A million Welsh speakers - challenge to the political parties


"A million Welsh speakers", that's the aim all the parties should include in their manifestos in 2016, according to language campaigners who have started putting together ideas to inform the next Welsh Government's policies today (Thursday, 26th March).    
 


The message comes as Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg starts a process to collect ideas online for vision paper for the next Assembly term from 2016 onwards. Over the next months, the group will also discuss recommendations with groups and specialists about how best to move towards targets over the five years of the devolved legislature's term: 

    •    increase the number of speakers, aiming at a million speakers over time 
    •    halt the out-migration of people from the country and sustain communities along with paths to bring Welsh speakers back to the country  
    •    using the Welsh language in every part of life, so it is the natural medium of communication for people of all ages.           

Explaining the target, Mared Ifan, former President of Aberystwyth's Welsh Students' Union, who is now a vice chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg said:   "Our members of decided in October last year to put together a document setting out a vision for the growth of the Welsh language for the Assembly elections in 2016. We think it's important that we are ambitious in our thinking, and so we should aim at a million of Welsh speakers. Of course, the number who can speak the language is not the only thing that counts, but it is a good starting point for ensuring that everyone gets to live in Welsh. We are now going out to meet stakeholders, language groups, specialists and others to discuss how to deliver on that ambition. We believe that this type of target will give a clear focus to the document we'll be publishing by the Summer."     
 


The next Welsh Government will adopt a new Welsh language strategy, and Mared Ifan argues that will be an opportunity for a new vision for the language:

"Our campaigns since the Census results have brought a degree of success. We are seeing powers for local councils to raise council tax on second homes, limited changes to the planning system and the abolition of the short version of second language Welsh GCSEs. But these developments have been patchy; we need a Government with fresh ideas.      
 


"Without a doubt there will be a focus on education as one of the tools that can be a powerhouse for the language. At the moment, 79% of our children leave school without the ability to communicate and work in Welsh, that's a scandal. Professor Sioned Davies has outlined a way forward, and we await the political parties reponse to the proposals she has outlined."     
 


People will be able to contribute their ideas to Cymdeithas yr Iaith's vision online by going to cymdeithas.cymru/2016ymlaen - the group will be accepting suggestions and comments until 7th May.