Earnáil Óige Gaeilge – an chéad chéim eile san athbheochan

Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin

Is iomaí duine ó thuaidh agus i mBéal Feirste go háirithe a chaith seal i gcumann óige agus iad ag fás aníos. In go leor ceantracha fud na cathrach, tá clubanna óige fad-bhunaithe fréamhaithe sa phobal agus na glúnta, ar nós na scoileanna áitiúla, ag imeacht fríd na doirsí. Bhí agus tá go fóill, obair den chéad scoth ag dul ar aghaidh sna clubanna seo agus go minic chuir siad cor dearfach i gcinniúint na ndaoine óga atá ag freastal orthu. Go minic, déanfar an obair spreagúil seo ar bheagán acmhainní agus ar níos lú aitheantais, rud nach bhfuil sásúil in aon chor.

Bhíodh na clubanna sin, dár ndóigh, frithchaiteach don phobal ina raibh siad agus ag feidhmiú trí mheán an Bhéarla. Le blianta beaga anuas áfach, táimid ag feiceáil fás agus forbairt na hearnála óige Gaeilge. Tá Béal feirste ar thús cadhnaíochta i dtaobh na forbairtí iontacha seo, mar sin féin, ní próiseás simplí í. Sin ráite, tá samplaí agus eiseamláirí tábhachtacha gur féidir a leanstan ón mhór roinn agus níos cóngaraí i gcéin. Leis an obair óige trí Ghaeilge a bheith rathúil, caithfidh sé a bheith bunaithe ar dheá chleachtas idirnaisiúnta agus caithfidh an tuiscint go bhfuil dinimic cumhachta idir teangacha láidre agus teangacha laige a bheith lárnach sa chleachtas sin.

Ní leor é cóipeáil díreach a dhéanamh ar an obair chumhachtaithe, dearfach atá ag dul ar aghaidh sna clubanna fadbhunaithe Béarla. Ní mór cosaint agus stadas ar leith a thabhairt don teanga sa suíomh óige Gaeilge. Ní hionann sin le rá, áfach, go gcuirtear seirbhís laghdaithe ar fáil ar mhaith le tús áite a thabhairt don Ghaeilge. Go deimhin, de bharr sár-oibre na clubanna Béarla, caithfidh na clubanna óige Gaeilge a bheith ag feidhmiú ar a laghad ag comhchéim lena gcomhgleacaithe san earnáil Béarla má tá siad chun na páistí a mheallamh. Éagsúil ón chóras oideachais foirmiúil, tá an obair óige deonach. Margadh oscailte atá ann.

Is cinnte, mar sin, gur obair dhúshlánach atá ann. Is fiú go mór í áfach. Tá buntáistí na hoibre óige i dtaobh forbairt pearsanta, sóisialta agus oideachasúla na ndaoine óga ríthábhachtach daofa agus don tsochaí i gcoitinne. I gcomhthéacs na Gaeilge, tá sé chomh tábhachtach céanna go bhfuil buntáistí as cúimse ag baint leis an obair óige Gaeilge don athbheochan pobalbhunaithe atá fréamhaithe inár gceantracha le breis is 40 bliain anuas. Bhí buairimh ann go raibh athbheochan s’againne ag brath an iomarca ar an chóras Gaelscolaíochta.

Má tá na fréamhacha iontacha a leag an chóras sin síos le bláthú, ní mór spásanna sóisialta a éascú dár ndaoine óga le go nglacann siad seilbh pearsanta ar an teanga. Cuireann an obair óige Gaeilge, atá neamhfhoirmiúil, deonach agus sultmhar, na spásanna sin ar fáil. Má táimid chun tógáil ar ‘chuisle na hathbheochana’, caithfear spásanna sóisialta, óige-bhunaithe a chruthú agus tá an obair seo chomh tábhachtach sa lá atá inniu ann is a bhí bunú na ngaelscoileanna sna 70’aidí, 80’aidí agus 90’aidí.

Tá dúshraith iontach leagtha síos ag díograiseoirí agus oibrithe deonacha i dtaca leis an obair thábhachtach seo.

Is óna forbairtí seo a d’eascair Fóram na nÓg atá ag tabhairt guth agus treoir straitéiseach agus comhoibrithe don earnáil óige Gaeilge. Tá obair stocaireachta le déanamh fós le cinntiú go bhfaigheann an earnáil óige Gaeilge na hacmhainní, stádas agus aitheantas atá tuillte aici agus beidh clubanna óige ó gach cearn i mBéal Feirste lárnach san obair sin, i gcomhar le Fóram na nÓg. Cuirfear go tréan le rathúlacht an chórais Gaelscolaíochta le hearnáil óige Gaeilge atá láidir agus inrochtana do chách. Is ón phobal aníos a bhainfear an aisling seo amach ach beidh tacaíocht straitéiseach, fad téarmach ón stát riachtanach chun an dul chin buan a eascú.

Irish-medium Youth Sector – the next step in the revival

Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin

There are many people in the North, and from Belfast in particular, who spent time in a youth club while they were growing up.  In many areas around the city, there are youth clubs that are long established and have been rooted in the community for generations.  There has always been and, still is work of the highest standard taking place in these clubs and they are often very positive influences on the young people who go through their doors.  Frequently, this inspirational work is done with little resources and even less recognition, something which is entirely insufficient.

Those clubs were, of course, reflective of the communities in which they were based and operated through the medium of English.  Over recent years, however, we are seeing the growth and development of the Irish-medium youth sector, which reflects the continued growth of the Irish language as a community language in general and the strength of Irish medium education in particular.  Belfast is leading the way in these developments, even so, it’s not a simple process.  We can, however, learn lessons from other minority language communities doing similar work in the continent and even closer to home. For Irish-medium youth work to be successful, it must be based upon this international best practice and rooted in the fundamental understanding that there is a powerful dynamic between strong languages and weaker languages.

It isn’t enough to simply copy the powerful, positive work that is taking place in the long established English-medium youth clubs.  There has to be a particular status and protection given to the language in an Irish youth setting. Irish medium youth clubs must have their own unique Identity. That is not to say, however, that youth work in anyway plays second fiddle to the Irish language in these clubs.  Certainly, because of the high standard of the work being carried out in the English-medium youth clubs, the Irish-medium youth clubs have to operate on at least an equal level as their colleagues in the English-medium sector if they are going to bring children into their clubs.  Unlike the formal education system, youth work is voluntary.  It’s an open market.

They are, undoubtedly, huge challenges with this work. However, this work is very much worth the effort.  There are advantages to youth work for young people in relation to personal, social and educational development, which are important both for these young people and for society in general.  In the context of the Irish language, there are great advantages connected to Irish-medium youth work and the community based revival that has been rooted in our local areas for more than 40 years now. There had been concerns that our revival was too heavily dependent on the Irish-medium education system.

If these strong roots that have been laid down by this system are to blossom, social spaces for our young people are needed so that they can take personal ownership of the language.  Irish-medium youth work, which is informal, voluntary and enjoyable, provides this space.  If we are to build on the revival of the language, we have to create youth-based, social spaces and this work is as important today as the establishment of the Irish-medium schools were in the seventies, eighties and nineties.

There have been great foundations laid down for this important work by activists and voluntary workers.

It is from these developments that Fóram na nÓg has grown, and is now giving a voice, strategic direction and co-ordination to the Irish-medium youth sector.  There is still advocacy work to be done to ensure that the Irish-medium youth sector gets the resources, the status and the recognition that it deserves, and the clubs in Belfast are central to this work, alongside Fóram na nÓg. The success of the Irish-medium education sector will add greatly to a strong Irish-medium youth sector that is accessible to all. It is from within communities that this vision can be achieved, but strategic, long term assistance from the state is necessary in order to facilitate this development on a permanent basis.