Cymuned target Ynys Môn council as ‘first step’ in jobs for locals campaign CyngorNi.com
Members of the community and language pressure group Cymuned today (Thursday 26th of February) targeted Ynys Môn council as part of their latest campaign CyngorNi.com, which calls upon county councils serving Cymraeg-speaking areas to follow Gwynedd Council’s policy of operating internally through the medium of Cymraeg in order to provide a genuinely bilingual service. An information stand was set up outside council offices to distribute leaflets explaining more about CyngorNi.com, with a large full colour banner to draw attention to the campaign.
‘If we are to secure a future for the young people of Ynys Môn, and for our language in one of its last remaining strongholds, it is vital that Ynys Môn council follow the enormously successful example of Gwynedd by providing jobs which enable people to work through the medium of Cymraeg, as well as providing genuine opportunities for professional newcomers to the area to learn Cymraeg fluently,’ said Aran Jones, Cymuned’s Chief Executive.
Cymuned voted in favour of this campaign in their last annual conference, and has since been working to prepare research and gather support before launching the campaign in public. Cymuned believes that providing high-quality professional jobs for young local people is the most important challenge facing politicians who want to slow down the outward migration of young people from Ynys Môn.
‘Our young people leave the area taking their qualifications and their bilingual skills with them,’ said Aran Jones, ‘and as the most significant employer on the island, the council has a responsibility to help slow that drain. Working internally through the medium of Cymraeg would show young people that there is a place for them on the island, and place a real market value on their linguistic skills.’
Cymuned have already sent letters to every county councillor calling on them to support the campaign, and have prepared a timetable of events for the rest of 2009. They believe that every resident of Ynys Môn who is worried about the outward-migration of local young people, and concerned for the future of the language, to visit the CyngorNi.com website in order to find out how to lend a hand with the campaign.
