Reviving Irish Youth: Fostering Cultural & Language Empowerment in North Ireland

1. ‘The Birth of the Political’- envisioning, empowering and sustaining an Irish medium youth sector in the north of IrelandDr Feargal Mac IonnrachtaighDirector, GlórnaMóna Workshop on Evaluation, Impact & Outcomes in language revitalisation with children & young people, Urdd Centre, Cardiff, 25-26 February 2019

2. Marginalisation in ‘the Orange State’ What use is it here in this busy part of the Empire to teach our children the Irish language? What use would it have to them? Is it not leading them along a road which has not practical value? We have not stopped the teaching; we have stopped the grants, which I think amounted to £1,500 a year. We have stopped the grants simply because we do not see that these boys being taught Irish would be any better or loyal citizens.’ James Craig, 1933 The language is of no practical utility, but may be of much value to incipient traitors, as a means of fomenting trouble…the only people interested in this language are the avowed enemies of Northern Ireland William Grant MP

3. ‘UladhFaoiChéilt- A Hidden Ulster’Promoting ‘sedition’ in the Orange State Ardscoil Ultach 1928 Cumann Chluain Árd 1936 ‘Planting the Seed of revival’ – Formation Gaeltacht Bhóthar Seoighe/ Shaws Road, West Belfast 1969 Gaeltacht motto: ‘Na hAbair é, Déan é’ (Don’t say it, Do it’) First Gaelscoil (Irish Medium School)- Bunscoil Phobal Feirste 1971

4. ‘Gaeloideachas’ and community co-ops Ballymurphy was totally marginalised and excluded as an area. It had massive social problems and was completely neglected by the council and the state. At this point myself and Seamus Mac Seáin were working on Ballymurphy. We were completely focused on it. The only way we could help these people was to bring back some of their self-respect and show them that they could rebuild the place themselves. SeánMagaoill

5. Meánscoil Feirste: litmus test for the Peace process • ‘taking the Irish language out of politics’. Brian Mawhinney • Meanscoil Feirste ‘It is the discriminatory and anti-Gaelic policies of the British Government that has made the Irish language into a political issue and they created a status for it as a ‘contentious issue’… They removed grants from GlórnanGael; a political issue was created. They refused to give financial recognition to Meánscoil Feirste; a political issue was created. They haven’t solved the Irish language issue because it involves Gaels… in a state that is still a product of the long history of colonialism.’ • Bairbre de Brún • There was something exceptional about the Meánscoil. We, as pupils, cleaned the school and our parents went out at nights collecting money in the local clubs on the road.. Although we knew that we were involved in a struggle, this help gave us the confidence that we would succeed …Therefore, when I eventually left school, I felt it my duty to put something back in to the struggle….. After forty years of struggle, there are many things that we are not prepared to accept; we have a bottom line now regarding the Irish language that we will continue to raise in the future to ensure that our revolution goes from strength to strength’ • Ciarán Mac GiollaBhéin

6. Glór na Móna- ‘Ag tógáil Gaelphobail’ Fostering and regenerating Irish speaking communities Established by young, locally based activists in 2004 Upper Springfield area has two of three most deprived area in the north Legacy of conflict: Historically suffering from high levels of inter-generational unemployment, Educational under achievement and housing and health problems The mission of Glór na Móna is to provide a range of linguistic, cultural, educational, environmental, social, training and support services to our youth and community which supports the development of the Upper Springfield and which nourishes the community-led language revival Gaelionad Mhic Goill opened in 2016

7. ‘Mol an Óigeagustiocfaidhsí’- Facts and figures Review of Irish Medium Education 2009 by Department of Education Recommendation 18: ‘…DE should encourage and support informal opportunities for learning through the medium of Irish’. Establisment of Fóram na nÓg- 2009- regionally support body: To facilitate the growth and development of the Irish-medium youth sector, in order to meet the educational and social needs of Irish-speaking young people in an informal setting’ Explosion of Irish Medium youth work practice in Belfast under stewardship of Glór na Móna: Full-time outreach support worker & 3 part time support staff Work with over 350 young people on weekly basis across Belfast Units operating in North, West and South Belfast 26 Part-time staff across 5 units – managed by Glór na Móna

8. Standard Education Authority Model:Evaluation, Impact & Outcomes Tools • Standardised Questions/Questionnaires • Quantitative Data • Case studies • Qualitative feedback • Baseline assessments • Focus groups • Interviews • Does it suit the needs of IME youth work?

9. Six the key outcomes for youth work identified • Enhanced Capabilities • Dev. of Positive Relationships with Others • Improved Health and Well-being • Increased Participation • Dev. of Thinking Skills, Life & Work Sills • Active Citizenship Outcome Based Reporting (OBR) To apply the Framework of Expected Outcomes to measure young people’s progress & achievements through their participation in youth service activities.

11. A Model of Irish Medium Youth Work • Martin has cover page of Model need to add in here! Ni thiocfadh liom teacht ar!

12. Context and background to the model • Rationale • Identify core elements of Irish-medium youth work • ‘Making the familiar strange’ • A model of practice to be repeated. • Methodology • Secondary analysis of quantitative consultations with 105 young people in 2014. • Qualitative interviews with 8 youth club participants in 2016

14. …(Irish medium youth work is) an important way of integrating the language into their lives, socially and informally… (MhicLeannain, 2014) • Fun through Irish • Friendships through Irish • Social skills through Irish • For language to permeate life, it must exist outside a formal teaching setting.

15. A language that binds I think doing it [being in a youth club] through your own language is what makes it special. Caoimhe I think it’s just an Irish language thing: the schools [English and Irish-language] are exactly the same, there does seem to be a bond between people that you don’t get in English schools or English youth clubs… you get a lot closer. Cliodhna

16. Celebrating identities I think I came to the point where I know that Irish is just part of who I am and I’m going to embrace it. But I think people need to gradually get to that point on their own..…. But good that places like this are here to help you learn to embrace it. Emma

17. A non-judgemental approach to learning and communicating in Irish You’re not like under the teacher’s rules all the time. It’s just general conversations and you pick up different wee words and different wee phrases and stuff that you wouldn’t pick up in school. Orthlaith It feels a lot more normal [speaking Irish in the club rather than school] cause there’s not that there pressure of getting the whole grammar right or any of that. Everybody is on the same level and for the same reason, cause we want to speak Irish. Dearbhla

18. A shared space Because it’s a smaller unit, there’s just that sense of connection. That’s what I think makes it special. Dearbhla It’s so small, because it’s so small… it’s not that you don’t have the choice, but everyone knows each other. Everyone rubs off each other and has the craic with each other. You come in with loads of confidence and leave with loads of confidence. Orthlaith

19. Youth driven The majority of things that go on in here come from us. Like, we’ll just all be sitting around some day and an idea will come up and one of the leaders will be like ‘that’s like a really good idea.’ Then they’ll come back to us, like 2 weeks later, and tell us that they’ve got that sorted out. Emma A sense of ownership connects young people to the group. You are part of a group and as part of the group you get to make decisions and stuff. Cliodhna

20. The birth of the political I think that because English youth clubs get their funding very easy and because here it was a bit of a struggle, so wee learned the political side of protest and struggle and I think that’s why, cause obviously when you have to fight for something everyone cares about it a lot more. Katy-Rose It’s not that you come here and politics is shoved down your throat, a lot of the people that work here are political and they don’t tell you that this is right and this is wrong, they let you have a chance to like understand things that you normally wouldn’t. Emma

21. The community of the Irish-medium youth club There’s people in the group that I would never have even spoke to but now I’m really good friends with. Cliodhna It is like a big family when we all show up at things. Emma Knowing that we are all there as young gaels, that we are all Irish speakers, that you connect in that way. There’s something special about that. Tiernan

22. Impact of Model:Additional recording of work to consider, whilst working within a context of language revitalisation. Capacity Building Growing a sector Data bases of all participants to be stored Skills data base to be stored & shared across sector Consultations with all members of the sector Accredited training programmes Case studies on all beneficiaries • Skills audit within the language sector. • Training need analysis • Developing/Regeneration and sustaining communities from a grass roots level.

23. Obstacles to Progress: Failed Political institutions at Stormont?

25. Championing a new era for new Irish speakers Parity of esteem for our youth sector Proposed New bespoke IME youth Centre • Mainstreamed and fully resourced sector • Affirmative action from Government that recognises the unique nature of sector • Review of current DE/EA funding model 2019-20- Opportunity to embed growth of GlórnaMóna and ForamnanÓg • Óg-ionadnaCarraige for GlórnaMóna- First of its kind in history of northern state