For the attention of: Delyth Jewell

Dear Chair,

During our participation at the Committee meeting (5 March), Dr Simon Brooks, Chair of the Welsh Communities Commission, agreed to write to you in April. His intention in this letter would have been to indicate how the Commission would select young people for invitation to discuss with the Commission.  Simon is away from work at the moment, therefore I am writing to you on his behalf in my capacity as Vice-Chair of the Commission.

Since our discussion with the Committee, the Commission has heard evidence from secondary school pupils in Wales about their experiences and their wishes for the Welsh language in the future. We have also had the opportunity to meet Welsh nursery school children and to have conversations with their carers - many of whom have themselves been in the Welsh education system, and are from non-Welsh speaking backgrounds.

We are currently organising future Commission meetings, and are keen to meet a range of young people from a variety of linguistic backgrounds. We therefore intend to discuss with young adults who are actively learning Welsh, with secondary school pupils who do not speak Welsh, and with selected overarching groups that work with young people. We are also currently discussing the possibility of inviting organisations/networks that work with older young people in the arts sector, and discovering what possibilities could arise for the Welsh language in terms of their work in the future. We are also looking at issues related to sport.

Thank you for the opportunity to present evidence to the Committee in March. We wish you every success with your inquiry on ‘Cymraeg for all’. It would be of benefit to the Commission to discuss your findings. To that end, are you in a position to be able to say when you expect to publish your report on the inquiry?

Kind regards,

Elin