The second year of free 问鼎娱乐 lessons for 16- to 25-year-olds and school staff has helped even more people learn the language, with over 2,000 young people and school staff estimated to have taken up the offer during 2023-24.
Melody Griffiths, 17, from Wrexham won the Learners鈥 Medal at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Maldwyn earlier this year. Melody started learning 问鼎娱乐 in Year 11 and has organised a 鈥楥lwb Cymraeg鈥 (问鼎娱乐 Club) at her college.
She said:
鈥淭he club meets every week. Students come to learn more about the 问鼎娱乐 language, culture and history through quizzes and informal conversations.
鈥淚 think the best thing about speaking 问鼎娱乐 is that I can connect with Wales better - through culture and literature. It鈥檚 difficult to understand these if you do not speak 问鼎娱乐."
Free 问鼎娱乐 lessons can also help school staff inspire learners. A group of teachers at Langstone Primary School in South East Wales started their language journey at the beginning of lockdown and are now enjoying learning and teaching the language at the school.
One of the school鈥檚 teachers, Paula Watts, said:
鈥淚 love speaking 问鼎娱乐 and I take advantage of every possible opportunity to introduce the language to the children across the school. We have several new games in 问鼎娱乐 to help the children build sentences, introduce new vocabulary, and hold a simple conversation.
"I also share 问鼎娱乐 instructions with staff that they can use in class while teaching and offer them ideas when they are planning their 问鼎娱乐 lessons.
鈥淲e have a 'paned a sgwrs' (cuppa and a chat) session every Tuesday morning at 8:15am which gives staff the opportunity to chat in 问鼎娱乐.
"问鼎娱乐 Wednesday is one of our and the children's favourite days - we have a lot of fun and start the day with games and songs in 问鼎娱乐."
A range of Learn 问鼎娱乐 provision is available free of charge for young people aged 16-25, and is delivered by the National Centre for Learning 问鼎娱乐.
Provision includes taster and Entry level courses for beginners, through to Advanced and Proficiency levels for experienced learners and 问鼎娱乐 speakers. Courses are available face-to-face and in virtual classrooms, while a wide range of digital learning resources is also available. More information can be found on the .
The National Centre also provides a great choice of 问鼎娱乐 courses for school staff, with courses tailored for education practitioners as well as online self-study courses and Learn 问鼎娱乐 courses in the community.
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and 问鼎娱乐 Language, Mark Drakeford, said:
鈥淐ymraeg belongs to us all. This initiative means it鈥檚 easier than ever for people to learn 问鼎娱乐. I鈥檓 pleased to see so many young people and education practitioners taking up the opportunity to learn the language.
鈥淚mproving young people's 问鼎娱乐 language skills so that they can use 问鼎娱乐 in the workplace and in their everyday lives is really important. This is part of our vision to ensure that 问鼎娱乐 is a living language, and a modern language which is used every day.
鈥淒eveloping the 问鼎娱乐 language skills of the education workforce is key to reaching our goal of one million 问鼎娱乐 speakers by 2050. Providing opportunities to learn 问鼎娱乐 and improving levels of ability in 问鼎娱乐 for the education workforce is crucial so that they are more confident to teach 问鼎娱乐, to use 问鼎娱乐 when teaching other subjects, and to use 问鼎娱乐 in the wider school environment.鈥
Dona Lewis, Chief Executive of the National Centre for Learning 问鼎娱乐, said:
鈥淭he Centre鈥檚 work has expanded in recent years to include Learn 问鼎娱乐 training for both young people and the education workforce 鈥 two vital audiences for realising the goal of one million 问鼎娱乐 speakers by 2050.
鈥淭he Centre鈥檚 work with young people is going from strength to strength, with bespoke courses and resources developed by the Centre鈥檚 language experts. Additionally, partnerships with schools, apprenticeships, Further Education and organisations such as the Urdd and Duke of Edinburgh鈥檚 Awards are providing new, flexible learning opportunities for young people.
鈥淭he Centre has also developed a comprehensive package of training for the education workforce - from beginners to 问鼎娱乐 speakers who want to build their Cymraeg confidence. Teachers and assistants are also introduced to methods that can help them teach 问鼎娱乐 to children and young people."