On Monday 24 March the ‘ARFOR: Strengthening Understanding and Looking Towards the Future’ Conference was held at the Medrus Conference Centre in Aberystwyth University. The conference was organised by Wavehill and their partners on the ARFOR Evaluation, Monitoring and Learning stream, Aberystwyth University and Sgema who helped to set the agenda and get plans in place.
The conference offered the opportunity for attendees to attend various sessions, presentations, and conversations during the day. Along with discussion sessions and presentations on specific topics, attendees were given a preview of some of the main headlines of Wavehill’s final evaluation of the ARFOR project which will be presented formally later in the year. The conference also provided an excellent opportunity for stakeholders and those that have been a part of the ARFOR programme to come together to discuss the project and their reflections as the second phase of the programme comes to an end.
The feedback regarding the day has been good and the response on the day to the different sessions was heartening. The obvious enthusiasm and passion heard in the contributions of individuals during the discussion sessions was striking, showing once again that the future of the Welsh language is a subject which inspires deep reflection.
The conference managed to generate an atmosphere which inspired meaningful and interesting conversations which allowed attendees to express their valuable experiences and insights regarding the programme, and the wider challenges that areas of north and west Wales face. It seems that there is a genuine appetite to get to grips with ideas that discuss the economy in these areas in the context of the Welsh language and how to use investment programmes to benefit Welsh speaking communities. The conversation was enriched by contributions from a wide range of individuals in attendance, with experts from a wide variety of fields present and ready to share their experiences and ideas in order to solve some of the biggest challenges that the ARFOR areas face.
Speaking on behalf of Wavehill, Lowri Cunnington-Wynn who led the proceedings, said:
“The conference was a tremendous success – a great opportunity to bring people together to discuss the challenges and opportunities that face our communities, our economy, and the Welsh language. We are very grateful to everyone who contributed to make the day as successful as it was. It’s clear that co-operation is key and continuing some of these discussions is extremely important.”
Discussing the evaluation report to be published later in 2025, Ioan Teifi from Wavehill said:
“The ARFOR 2 evaluation has a crucial role in helping to steer how to support the key aims of the programmes in future. When reflecting on the challenge of losing young Welsh speakers from these areas, the evaluation gives an opportunity to assess what lessons we can take from the programme and how to tackle these challenges as we move forward.”
