Audit and needs assessment
of Irish language groups in Belfast
POBAL,
13-3ú urlár
Muileann Abhainn Bheara
81 Bóthar Chluanaí
Béal Feirste,
BT12 7AE
Teil: +44 (0)77 13 630325 - R-phost: – Láithreán:
Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Research Methodology
Findings
Executive Summary
The Sector
It is widely recognized that it is sometimes difficult to define what constitutes a 'group' in the voluntary sector.Usually it is assumed that a group is a collection of people who come together under a recognised structure, for the benefit of society, without profit as the primary motivation of its work. These groups focus on creating social wealth rather than material wealth.In this audit, we focus on Irish language groups located in the Belfast City Council area, whose core work has been created over time in a wide range of areas, from work in the arts, in education, in the media, in community development and more.They are all groups that are extremely active and who are high achieving in terms of the promotion of the diversity and vitality of the city. It is difficult for senior representatives to put aside time to participate in research when they are carrying heavy workloads on a daily basis.To ensure the validity of this audit, POBAL set a target of 8 participating groups as our goal. Ultimately, 17 groups participated in it, more than twice the target number.Early in the investigation, it became clear that the groups were proud of what they have achieved on behalf of the city, and that they want to contribute to efforts to drive Belfast forward into a vibrant, diverse society.
In recent years, the number of Irish language groups in Belfast has grown and their energy and enthusiasm contributes a great deal to the life of the city, on a local basis, city-wide and beyond.In the Irish language voluntary sector, of course, there is a specific objective that all the groups have in common, that is, the promotion of the Irish language and the provision of services to its speakers, including those learning the language.There is a significant difference in the North, however, between groups in the Irish language sector and groups in the ‘English-language’ sector. The Irish language sector is very young, and continuing to grow, and often works in collaboration with the state institutions, for the benefit of the language. Still, however, it does not always have a close relationship with the state or with government institutions in the same way that the 'English language’ voluntary sector often does, because of the historical context and the pattern of provision of public services within the state, a pattern which has placed services in English at the heart of provision for many years, without always doing the same for services through Irish.
The Irish language voluntary sector is still growing in order to meet the basic needs of the community. While engaged in this work, it strengthens and diversifies our society; it creates regeneration in disadvantaged areas, as well as an exemplary support framework around a wide range of projects and services. There is a natural energy, enthusiasm and creativity to the groups themselves and to their work. Now this audit has been carried out, we believe that there is much more information available about the Irish language sector in the city, and that there exists a unique opportunity for Belfast City Council to adopt the achievements and success of the Irish language groups as a model for community development and city development. It has become clear to us as well, even when groups direct their work towards local areas, or to the city itself, the exemplary work they are doing has a much broader impact, regionally, nationally and internationally.
The Groups
The Irish language groups in the city have different constitutional statuses. Some operate as limited companies under guarantee with charitable status; but others are social enterprises or unincorporated associations. In some cases, specialist or delineated Irish language groups come under the umbrella of a different large organisation, for example, AntÁisaonad under St. Mary's University College, and Turas, under East Belfast Mission.
Irish language groups perform different roles and they provide a wide range of different services, focused on the local community, on the community throughout the city, and beyond.
A number of them provide specialist services for the Irish language sector itself, such as resources, training, coordination, information and advocacy for the sector (AntÁisaonad, Altram, POBAL, Raidió Fáilte.)
International recognition for Belfast’s Irish language groups
The majority of the groups have a specific Northern and Belfast identity, but a significant number of them have far broader recognition than that and some of these groups themselves have gained regional, national and international renown (Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, An Cumann Chluain Árd, Altram POBAL, Turas) as have some of their projects (Cumann Cultúrtha Mhic Reachtain, Aisling Ghéar, An tÁisaonad).
Services
A vast range of services are provided, and the significant thing about the Irish language groups, is that all these are services which the state does not provide and therefore, which would not exist without the work of Irish language groups on the ground.Among the high quality services provided by the groups are: educational services for children from Early Years to secondary and post-secondary age; educational services for adults (language classes and courses, support with examinations and qualifications, cultural classes and courses, music, dance and history, etc.); day care services; vocational courses; employment services; access to Irish language arts, drama, puppetry, music, dance, entertainment, literature etc; access to the Irish media, television and radio on the airwaves and online; written online media; advocacy, capacity building, awareness raising and training in a wide range of skills; contact and work with ethnic minorities and on a cross-community basis; raising and improving the image of the city at home and beyond.
Clearly there is awareness among the groups themselves that the public have a choice, and that it is not sufficient to provide services through Irish if they are not on a par with English language services which are widely available. Particular emphasis is placed therefore on the quality of services, and the need to respond to the needs of the language and the language community, even when enormous challenges face the groups due to lack of state services. Because of the particular circumstances of the language of the North, the groups identify the need for specific research on the language and its community, to increase knowledge and understanding, as well as on advanced research on various aspects of development of the language within the education system etc.
Information about the Irish language sector
Irish language groups focus on providing good services to people in the community. Often the variety of professional support from state bodies is not available in the same way as for services being provided in English. It is not surprising then that a significant proportion of the groups feel that Irish is sometimes marginalized within the state system because of the historical neglect of the language.Some respondents say that the needs of the Irish speaking community are not always recognised, or are not fully understood. They also express concern that sometimes when community needs are identified; it is as an afterthought, something that militates against a strategic approach. This audit shows that the Council (and others) have the chance to undertake internal training, information gathering and awareness raising which would improve better understanding and the development of the positive opportunities which exist.
Users
The Irish language groups have user profiles that are very different, and this is evidence of the demand for a wide range of services through Irish.Still, with the sector being relatively new, the majority of services are focused on the needs of the young, providing activities and support for the thriving and successful Irish Medium school sector.It is probable that if more resources were available, the groups could develop more specialist services and direct them to specific groups, such as women or men, or ethnic minorities.A point made by all the Irish language groups in the city, is that they all are all open to developing contacts and relationships.
Even with the limited resources currently available, it is certain that all the organisations have loyal and growing groups of users. Clearly the Irish language groups add a great deal to the diversity of the city, and in a way that few others can do. There is a demand for Irish language services, proven by the large number of people attending Irish classes regularly, no matter what time of year. People are prepared to travel, if necessary, to classes and events as well, and some of the groups and their festivals, summer schools and events have regional, national and international recognition. All these groups emphasize the Irish language, but they all say that all events are open to everyone, and it is clear that the quality of the various services attracts users from far and near to Belfast. Without exception, there is pressure on the groups’ budgets, and unfortunately, in recent years, the city has lost some major Irish language events (such as Rights and Revelry) and tourism opportunities for Belfast due to cuts. It would be very worthwhile for Belfast City Council to look at positive ways to put Irish language culture at centre stage, perhaps by creating a special department within the Council, focused on language and community development, tourism, arts and good practice / capacity building.
The work of the groups proves that there is a demand also for advice, training, advocacy and awareness-raising, as well as the need to develop outreach as a specialist aspect to the work.This means there is an opportunity to promote Belfast experience and expertise to encourage and provide specialist support to groups in other areas.
Funding
Irish language groups offer a wide range of high quality services, which would not exist at all without the groups themselves. These groups add value to the efforts of the state and especially to Belfast City Council, to serve the entire community of the city on the basis of fairness. There is no doubt, however, that there is a lack of funding for the groups, especially compared to the number and range of services required by the Irish language community, and to the number of services which the groups themselves would be able to develop if they had more resources.
Among the difficulties that relate to funding at present, is a lack of core funding sources for Irish language groups. Most of the groups survive on a 'mixed package' of funding, with various grants from various funders, to put in place a full, integrated work program. Of course, all the groups are grateful for the opportunities created by this support for them, but it brings problems with it, for example, the administrative burden and extra bureaucracy grows with dependence on small grants from different funders. It is significant, when interviewing the groups, that funding is currently available for buildings and that this has changed the circumstances for some groups. At the same time, almost every group says that funding for workers and running costs are needed as well, if they are to benefit fully from the new possibilities.
Emphasis on short-term funding means that there is continuous struggle and uncertainty.It is recognized that the current situation can be difficult for funders as well.For an example of these difficulties, reference is made to the Irish Language Broadcast Fund, which has made an enormous contribution to the promotion of Irish language television, but whose own funding has not yet been mainstreamed.
Some groups refer to the positive relationships built with funders but still, there are hints that not every funder understands the needs of the Irish speaking community, or the benefits that Irish language groups can provide in serving the community and building on the diversity of society. This view increases the importance of long-sighted funders that recognize the value of sectoral independence and the amount and range of specialist expertise within all groups operating in the sector.All the groups agree that the Belfast City Council grants are of particular importance, both small grants and more substantial amounts. It is recommended that the added value brought by the Irish language sector is recognised through the adoption of specific funding criteria within each funding line run by the Council in the future. Also, as previously mentioned, a new department should be established, focused on language and community development, tourism, arts and good practice / capacity building.
Capacity Building Needs
The determination and enthusiasm of workers and committees of the groups is clear to be seen. They have achieved an enormous amount, which adds to the diversity of the city. Clearly there would be opportunities to develop this good work if the groups had more paid workers. At times, the burden appears too heavy, and some of the groups report that they cannot even carry out simple things (for example, developing personal contact with those who attend Irish language classes; or spending enough time with drop-in visitors etc), not to mention implementing more complicated plans.
Often specialized work and appropriate high-level skills are needed by workers in the sector, as well as fluency in the language. But the point is also made that affinity for the language, creativity and vision are equally important. Fortunately, the pool of Irish speakers is growing rapidly and there is an opportunity now to undertake further planning to match the people with skills to employment opportunities and to improve working conditions in the sector.
For Belfast Council, there is now an opportunity to further acknowledge the Irish language groups in the city and the added value they bring. To maximise the benefits, a research program would be required to fill knowledge gaps, for example, in relation to specific aspects of language development of children at different ages; patterns of employment / training / tertiary education for the children from Irish Medium education; etc.
Voluntary Input
All the groups recognize the importance of voluntary input. As the majority of the respondents state, there would be no sector in the city without the volunteer work done by the Irish speaking community over the years. The groups praise the enthusiasm, skills and imagination of volunteers who are currently working with them. According to them, it is a sign of the health of the sector that people are looking for opportunities to work in an Irish language environment. At the same time as recognizing the central role of volunteers, some groups express concern that society expects language work to be done without payment, which would leave the Irish language on the margins once more.
Some of the groups state that 'professional', highly-skilled unpaid input is undertaken to support work programmes. For example, teachers and lecturers advise on training and resources; experts in law and language address issues around best practice etc. It is clear that the groups would like to be able to offer some sort of allowances to cover basic expenses and to recognize the importance of this work.Unfortunately, they often lack the resources to do this.
Many of the groups say that people call in to them off the street to offer volunteering. There can be a particular value to the work of these people, but the point is also made that the appropriate people must be matched with the roles and work that is needed. Whilst they all recognise the importance of voluntary work, it takes time and resources to manage voluntary workers and to ensure that the experience they themselves gain within the group is of value. In order to shape and maximise the positive input of volunteers, a support framework would be needed, with a database of those wishing to offer voluntary hours and a list of the groups’ needs.
Training
Some groups say that they provide continuous training, for example in the case of statutory child protection duties etc.Some of them point out that training costs money and time, and that these are not always available. A realistic approach would help development, taking into account the human and funding resources of groups.
Several groups report information gap in terms of best practice, governance etc. and that they would like more training on this with a specialist Irish language organisation. This chimes with a point often made by the respondents – that the training required does not always exist. Consideration should be given to the positive ways in which specialist organisations which provide appropriate training to Irish language groups can be supported.Also, in order to develop various aspects of specialist training, a research program would be required (for example, about language acquisition in children).