S4C joins drive for one million Welsh speakers by 2050

S4C and the Welsh Government have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding, working towards the goal of having one million Welsh speakers and doubling the use of the language by 2050.

As part of its contribution towards the million-speaker goal, the Welsh language broadcaster has already created a new role responsible for cross-platform content to support Welsh language learning.

S4C aims to develop its service for new speakers to support those who are learning Welsh and to make this content accessible to everyone and reach new audiences, giving people more opportunities to hear the language.

Stori’r Iaith

A new series, Stori’r Iaith, which starts this evening (8 February) will look at four different presenters’ experiences of and relationships with the Welsh language, reflecting S4C’s commitment to create content to attract more viewers and encourage people to speak Welsh.

This is also part of S4C’s wider strategy to support the goal of one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

Sara Peacock, S4C’s Welsh Language Strategy Lead, said: “All of us at S4C are passionate about the Welsh language and are keen to play our part in supporting and promoting it.

“This Memorandum enables a specific focus on the language, which is also reflected in the new Welsh Language Strategy that we are currently working on.

“By working closely with the Cymraeg 2050 team in the Welsh Government, and all of our partners in organizations across Wales, we hope to contribute to a future where our language truly belongs to everyone.”

Common vision

Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and Welsh Language, said: “The aim of Cymraeg 2050 is to ensure that more people can speak Welsh and to increase its use. I am proud to announce this Memorandum of Understanding to ensure a common vision to increase the use of the Welsh language and to ensure a successful future for our language together.

“The Welsh language belongs to us all and Stori’r Iaith will play an important role by showing different people’s relationship with the Welsh language.”

S4C and the Welsh Government held a special event at the Cardiff Millennium Centre on Tuesday, 7 February, to launch the Memorandum with Jeremy Miles MS and presenter Sean Fletcher.

Sean will present the first episode of Stori’r Iaith, with further episodes featuring Lisa Jên, Alex Jones and Elis James.

A comprehensive educational package, ‘Mwy o Stori’r Iaith’, will be published on the Welsh Government’s HWB platform on March 1st and on the mwyostoririaith.cymru website.

The educational package coincides with the television series and includes cross-curricular interactive activities and a timeline of the history of the language, together with eight video clips based on the series.

The package was developed by Rondo Media and Atebol and was funded by a grant from the Welsh Government.