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classroom (Welsh Government 2016a). This needs to be considered alongside evidence from the
Welsh Language Use Survey 2013–15 (Welsh Government and Welsh Language Commissioner
2015), which showed that young Welsh speakers were more likely to have learnt to speak Welsh at
school than anywhere else, and that they were more likely to always speak Welsh at school than with
their friends or at home.

We therefore need to plan provision for children and young people which not only gives them
the opportunity to use or practise Welsh, but instils in them positive attitudes towards the language
which translates into active use. This can reap dividends in the long term, helping them to see that the
language is not something solely connected with school, and that there is a rich social and cultural
world associated with it.

Young people (14–19)

Evidence collated as part of a research study on the use of Welsh within six communities across
Wales (Welsh Government 2015) suggests that there can be a lack of choice in terms of language
activities (e.g. sports, music, social) for young people in their late teens. We believe this has the
potential to impede the further development of the language
skills they acquire during the statutory education phase. There is a risk that this also reinforces a
perception of Welsh as a language of the classroom, rather than the language of society, work and
enjoyment.
In addition to expanding further and higher education provision in Welsh and providing
opportunities to pursue Welsh-language
apprenticeships as discussed in Theme 1, further informal opportunities for young people to use
their Welsh language skills socially – whether face-to-face or through social media – will be key.
There is also a
need to acknowledge that we do not know all the answers, and that research is required to
discover what drives the decisions of this age group, and what drives their use of the language.

Opportunities to use Welsh

Traditionally we have regarded opportunities to use Welsh in a community setting as a matter of
providing or arranging events. Although this is part of the picture, it does not reflect fully how
people live their lives. In many cases people are not members of clubs and do not frequent formal
activities on a regular basis, tending to be too busy or with other priorities. These individuals are
more likely to use Welsh in the street, in shops and when using services.

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