkingwithyoung

peopleneedtotakeintoconsiderationwhen

planningandimplementingbilingualandWelsh

languageyouthprovision.Moreover,theabove

exampleshopefullyprovideusefulpractical

guidanceforarangeofyouthsettingswhichmay

beadaptedtoyourownsituation.

Whatnext?Well,beforemovingahead,howabout

takingstockofthepresentsituationwithinyour

organisation?Forinstance,doyouknowhowmany

ofyourmembersarebilingual?Howmanybilingual

stafforvolunteersdoyouhave?Haveyouever

askedthem?Whataspectsofyouractivitiesdoyou

alreadydobilingually?Whatotheraspectsshould

youattendto?Assessthesituation.Conducta

languageaudit.Identifyyourdevelopmentneeds.

Makeawishlist.

Once you’ve identified what you feel you should

bedoing,developingbilingualism,likeallother

developmentwork,thenneedstoplanned.

Prioritiseyourwishlist.Whatcanyouachievein

theshort,mediumandlongterm?Takethingsone

stepatatime.Identifyresourcesandsupport.

Involveeverybody,particularlyyoungpeople

themselves.

Implementyourplan,againwiththeparticipationof

youngpeople,andperiodicallyreviewthesituation.

Thisisallpartandparcelofthesimpleplanning

processweundertakeforallouryouthwork

–assess,plan,implementandreview.

Forlocalgroupsandlocalauthorities,yourlocal

Menter Iaith might well be a useful first point of

contact.Theyshouldbeabletoassistindeveloping

anactionplan,identifyresourcesandworkwith

youtodevelopyourbilingualpractice.Alistofall

Mentrau IaithisalsoincludedintheResourcesand

Contactssection,asisCommunitiesFirstSupport

Services.CFSN’susefulpublicationCommunities

First & Bilingualism: Meeting the Challengewillgive

youfurtherpracticalpointersfromacommunity

perspective.

Finally,wehopethatthis‘Introduction to Bilingual

Youth Work’willbeofassistancetoyouand

contributetodevelopingayouthserviceinWales

thatcontinuouslystrivestoprovideinclusiveyouth

workprovisionforanincreasinglybilingualWales.

Pob hwyl ar y gwaith!

opening both doors

31

6.0 resources and Contacts

Generalresourcesandadviceonbilingualism:• WelshLanguageBoard,MarketChambers,5-7St

Mary’sStreet,Cardiff-(02920878000).

www.byig-wlb.org.uk

• Iaith:Welshcentreforlanguageplanning,Units

2-4,ParcBusnesAberarad,NewcastleEmlyn,

Carms.-(01239711668).www.iaith.eu

• EstynLlaw–DevelopingBilingualisminthe

VoluntarySector,Units2-4,ParcBusnesAberarad,

NewcastleEmlyn,Carms.-(01239711668).

www.estynllaw.org

• CommunitiesFirstSupportServices–

www.communities-first.org

• WelshforAdultsCentres:NationalAssembly

Government,EducationandSkills

http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/

wfasub/welshforadults/?lang=en

• THINKSigns–www.bilingualsigns.co.uk

• MentrauIaithCymru-www.mentrau-iaith.com

o MenterIaithMôn,Ll]sGoferydd,Stâd

DdiwydiannolBrynCefni,Llangefni,YnysMôn

–(01248725700)

o MenterIaithConwy,YSgwâr,Llanrwst,Sir

Conwy–(01492642357)

o MenterIaithSirDdinbych,AdeiladDeiamwnt,

6Heigad,Dinbych,SirDdinbych–

(01745812822)

o Menter Iaith Sir y Fflint, Uned 3, Parc Busnes

YrWyddgrug,FforddWrecsam,YrWyddgrug

–(01352744040)

o MenterIaithMaelor,T]AVOW,21StrytEgerton,

Wrecsam–(01978363791)

o MenterMaldwyn,YrHenGoleg,FforddyrOrsaf,

YDrenewydd,Powys–(01686614020)

o MenterBrycheiniogaMaesyfed,YGanolfan

IeuenctidaChymuned,Hendreladus,Heol

Aberhonddu,Ystradgynlais–(01639844513)/

(08708510583)

o Cered,TheatrFelinfach,DyffrynAeron,

Ceredigion–(01570572350)

o MenterBroDinefwr,SwyddfeyddyCyngor,Heol

Cilgant,Llandeilo–(01558825336)/1AStrydy

Coleg,Rhydaman–(01269597525)

o MenterGorllewinSirGâr,StrydyBont,

CastellnewyddEmlyn–(01239712934)

o MenterCwmGwendraeth–Llanelli,11-15Heol

Coalbrook,Pontyberem,Llanelli–

(01269871600)/Uned6a7,CanolfanFenter

LlynnoeddDelta,YRhodfa,LlynnoeddDelta,

Llanelli–(01554755994)

o MenterIaithSirBenfro,T]’rYsgol,Ysgoly

Preseli,Crymych,SirBenfro–(01239831129)

/CanolfanDdysguGymunedol,YsgolBro

Gwaun,HeolDyfed,Abergwaun–

(01348873700)

o MenterIaithAbertawe,T]Tawe,9Stryd

Christina,Abertawe–(01792460906)

o MenterCastellNeddPortTalbot,Ystafell14,

CanolfanGymunedolyGroes,Pontardawe

–(01792864949)

o CanolfanaMenterGymraegMerthyrTudful,

NeuaddSoar,Pontmorlais,MerthyrTudful

–(01685722176)

o MenterBroOgwr,T]’rYsgol,PenyrYsgol,

Maesteg–(01656732200)

o MenterIaithRhonddaCynonTaf,9aStrydFawr,

Pontypridd–(01443407570)

o MenterCaerdydd,42LambourneCrescent,

ParcBusnesCaerdydd,Llanisien–(02920

689888)

o MenteryFro,Uned12,CanolfanFenter

GymunedolYBarri,SkomerRoad,Morgannwg

–(01446720600)

o Menter Iaith Sir Caerffili, YMCA Bargod, Aeron

Place,Gilfach,Bargod–(01443820913)

o MenterIaithBlaenauGwent,TorfaenaMynwy,

GorsafDân,HenllysWay,Cwmbrân–

(01633489326)

opening both doors

32

Bilingualyouthworkactivityresourcesandwebsites:• YouthandAdultLearningOpportunitiesdivision

(YALO),WelshAssemblyGovernment–

(01443663814).

http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/

policy_strategy_and_planning/extending_

entitlement/?lang=en

• UrddGobaithCymruResourceCentre,Swyddfa’r

Urdd,FforddLlanbadarn,Aberystwyth,Ceredigion

–(01970626120).www.urdd.org

• YFCWales,YFCCentre,Llanelwedd,BuilthWells,

Powys–(01982553502).www.yfc-wales.org.uk

• FunkyDragon–ChildrenandYoungPeople’s

AssemblyforWales–www.funkydragon.org

• DukeofEdinburghAwardScheme,OakHouse,

12TheBulwark,Brecon,Powys–(01874623086).

www.theaward.org/wales

• HealthPromotionLibrary,Ffynnon-las,T]Glas

Avenue,Llanishen,Cardiff–(02920681239)

Generalinterest:• www.bbc.co.uk/cymru(BBCCymru’rByd–general

Welshlanguagesite)

• www.golwg360.com(Welshlanguagerollingnews

service)

• www.bandit247.com(Bandit–Welshlanguage

musictelevisionshowwiththelatestfromtheWelsh

popscene)

• www.eisteddfod.org.uk(YrEisteddfodGenedlaethol

/TheNationalEisteddfod)

• www.maes-e.com(Welsh-languageinternetforum)

• www.blogiadur.com(awebsitewhichdrawsa

numberofWelshblogstogetherinoneplace.)

• www.curiad.org(informationaboutWelshmusic)

• www.uned5.co.uk(Uned5,S4C’syouthTV

magazineprogramme)

• www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/mosgito(BBCyouthTV

magazineprogrammeonS4C)

• www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/ffeil(BBCyouthTVnews

programmeonS4C)

• www.s4c.co.uk/pencampau(S4Cyouthsportsquiz)

• www.s4c.co.uk/rowndarownd(S4Cyouthsoapopera)

Maintranslationcompaniesandagencies:• Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru (Associationof

WelshTranslators),BrynMenai,FforddCaergybi,

Bangor,Gwynedd–(01248371839).

www.welshtranslators.org.uk

• Cyfiaith,Uned12,ClosPencarreg,Aberaeron

– (01545 574674). www.cyfiaith.com

• Cymen,TwllynyWal,Caernarfon,Gwynedd

–(01286674409).www.cymen.co.uk

• Prysg,15CilgantSt.Andrew,Cardiff–(02920

668081).www.prysg.co.uk

• Trosol,1Cwrt-y-Parc,ParcT] Glas,Llanisien

– (02920 750760). Newcastle Emlyn office –

(01239710717).www.trosol.co.uk

Pressandmediacontacts:• Golwg(weeklycurrentaffairsmagazine),POBox4,

Lampeter,Ceredigion–(01570423529).

www.golwg.com

• Lingo(monthlymagazineforWelshlearners),d/o

Golwg,POBox4,Lampeter,Ceredigion–

(01570423529).www.golwg.com

• YCymro(weeklypaper),9BankPlace,Porthmadog

–(01766515514)

• Sain(recordingco.),Llandwrog,Caernarfon,

Gwynedd–(01286831111).www.sainwales.com

• Fflach (recordingco.),Llys-y-coed,TenbyRoad,

Cardigan–(01239614691).www.fflach.co.uk

• S4C,ParcT]Glas,Llanishen,Cardiff–

(08706004141).www.s4c.co.uk

• BBCCymruNewsroom,BroadcastingCentre,

Llandaff,Cardiff–(02920322000)/Brynmeirion,

Bangor,Gwynedd–(01248370880).

www.bbc.co.uk/cymru

• RadioCymruNewsroom,BroadcastingCentre,

Llandaff,Cardiff–(02920322018).

www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/radiocymru

• RadioCeredigion,YrHenYsgolGymraeg,Heol

Alexandra,Aberystwyth,Ceredigion–(01970627999).

www.radioceredigion.net

• Champion103FM,LlysyDderwen,ParcMenai,

Bangor–(01248671971)www.champion103.co.uk

• SwanseaSound,VictoriaRd.Gowerton,Swansea

–(01792511964).www.swanseasound.co.uk