The organisers of a special conference that will be looking back at the work of the ARFOR programme have announced details about the event at Aberystwyth University. The ARFOR Conference, which is being organised by Wavehill, Abeystwyth University and Sgema, will be held on 24 march 2025 and will focus on the final evaluation of the programme. Wavehill is the company responsible for providing the evaluation and the conference will give an opportunity for contributors and stakeholders to discuss the main findings of the final report.
The conference will also give attendees the opportunity to hear from language planning experts and to discuss how the findings of the report can be used to improve our understanding of the nature of the relationship between economic factors and the Welsh language. The hope is that these discussions will allow further steps in order to support and promote sustainable economic development that is beneficial to the Welsh language in future.
The conference is for everyone interested in the relationship of the economy and the language and want to learn more about the ARFOR programme. The day will be of particular interest to policy workers, language planners, and people who work within the field, including academics, economic experts and institutions that support language and community development. The organisers hope that the conference will act as a forum for these individuals to come together, share expertise and consider how they can work together in future. Here are the details of the days events:
09:30 – 10:00: Arrive, tea and coffee
Setting the Context and Recognising Lessons
10:00 – 10:15: Presentation by Wavehill on ARFOR – what’s been achieved, the programme’s performance and the impact of work undertaken.
10:15 – 10:45: A short presentation by ARFOR providers discussing main achievements and lessons learnt.
10:45 – 11:25: Wavehill: Main Themes of the Evaluation followed by questions
11:30 – 12:30: Group sessions
Discussion of the main findings according to theme:
- What opportunities and support is there available to create businesses, jobs and economic opportunities are there in ARFOR communities (such as Cymunedau Mentrus, Llwyddo’n Lleol, Bwrlwm ARFOR)?
- What considerations need to be made when discussing young people moving from ARFOR areas and Wales more generally?
- What lessons can we learn from the structure and organisation of the ARFOR programme?
12:30 – 13:15: Lunch
13:15 – 14:15: Group sessions
Discussing the Programme’s Context
- Discussing Welsh in the workplace
- What is the contribution of the programme in the wider policy context
- What is the relationship with / influence on other economic development programmes that affect the region
14:15 – 14:30: Break
14:30 – 15:30: Panel: Forging the path ahead: What next?
This panel will concentrate on how we can look towards the future, building on what has been learnt from ARFOR so far. We will look at the opportunities, challenges and the best practices that can steer the next economic and linguistic policy steps and support communities and businesses in Wales.
Panel members to be confirmed.
15:30 – 16:00 Close
