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Taith Patagonia 2011
 Yn ystod mis Hydref 2011 bu criw o 20 o bobl ifanc o Ogledd Cymru ar daith i Patagonia gyda Mentrau Iaith Cymru ar Urdd.
Cychwynnodd y daith yn yr Andes lle roedd Iwan Madog, swyddog menter Patagonia yr ardal, wedi paratoi rhaglen o weithgareddau iddyn nhw eu gwneud. Buont yn plannu blodau, paentio a thacluso tu allan i’r Ysgol Gymraeg yn Trevelin, yn Esquel buont yn cynnal ffair Wanwyn ble roedd y bobl ifanc yn gyfrifol am weithgareddau gwahanol ee gwneud cacennau, chwarae gemau, darllen, paentio wynebau a chanu gyda trigolion Cymraeg yr Andes. Cwrddasant â llawer o bobl hŷn yr ardal a oedd yn siarad Cymraeg ac aethant am baned i gael sgwrsio gyda hwy yn eu tai. Dywedodd Anest Evans o Goleg Meirion Dwyfor:
“Neis oedd cael cymdeithasu gyda pobl Cymraeg ochr arall y byd. Profiad anhygoel.”
Yna ymlaen ir Dyffryn lle roedd Lois Dafydd, swyddog menter Patagonia yn yr ardal, y tro yma wedi paratoi gweithgareddau ar eu cyfer. Roeddent yn cymysgu gyda pobl ifanc o goleg Camwy ac yn gwirfoddoli yn yr Ysgol Feithrin Gymraeg yno. Buont i weld Pengwiniaid i Puerto Tombo gyda Ysgol Gymraeg yr Hendre, ac ar y ffordd yn ôl i’r Gaiman roeddent yn mynd o amgylch capeli bychain i ganu ychydig o eitemau i ddiddanu pobl yr ardal. Roedd hi’n gyfnod prysur yn y Dyffryn gan fod yr Eisteddfod yn Trelew tra roeddent yno. Cyfle gwych oedd hyn iddynt gyfarfod llawer o bobl Cymraeg Patagonia, roedd yr Orsedd yn wahanol i’r Orsedd yma yng Nghymru ond roedd yn gartrefol iawn. Roeddent wedi bod yn rhoi help llaw i’r gymuned baratoi y te ar gyfer pobl ar ôl i’r orsedd ddod i ben, a bu rhai yn gosod cadeiriau ar gyfer y cylch.
Roedd llawer ar y daith yn cystadlu yn yr Eisteddfod a bu Sian Miriam, Bethany Celyn a Steffan Rhys Hughes yn llwyddiannus iawn. Dywedodd Bethany Celyn o Ysgol Glan Clwyd:
“Anhygoel profi yr Eisteddfod yn Sbaeneg yn ogystal a Chymraeg a chael blas ar ddiwylliant cerddorol yr Ariannin.”
Fe gafodd y côr wobrau hefyd ond ni wnaethant gipio y wobr gyntaf y tro hwn! Wedi’r Eisteddfod buont yn canu gyda chôr yr Ysgol Gerdd yn y Gaimain ,yn ystod y Gymanfa. Roedd hyn yn brofiad gan eu bod yn canu yn Sbaeneg ac yn Gymraeg.
Taith y bydd y bobl ifanc i gyd yn ei gofio am byth oedd y daith yma ac maent i gyd eisiau diolch i holl staff y Mentrau ar Urdd bu ar y daith gyda hwy, a hefyd maent yn diolch i bawb yn Patagonia am y croeso cynnes a dderbyniwyd ganddynt.
Llanast Llanrwst
November 25 - 30, 2011
Ffansio gwyliau yn yr eira y flwyddyn nesaf?
Mae Menter Iaith Conwy yn trefnu trip i alpau Ffrainc, mae croeso i bawb o bob oed.
Dewch i fwynhau’r eira, i gerdded, siopa mewn awyrgylch alpaidd, mwynhau’r bwyd godidog, heb sôn am sgïo neu eirafyrddio ar lethrau un o ardaloedd sgio mwyaf byd – Y Portes du Soleil, y lle perffaith ar gyfer pob lefel.
“Mae Les Gets yn le delfrydol i deuluoedd, cyplau ac unigolion, gan fod yma lethrau i ddysgwyr yn ogystal a arbenigwyr, a digonedd o weithgareddau oddi ar y piste hefyd” yn ôl Bedwyr, trefnydd y trip.
“Nod y trip yw cael Cymru Cymraeg at ei gilydd heb orfod gwario’n wyrion ar wyliau drud.”
Fel paratoad i’r rheini sy’n dymuno dysgu cyn y gwyliau, mae Menter Iaith Conwy yn cynnal clwb cyson am bris gostyngol.
Cysylltwch gyda Bedwyr: 07931879879 am ragor o wybodaeth, neu am sgwrs anffurfiol.
Sking Holiday
In April, this year, we organized a trip to the beautiful town of Les Gets in the Portes du Soleil Mountains in the south of France.
Many people took advantage of the snowboarding lessons run by Menter Iaith Conwy before going out to the snow. Over 30 people came on the trip; some came to ski or snowboard and others came to walk or ride their bike. They came from Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey and one or two came from the south. Some were fluent in Welsh and others learning. An unusual mixture of people, but everyone enjoyed.
We stayed in a beautiful chalet in les Gets and travelled to Avoriza for the snow, an amazing area with fantastic slopes that were ideal for every level. Although it was the worst skiing season for over half a century, snow wise, the standard was good in Avoriaz.
We received a very positive feedback from everyone, and some Welsh learners had benefited from being with Welsh First language individuals for a whole week.
We will be arranging another trip to Les Gets next year (March 10th-17th). The accommodation will cost £250 per person. For more information contact Bedwyr ap Gwyn on 01492 642 357 or Bedwyr@mentrauiaithconwy.cymru247.net
Dyffryn Conwy Musical Show
On June 9th 2011, 114 year 6 children from nine different schools around Conwy took part in a very exciting show production managed by Menter Iaith Conwy and the Welsh Advisory team in Conwy.
The show was based on local Welsh myths and tales and was written by Mair Tomos Ifans and songs composed by Gai Toms. The main aim of the show was to develop the children’s confidence in using the Welsh language by taking part in an exciting project. It was also an opportunity for them to make new friends before starting high school in September.
Many people were involved in making the show a success especially the director Llion Williams, and the schools that participated in the show were: Pant y Rhedyn, Pencae, Capelulo, Bro Gwydir, Dolgarrog, Trefriw, Betws y Coed, Penmachno and Dolwyddelan. All children did brilliantly on the night and after a long day Esyllt Tudur from Menter Iaith Conwy said:
“All the children worked extremely hard in making the show a success. It had been a long Day on Thursday but that didn’t stop the children from giving us a highly applauded performance. I’m sure we will see much more of them in the future, performing on the stage.”
Many parents and council members were highly impressed by the performance, and it would not have been possible without funding from the Conwy Education department and the Conwy rural development plan. This was a performance that the children and their parents will never forget.
Gemau Buarth
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Canu Conwy
Launch of New Language Strategy
The Welsh Assembly Government decided to launch its new language strategy Iaith Byw:Iaith Fyw (A Living Language: A Language for Living) in front of the Office of Menter Iaith Conwy on Ancaster Square, Llanrwst.
This location was chosen because the Menter’s work reflects the aims of the strategy in terms of strengthening the Welsh language’s position as a living community language. This decision also recognised the ground breaking work done by Menter Iaith Conwy which now employs 15 people.
Children from the reception class of Ysgol Bro Gwydir came to the event to enjoy playground games under the supervision of Manon Celyn and a host of children’s characters.
Both Alun Ffred Jones (AM, Minister for Heritage, and perhaps more importantly, one of the co-authors of C’mon Midffild ) and Meirion Prys Jones the Chief Executive of the Welsh Language Board, gave speeches at the launch of the new strategy.
Mr Alun Ffred Jones said:
“Despite the last census showing encouraging signs for the language, especially amongst young people, the position of the language remains fragile.
"The draft strategy aims to build on the achievements of Iaith Pawb and the One Wales Government to increase the numbers who can speak Welsh and choose to do so, throughout Wales."
This strategy does not stand in isolation. Together with the recently approved Welsh Language Measure and Welsh-medium Education Strategy, this strategy will help meet this Government’s vision of a truly bilingual Wales.
“Almost all fluent Welsh speakers speak Welsh on a daily basis, but they need more opportunities to use the language in all spheres of life,” Mr Jones explained.
“For example, over the past century we have lost many of the workplaces where the use of Welsh has been natural and commonplace. One of the challenges of this strategy will be to create a wide range of opportunities for the use of the language to become a day-to-day activity again.
“Another big challenge will be to inspire children and young people to use Welsh and create the opportunities for them to build up their confidence in using the language so that it becomes not only more commonplace but a matter of pride.
“I am grateful to the Welsh Language Board for their valuable contribution in drafting this strategy and I hope this will help us build on the good work they have contributed over the years. I now look forward to hearing people’s views on our strategy.”
Chair of the Welsh Language Board, Meirion Prys, said:
"It has been a privilege to work with the Government in preparing this Strategy and I am glad of the opportunity to take part in the launch today.
"The strategy builds upon the increasing goodwill towards the language, and paves the way to ensure that the Welsh language can flourish in all aspects of life in Wales.
"The Strategy recognises the importance of working on a community level, in rural and urban areas, in a way which reflects the unique needs of different areas."
Among the key recommendations of the draft strategy are:
• To create Language Development Areas across Wales in partnership with local authorities, Mentrau Iaith and other organisations.
• To develop a Bilingual Towns and Cities project to promote the use of the language in urban settings.
• To develop a Welsh Language Delivery Plan for the 0-5 age group.
The strategy’s launch finished with a performance by Gwibdaith Hen Fran on Ancaster Square.
The strategy can be read in full using the link below.
http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/welshlanguage/wlsconsultation/?lang=cy
The public can respond to the draft strategy but any feedback/ response must be received by the end of January.
Glan-Llyn
Thanks to a project called “Gwreiddiau Conwy” that’s is funded by Conwy Rural Development Plan and a grant from Causeway British council Menter Iaith Conwy were able to welcome Young people from Cork, Swansea and Belfast to join our youngsters here in Conwy.
Here is our journey by Elin Arfon:
“A week full of adventures awaited us as we arrived in Glan Llyn on Monday 25th of October. We hadn’t seen the Cork, Belfast and Swansea lot for five months, and everyone was looking forward to meeting again. On Monday night we all went to the fun Fair in Bala, to which two if the Belfast boys dressed in their pajamas which was pink with some yellow stars!! We Went to Llandudno and Conwy on Tuesday finishing of fin Llanrwst were we all had a historical treasure Hunt. To think that we were from Llanrwst it was a team that had no member from Llanrwst in it that won the Hunt. Maybe we should learn more about our area first before going travelling to Ireland!
Conservation was the main theme for the week so all 40 + of us got shared into two groups. While one Group stayed in Glan Llyn then to Beddgelert on the Thursday Elin, Glesni and I went to Beddgelert with our Group on the Wednesday. When we arrived we were staying in Yurts and cutting down trees. Now to think that we are girls from the country, i could only imagine the mess we would make of the cutting of trees. That night after we had finished cutting the trees we had Manon Prysor to narrate the legend Branwen for us, we were amazed by her talent. We then went back to the Yurts in the dark and camped around the Fire. On Thursday we Went to Llanberis to meet the rest of the Group they had all been night canoeing on the Wednesday night which was a great experience. To finish the week we had the amazing Ed Holden giving us a beat boxing workshop. The Irish had never seen anything like it.
Saturday came and it was say goodbye to our friends from across the sea, and it will be another 9 weeks until we meet again. I would like to thank everyone who made the week a week to remember especially Esyllt, Arwel, Sion and Sioned. I hope Swansea is ready for us!!”
We are all looking forward to the next round in Swansea during July 2011.
Trip to Pentre Bach
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On Saturday, October the 2nd, a trip for families was organized to Pentre Bach, the real life home of Sali Mali and her friends.
The trip was a great success, with 35 parents and children joining us on the trip. We were able to see the homes of Sali Mali, Nicw Nacw, Tylwyth Teg, Coblyn and Bili Bom Bom, ac everybody in the village was very welcoming.
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Some of the party decided to have food at Caffi Sali Mali, and all the staff there were very pleasant. After lunch, we took part in a shoe hunt, where the children enjoyed searching for different pairs of shoes. It was a very special day for one boy, as it was his birthday. There was a cake and everyone joined in and sang happy birthday to him.
Esyllt from Menter Iaith said:“It was nice to see the families mingling and enjoying themselves. It was a good opportunity for some families, who perhaps lacked confidence when speaking Welsh, to have a chance to practice and enjoy the experience of speaking with each other, with other families and the people around them in Welsh.”
It was a fun day and everybody enjoyed themselves. We hope to arrange another trip there soon. |
Cronfa Swyddi’r Dyfodol Consortiwm y WCVA
Click here for more information.
4 Corner Youth Exchange
During the First week of July, a Group of Young People from Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy took part in an Exchange programme between Belfast, Cork, Swansea and Conwy.
The aim of this project is for the young people to learn about each other’s heritage, culture, language and also see the similarities and difference between them and gain knowledge of the idea of being a Celtic nation.
This is our journey by one of the young people taking part Lowri Llwyd Roberts:
“I woke up on Sunday the 4th of July to rain and wind, brilliant weather to be sailing across the Irish Sea! Unfortunately for me and some of the others on the ferry, it was a very bad start to our trip. After twelve hours of travelling we finally arrived at the outdoor centre Ardnabannon which was in a village called Castlewellan about an hour away from Belfast which is Northern Ireland’s capital.
In the company of forty other Young People from Swansea, Belfast and Cork things were very awkward on the first night, but once we were put into mixed group’s we were forced to make new friends.
We were able to enjoy activities and attractions in Northern Ireland which included Bouldering, Mountain walking, ‘The Giant Causeway’, a bridge made of rope ‘Carrick-a- Rede’ and ice skating.
On Thursday we were able to go and visit Belfast and we were educated on the history and conflict between the Catholics and Protestants, we saw the harbour where the famous ‘Titanic’ was built then the best part of the day: shopping in the summer sales!
With a bus to catch at five thirty the following morning, we went to bed early (that is two thirty in the morning – we were not going to leave without a party)! It was lovely to have fifteen hours sleep when I got home to Llanrwst alive and kicking on Friday night.
The other Young People and I would like to thank all of our sponsors for supporting us financially for our trip to Northern Ireland. We are looking forward to welcome all the people who are part of the exchange here to North Wales in October 2010.”
All the Young People had enjoyed very much and it was an eye opener for them. They are all looking forward to welcoming them all to Glan Llyn in October 2010 for the next part of the exchange.
This project is funded by ‘Causeway’ the British Council and is one of the Conwy Rural Development projects.
REMEMBERING PRINCESS GWENLLAIN
It was the National Remembrance Day for Princess Gwenllian on Saturday 12th of June.
Gwenllian was the daughter of Llywelyn the last and when he died she was imprisoned by the King of England in Sempringham as she was the only air of Llywelyn that could have been the next leader of Wales. It was there in Sempringham she lived all her life until she died in 1337.
On Friday the 11th of June a group of Young People from Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy, Llanrwst lead by Menter Iaith Conwy and the Urdd, did a sponsored walk up ‘Carnedd Gwenllian’ which is one of the 14 peaks here in Wales. ‘Carnedd Gwenllian’ used to be known as ‘Carnedd Uchaf’ was re-named last year to remember the Princess.
It was a 14km walk up the mountain and all the Young People managed to complete the walk and rose over £200 towards an exchange programme that they will be taking part in with Northern Ireland, Ireland and South Wales. This project is supported by Conwy Rural Development Plan.
They will be travelling to Northern Ireland during the first week of July, where they will be learning about the partner’s heritage, culture and language, and also raising awareness of their own heritage which will include the history of Llywelyn the Last and Princess Gwenllian among the other Young People.
Esyllt Tudur from Menter Iaith Conwy said:
“It is important that the Young People here in Wales learn about the history of Wales. This was a chance for them to raise money and raise awareness of the day. They all enjoyed the experience and we are very proud of them for completing the walk.”
Snowboarding
Menter Iaith Conwy and Communities First in Pen Llyn have been running a Welsh Language Surfing Club on Ynys Mon and Pen Llyn for young people from both areas including Conwy.
This year we decided to venture into a different environment, which was the mountains and more importantly the beautiful white stuff that falls on them; snow! Through financial assistance from Awards for All, which is a grant from the Big Lottery Fund, and Community Chest from Sports Council Wales, we succeeded in adding snowboarding to the clubs list of activities. We also received practical help from Simon who works for the Outdoor Partnership. We received a lot of expert advice and help from “Menai Ski and Outdoor” shop in Menai Bridge, to get all the necessary equipment.
This week 14 young people from Ynys Mon and Conwy tried snowboarding for the first time. The session was held at John Nike Ski Slope, Llandudno.
Bedwyr ap Gwyn from Menter Iaith Conwy said;
“It’s important that these kind of opportunities are available through the medium of Welsh, along with all other outdoor adventure activities, as there is a great shortage of Welsh speaking staff in the outdoor industry. We hope that between the surfing and snowboarding we can sustain a vibrant club”
The club will be meeting consistently throughout the year. For more information phone or email Bedwyr ap Gwyn; 01492 642357. bedwyr@menteriaithconwy.cymru247.net.
Pentre Bach
Menter Iaith Conwy are organizing a trip to Pentre Bach for families on the 1st of October. Click here for more.
Calendar of Community Activities- Cick here
Welsh Lessons
Welsh lessons will be re-starting at the end of September 2007. Do you know anyone who would like to learn Welsh?.
For further information regarding Welsh lessons in the county of Conwy, contact Howard Edwards (Popeth Cymraeg) on 01492 641494 / howard@popethcymraeg.com or Janet Charlton (WLPAN Courses) on 01690 710187.
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