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Fun Family Learning Week held online by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig



A very successful Seachdain nan Teaghlach (Family Learning Week) was recently held online as part of the Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Summer Short Courses Programme.

Seachdain nan Teaghlach is a family learning event for Gaelic speaking families which is hosted by Sabhal Mòr every year.  Initiated by CLADRG (Community Learning and Development Review Group for Gaelic) it is run by the college and funded by Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

This week-long event is open to families with children being educated through the medium of Gaelic and offers the opportunity for parents to attend one of the college’s language courses while their children take part in a wide range of sports, arts and other activities through the medium of Gaelic.

Due to Covid-19 it was not going to be possible to run the week as normal this year, however 18 families still took part in the online event (26 adults and 28 children).  The 5-day programme from Mon to Fri was delivered on Zoom, with other pre-recorded resources available to download during and after the week.  Adults received online Gaelic classes (live) at different levels, for grammar and conversation; pre-recorded videos and PowerPoint presentations and additional notes to support individual learning.

For the children there was a combination of live sessions online and pre-recorded reading sessions and videos; Leugh le Linda Bookbug classes, arts and crafts activities and drama sessions specially designed for this programme.  Again, these resources will be made available to the families throughout the week and in their continuing Gaelic learning.

Councillor Calum Munro, Chair of The Highland Council Gaelic Committee said “Seachdain nan Teaghlach is an important event for Gaelic medium families as it provides an excellent opportunity for both parents and children to develop their Gaelic language skills in an informal setting. The project enables parents to improve their Gaelic language skills and their children are able to engage with Gaelic Medium peers from other schools across Scotland through participation in a serious of online Gaelic activities.  Seachdain nan Teaghlach is a good example of best practice in successful partnership working between The Highland Council Gaelic Team and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, which is ratified in the Memorandum of Understanding between both organisations.”

A family forum has been set up to give the parents an opportunity to meet through a safe and welcoming online platform. It is hoped that this will help to create an inspirational and supportive Gaelic-speaking community that can grow in the coming months and years.

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