I wonder if it would be possible to have a program for learners to go to senior centers or old folks homes where they have Welsh residents and practice Welsh? Or sing? The seniors might like the company and the position of having something to offer visitors. Seems like it could be mutually beneficial although it would need some oversight.
Anyone heard of anything like that happening?
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I know of choirs that do this… it sounds like an interesting/challenging/valuable thing for groups of learners to do, but I haven’t heard of anyone doing it…
Syniad Mawr. I haven’t heard of anyone doing this but, on a slightly different angle, when I was on a residential Welsh course at Nant Gwrtheyrn in North Wales there was one afternoon where locals came into to help us practice our Welsh on them. Most were retirees (so senior citizens of which many had come back to Wales) and the session was a delight. So, in addition to residential centres, the same thing could work with visiting elderly people at their homes or inviting them out for coffee. I would suggest very difficult to organise but Andrea has probably identified a real possibility here. There are befriender charities who may be able to accommodate this.
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Last year I went on a day trip to Llanrwst for the express purpose of using my (limited) Welsh. I found a cafeteria on the main square (Ancaster Square?) where I was introduced by a waitress to an old man who was happy to speak Welsh with me. It was soon obvious that he was delighted to have someone to talk to - he seemed to be a friendly but lonely widower. In fact, we spent most time talking in English, for the better part of an hour, because my Welsh listening skills were very poor. (But he understood everything I said in Welsh.) I felt that I had, unintentionally, done a good deed for the day. And I gained the knowledge that I really needed to improve my listening skills, and that my speaking ability was way ahead of what I had thought.
It was a win-win episode, and I’m grateful for it.
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I’ve always thought too that it would be good to encourage more communication between the older , Welsh speaking generation in a community and the younger generation to which the language has been lost. Perhaps an advertised Welsh speaking coffee morning / play day once a week held in the village hall where fluent speakers are encouraged to help learners . I often think how sad it will be in my village for example when in the next 10/15 years , when the older generation has moved on , you will no longer hear any Cymraeg spoken on the streets here
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Thank you for sharing this lovely story. Win-win indeed!! There is too much lonliness in the world — and too many people who want to improve their Welsh and lack opportunities to really practice:)
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