AHOZ AHO, BELAUNEZ BELAUN
('BY WORD OF MOUTH, FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT')
AABB is a campaign for raising awareness of the advantages of the continuity and transmission of the Basque language.
The objectives of the initiative are to increase the use of Basque, ensure its intergenerational transmission and promote relations between the different generations involved.
The initiative targets Basque-speaking young people, underlining that they should use Basque in their relations; it is equally aimed at present-day and future parents, inviting them to participate in Basque in their every day life through their children.
The focal point of the campaign is a mobile exhibition which travels from village to village.
Activities of the campaign
- Courses for parents: During the 2002-2003 academic year, 25 Basque language academies offered special courses for parents: 91 groups were formed. During the 2003-2004 academic year, 124 student groups have formed in 34 academies.
- Added to that, language awareness campaigns are being carried out in towns in the Basque Country, parents are being granted special subsidies.
Targeted material published by HABE includes:
- "GURASOAK HEZIZ (EDUCATING PARENTS)". This material is aimed at parents who want to improve their linguistic competence.
- "GURASOAK LAGUNDUZ (HELPING PARENTS)": This material is aimed at parents who want to improve their Basque so they can help their children with their studies.
- Targeted material aimed at a number of social agents. The material is called OSATUZ, and some of its units are addressed to paediatricians: Osasuna eskolan (Health at school), Osasuna lehen urtean (Health during the child’s first year), Osasuna lanbide (Health and work), Osasuna etxean (Health at home), Osasuna gorputzean (Health and the body)
TWF
Language transmission in the family in Wales
The aim of the Twf (Growth) project is to ensure that more and more parents decide to raise their children bilingually, especially in households where one or more parents speak Welsh.
Experts in the field of language planning have acknowledged there are two foundations to secure the future of a minority language, namely transmission within the family and teaching in schools. When examining the results of the 1991 Census the Board realised that approximately 50% of those families where one parent speaks Welsh speak the language with their children. If we are to increase the number of Welsh speakers it became apparent, therefore, that we need to increase the number of children acquiring the language naturally in the home.
During 1998/99 a pilot language transmission project was run in Carmarthenshire together with the Mentrau Iaith (language initiatives) and local midwives and health visitors. Informative materials were produced, and the Mentrau and health professionals met with groups of parents to discuss the advantages of raising children bilingually. The project was evaluated and found to be effective, and the Board was then successful in secure additional funding from the National Assembly for Wales to extend the pilot to the rest of Wales.
The Board was very pleased to appoint Cwmni Iaith Cyf as its agent to administrate the Twf project from June 2001. By now, the project has one national Development Officer, Health Officer, support officers, and 21 Field Officers working in Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Conwy, Anglesey, Gwynedd, north Powys (Montgomeryshire), south Powys (Brecnockshire) Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Caerphilly and Cardiff.
The Field Officers are working with the midwives and health visitors in order so that they, in turn, can discuss the advantages of bilingualism in their day to day work. To further develop local activities the officers are also working closely together with several organisations such as Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin (Welsh pre-school groups association), Mentrau Iaith and SureStart. Such partnerships are deemed to be essential so that the project’s message reaches as wide an audience as possible.
Twf website