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Communities Strategy for Scotland’s National Forest and Land – Draft for Consultation

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Forestry and Land Scotland are seeking views on their draft Communities Strategy. Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response with included the following points:

“Fully empowering communities through encouraging greater community participation depends on effective communication with all types of communities – which must include communicating in Gaelic to Gaelic speaking communities.”

“Land Management Plans should incorporate the original Gaelic names of the areas which they relate to, thereby demonstrating the close link between land, language and people.  This will also increase the sense of participation for Gaelic speakers in the consultation process.”

You can access the full response here.

New Survey Looking at Young People’s Engagement with Gaelic Online

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At the beginning of the year, Young Scot ran an online survey to learn more about the online spaces where young people aged 11-26 see and engage with Gaelic and about the Gaelic types of Gaelic content they’d like to see more of. The survey ran between December 2021 and April 2022, just as it did last year, which gave Young Scot the opportunity to compare the responses between the two and track any differences between them.

1,153 young people responded to the survey this year, an increase of 437 on the previous year. Of the young people who answered the survey, 61.1% said they cannot speak, read or write Gaelic, 32.8% said they are currently learning Gaelic, and 6% described themselves as being fluent Gaelic speakers. While the young people answered different questions depending on the level of fluency they described themselves as having, all respondents were asked the same two final questions;

  • ​How valuable is Scottish Gaelic?
  • How valuable is Scottish Gaelic culture and heritage?

When asked these questions, over two thirds (69.7%) of young people said that Gaelic is valuable or very valuable and nearly three quarters (72.2%) said that Gaelic culture and heritage is valuable or very valuable. Now, that’s some positive news!

Almost three quarters (74%) also said that they would like to see more Gaelic content online and on social media and Instagram (74.1%), TikTok (70.5%) and YouTube (64.6%) are the platforms they use most.

The survey report was published at the beginning of June and you can read that on Young Scot’s corporate website to learn more about the reasons young people gave for wanting to learn Gaelic, the types of online content they like and their feelings towards the Gaelic language.

Read the report here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig Welcomes New Director of Development

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Bòrd na Gàidhlig (BnG) is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Director of Development.

Iain MacMillan has been working with BnG on a 6-month interim post as Director of Development to provide additional support. After a successful recruitment process, Iain will now take up the role on a permanent basis.

Born and raised in South Uist, Iain now lives in Stornoway. He has a wealth of experience in the public sector having spent the last 40 years in various roles and has held senior positions for the last 30 years. Iain was Principal and CEO of Lews Castle College (UHI) for over 8 years until August 2020. From April 2017 to November 2019, he also undertook a part-time role as Vice Principal (Strategic Harmonisation and Operational Efficiencies) for UHI.

From 2004, he had held the post of Director of Finance and Corporate Services at the College. Prior to that, he had held various positions within Local Authorities and Police Services in both Finance and Corporate roles.  

Shona MacLennan, Ceannard Bhòrd na Gàidhlig said:

“We are delighted that Iain will be taking on the role of Director of Development on a permanent basis. He brings vast knowledge and understanding of development which will be invaluable in the coming months, and indeed years, while we continue to work on developing the next National Plan. He has a sound understanding of the requirements and opportunities in development and in communities and we know his skills will be of great benefit.”    

 

 

Gaelic Medium Education in Renfrewshire

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Bòrd na Gàidhlig (BnG) welcome the news that Gaelic Medium Education (GME) will be offered to primary aged pupils in Renfrewshire from August 2022.

Gaelic Medium Education will be based within West Primary School in Renfrewshire where, initially, pupils in classes 1-3 will be offered GME.  There will be one composite class for primary 1-3 from the beginning of the new school year in August.  As demand grows, so too will the schools classes and resources.

West Primary School was selected as the base for the unit due to its central location in the Local Authority Area, thus allowing access to all pupils in the area who are keen to pursue GME.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig in partnership with the Local Authority, and Comann nam Pàrant Nàiseanta has delivered a promotion of Gaelic Medium Education initiative across the Renfrew area with online information events, local radio station interviews and advertising and information through social media. We are extremely pleased that the promotion initiative has led to the setting up of this new Gaelic Medium service.

Mairi MacInnes, Chair of Bòrd na Gàidhlig said:

“It is hugely encouraging for us to see that Renfrewshire have come to this decision.  As one of our aims in the National Gaelic Language Plan to increase the opportunities for Gaelic Medium Education for pupils throughout the county, we welcome yet another Local Authority to the increasing list of those delivering GME provision. ”

Shirley-Anne Somervillle, Cabinet Secretary for Education said:

“The Scottish Government is committed to improving access to Gaelic Medium Education and I recognise the work that Renfrewshire Council has undertaken in delivering this new provision for their young people.

“I wish the young people who will be starting their Gaelic language journey all the best.”

 

National Lottery Community Fund in Scotland – Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s Response

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The National Lottery is seeking views on their Community Fund in Scotland. Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response. Points raised include:

The Community Fund should help promote opportunities in Scotland for Gaelic speakers. That is through considering how it can help support Gaelic-focussed projects and/or projects in Gaelic communities. Many Gaelic communities are in remote areas and islands. They face significant challenges including population decline, retention of young people, creation of well-paid jobs and high cost/limited availability of housing and transport.

The Fund should review its approach to dealing with Gaelic organisations. That is to ensure the fund is accessible to them – and to offer equal respect for Gaelic.

Responses to other consultations are available here.

Scottish Ambulance Service Draft 2030 Strategy – Bòrd na Gàidhlig Response

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The Scottish Ambulance Service is currently in the process of developing their 2030 Strategy and are seeking views before its finalisation.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig submitted a response on the 30 June with various suggestions and recommendations surrounding the Gaelic language.  Examples include:-

We welcome that SAS “will provide the people of Scotland with compassionate, safe and effective care”. As part of this the strategy document should acknowledge that when patients are unwell or distressed conversing with them in their main language provides both comfort and reassurance.

We also welcome that SAS “will adopt an equality and human rights-based approach”. The strategy document could usefully refer to SAS communicating in a range of languages – including Gaelic – given that human rights have a linguistic basis rather than simply a cultural one.

Find other public consultation responses here.

Scottish Social Attitudes Survey

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Bòrd na Gàidhlig welcomes findings of new Scottish Social Attitudes survey as support for Gaelic increases hugely in a decade.

 

The full report and supporting documents can be found here.

 

The number of Scots who can speak some Gaelic has doubled in the past decade, the latest Scottish Social Attitudes survey has found.

The proportion of people who say they can speak at least the odd word of Gaelic has doubled from 15% in 2012 to 30% today.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the principal body in Scotland responsible for promoting Gaelic development, has hailed the survey as a major success for the language, with findings showing significant support and awareness throughout the country.

The Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) survey is conducted by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) and has been tracking changes in people’s social, political and moral attitudes in Scotland since 1999.

The 2021 survey found that more than half of those surveyed would like to see the number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland rise in the future, with 56% giving their backing.

Young people, those with a greater knowledge of Gaelic, and those who have experienced greater exposure to the language are credited as the key factors associated with its growth. The survey shows that those who come in to contact with Gaelic are more likely to hold positive views.

The SSA also highlights a major shift of attitude towards education. More than half of those surveyed, 55%, believe that all children in Scotland between five and 15-years-old, should be taught Gaelic as a school subject for between one and two hours a week. This is a marked rise from just 38% support in 2012.

It is clear that Gaelic also contributes to wellbeing with 70% of adults stating that learning Gaelic gives someone a sense of achievement.

Mairi MacInnes, Chair at Bòrd na Gàidhlig, said: “Bòrd na Gàidhlig welcomes this latest report from the Scottish Social Attitudes survey. These results are excellent news and show the widespread support for Gaelic, which bodes well for its future. The rise in the usage of Gaelic is vital to preserving and growing the language for years to come, and we will continue to work tirelessly to provide support and solutions to help continue this growth.

“We are delighted by the rise in those with some knowledge of the language – to double that figure in a decade is a remarkable achievement. Support for the growth of Gaelic education in our schools will only support the rise in popularity for future generations and we believe it will be a vital part of our strategy to build on this success.”

Cabinet Secretary for Education Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “The rise in people speaking some Gaelic and support for its continued increase shows this Government’s commitment to promote and develop the language is having a meaningful impact.

“We  want to ensure that those who wish to use, or learn Gaelic are afforded the opportunity to do so and we will continue to work with partners in this aim.”

New Website – cleachdi.scot

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Bòrd na Gàidhlig (BnG) are delighted to announce the launch of a new website which will benefit all Gaelic speakers.

Cleachdi.scot is now live and it is a new resource where you can find information on activities and events happening around the world which are delivered solely in Gaelic.

This is a new resource which will be very useful both to groups and to members of the public.  Groups will be able to advertise their Gaelic events in one place online and equally, members of the public will be able to access information on a host of activities and events on one website.

Not only that, there are helpful videos to explain how you can set up your own group or event online with the aim of encouraging people to launch their own groups and events based on their hobbies and interests.

Over the past two years, we have all been grateful of the opportunities to join together online and through doing so, we have created and strengthened online communities.  Now that restrictions have eased and people can now meet face-to-face again, it is just as important to ensure that we continue with the online opportunies as well.

We welcome any thoughts and recommendations from one and all to ensure that the website serves us all as best it can.  If you’d like to get in touch, you can email fios@cleachdi.scot or contact us through the Cleachd i social media channels or directly through the website. 

Brian Ó hEadhra, Partnerships and Funding Manager at Bòrd na Gàidhlig said:

“It was apparent that there was a need for a space online where prople could access information on events and activities being delivered in Gaelic – both online and in person.  We are very happy with the website and we hope that it will be a useful resource for people going forward. We feel that there are huge benefits to be had from the website with people finding out about activities that they were maybe unaware of and also to show the breadth of  events and activities being delivered in Gaelic throughout the country.  There will also be information on overseas events being held online such as Nova Scotia and Europe.”

www.cleachdi.scot

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