Greetings! For those of you in North America: who’s going to the North American Festival of Wales over Labor Day weekend? As I have in the past couple of years, I’m organizing a Say Something in Welsh table and meet-ups. However, I won’t be able to attend, and so I’m seeking volunteers who’d be willing to sit at the table for a shift or two, and also volunteers to host the informal Welsh chats that SSiW puts on. Who’d be willing to help? Diolch in advance!
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I’m currently planning to go – my first time! – and would certainly be willing to do a table shift and host a chat or whatever. 
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Excellent, Tahl! I’ll put you on the volunteer list and will be in touch to plan things out when we’re closer to the date. Diolch!
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Hi - I’d like to help out with this. Never been to the Festival before but was thinking of going this year! : )
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Great! Diolch! Could you please send me a PM with your e-mail address so I can put you on the “volunteer list”?
I was at the Minneapolis NAFOW last year and set up the table. It was a really great experience - It is a very busy weekend with plenty of interesing activities and wonderful people. I was the only SSIW volunteer there and found myself to be stretched pretty thin between trying to ‘spread the word about SSIW’ and attending some of the activities myself however all of the 80 some little flyers I printed out were taken so hopefully some SSIW seeds were planted. NAFOW really needs more of a Cymraeg presence as so many Welsh Americans have understandably lost the language but I found there to be a lot of interest especially with younger folk. Hefina Philips and Cymdeithas Madog are a great resource here in the U.S. and Canada but we all know the crucial gaps that SSIW fills for learners. I had some very rewarding chats in Welsh with people visiting from Wales, who were very encouraging. I hope to attend this year but haven’t figured out logistics as it is an 18 hr. drive from my home.
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I had a fantastic time representing SSiW, as well. It was a great way to meet people, and I’m sorry I can’t be there this year. Thanks for all of your efforts last year, Deb. And to people thinking of volunteering: don’t be intimidated by Deb’s report of being stretched thin! We’ve already got several volunteers lined up to take shifts, plus we’re sharing the table with Cymdeithas Madog/Cwrs Cymraeg who also has volunteers to lend a hand at the table, so no one will have too much of burden. Volunteering can involve as little as sitting for an hour or two at the table, or hosting an hour-long Welsh chat. If you could lend an hour or two at NAFoW, please drop me a line here or via PM. Lots of volunteers help SSiW have a great presence at this festival!
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Hi Lynn! Great meeting you at NAFOW in Scranton in 2012. I am planning on attending this year as well and can help staff a SSiW table. It was wonderful meeting so many other SSiW learners in 2012! Do you know which day(s) we would need the table staffed?
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Great to hear from you, Liz, and thanks for volunteering! I haven’t even started the ‘sign up’ sheet, but I will add you to the volunteer list and contact you once it’s time for people to start signing up for shifts. Is your e-mail the same as it was in 2012?
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Yep, same e-mail address. Thanks!
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I will be at NAFOW next month, and am very much looking forward to meeting other SSiW fans!
A friend of mine and I have a hotel room reserved, and would like to share it with one or two other women and split the cost. If you or someone you know would be interested, please let me know!
I don’t have an SSiW shirt yet, but I’ll think of some way of letting others know that I am an SSiW fan, and if you see me, please come up and introduce yourself.
Hwyl! Bronwyn
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Here’s just a “heads up” for all who are going to NAFOW and want to help with the table. Lynn (lynnbejencks) has been very ill and may or may not be able to actually finish organizing this. I don’t know if she will even get an opportunity to review this thread; she has pretty much put everything on hold while she recuperates. So I would suggest that those of you planning to help out connect with each other to work out the details.
Good news is that Lynn WILL get better, it will just take a lot of time and effort. (And I’m missing her a lot, too!)
Thanks for letting everyone know and very sorry to hear that Lynn isn’t well - brysia wella, Lynn!
I’m so sorry to hear that, but I very much appreciate your letting us know, Sionned.
Would each of you who sees this message & will be at NAFOW respond, and let us know if you are willing to staff the SSiW table for awhile? Then we can figure out who will be there when.
Diolch!
Bronwyn
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I’m really sorry to hear that Lynne isn’t well. Please pass her my best.
I’ll be going to NAFOW for the first time and am happy to staff the SSIW some of the hours that the “marketplace” is open. I see also that the published NAFOW schedule includes THREE SSIW meetups – Friday 5:00-6:00, Saturday 4:30-5:30, and Sunday noon-1:00 – and I am happy to show up at at least two of those, maybe all three.
I have no clue about how any of SSIW’s presence at NAFOW has been organized. Is there a designated SSIW table already, and are there physical signs and/or handouts for it? Is there a room reserved for the meetups?
Bronwyn, there’s someone from our DC group who is looking to split a room, but I think she may be looking for two people in a room, not three or four. I’ll PM you her info, ok?
So very sorry to hear about Lynn. I had an email correspondence with her and Megan Wiliams from nafow in May. It has been arranged for SSIW to share a table with Hefina Philips and Madog (since both SSIW and MADOG have the same aim) with the SSIW share of the cost of the table being covered by Dick Donohoe of WNAA, a really lovely person. Last year in Mpls. there was an assigned table in the marketplace so I’m sure there will be one all ready for you to staff as NAFOW is a very well organized event. I’m happy to share what I did last year and - I should still have a copy of the flyer I made up somewhere to scan so you can see what I did -, if someone would like just pm me…also, I had made an SSIW banner for the table and am happy to send it along to whoever is setting up the table - so if someone wants to see it to think if it would be helpful to have just pm me as well and I’ll email a pic of it…
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Yes, I’m sure we’d like both of those – I’ll PM you my email address. How big is the banner, packed for shipping? Wonder if we should have it shipped to the hotel.
Does this mean, though, that you won’t be in Columbus, Deb? Phooey.
yes, I can’t come = family camping trip going on that weekend that I daern’t skip! its not a huge banner, something like 17x20, canvas brightly painted with the SSIW logo - I hung it off the front of the table - easy to roll up and send, I’ll send you a pic so you can decide…
Hello all,
I was very sorry to hear about Lynn’s illness and I wish her well. I was coordinating with her about Cymdeithas Madog sharing a table with SSiW in the marketplace this year. Hefina Philips will be teaching Welsh classes at NAFOW again, but unfortunately, no one from the Cymdeithas Madog board will be able to attend. We’d still like to have some Cwrs Cymraeg brochures and fliers about our 2016 course in Huntsville available, it’s just a matter of getting them there! Could I mail them to one of the SSiW table volunteers? Diolch yn fawr! president@madog.org