Overview

We’ve got big ambitions for our language, and our Leading in a Bilingual Country (LIBC) programme is just one of our plans to realise them.  Get together with us and fellow senior leaders for a one-day LIBC workshop to discuss how we can develop a culture of bilingualism in our organisations. You don’t need to be able to speak Cymraeg to join us: all we need is an inquisitive mindset and enthusiasm for discussion.  Our ideal outcome is that after the workshop, we’ll all champion an organisational leadership culture in which the Cymraeg can flourish (You can read more about our ambitions for our language in our Cymraeg 2050 strategy).

As a top-level leader, you’ll participate in this one-day workshop. This is the first part of a longer cultural development programme for your organisation. You only need to take part in the 1-day workshop. After this, you’ll nominate two senior people from your organisation who will take the programme forward and join us in 5 subsequent sessions between September 2023 and February 2024. They’ll attend a blend of in-person and online events.

Our bilingual journey

We’re all on a bilingual journey, as organisations and individuals. And we’re all at different stages of that different journey at different times. Some of us will be just starting out, some will have travelled further. This workshop will be a place where we can learn from each other wherever we’re at.

After the workshop, we’ll ask you to ask your two nominees to work on a baseline assessment about the culture around Cymraeg in your organisation. This will help us tailor sessions and discussions, so we all get something valuable to take back to our organisations. The baseline assessment will help us have a clear idea of what their starting point is for work you can do in your organisations to develop the leadership culture around Cymraeg.

Benefits

You’ll learn about the latest Cymraeg-related developments from experts in their fields. But this is far more than a one-way information flow. We’ll also explore our ideas, experiences and hopes around Welsh-English bilingualism and leadership. In our discussions together, we’ll bring to life what benefits and potential challenges may arise as we develop the leadership culture around Cymraeg in our organisations.

LIBC will present real life bilingual situations and it will focus on:

• How we can use and/or develop our leadership behaviours to ‘set the tone’ and to show dedication to a positive culture around Cymraeg in our organisations.
• It will examine the personal leadership qualities that will help us to communicate effectively in a Welsh-English environment, whatever our level of Cymraeg.
• Together, we’ll look at practical ideas for ensuring how to ‘do’ Cymraeg 2050 in our organisations and be part of our national ambition to increase the use of our language.

What won’t it cover?

• LIBC won’t provide training in, or interpretation of, any aspect of compliance with Welsh language regulations or law.
• It won’t focus on teaching or learning Welsh in organisations.

Leadership behaviours

This learning programme will help you to develop your leadership behaviours in the following areas:

Target audience

If you’re employed in the Welsh public services or a third sector/voluntary organisation, working at board-level and/or a senior leader, new in post or well-established, recently arrived in Wales or been here all your life, then LIBC is for you.

Cost

Nothing at all.

How to apply

Places on this cohort of LIBC are limited and demand is likely to be high so we’ll need you to make an application.

Closing date: 1 June 2023.

Programme dates

15 June 2023, Senior Leaders' Workshop

In person, whole day.

After the workshop, we’ll ask you to ask you to nominate two people to work on a baseline assessment of the culture around bilingualism in your organisation and to attend the following sessions. This will help us tailor sessions and discussions, so we all get something valuable to take back to our organisations. The baseline assessment will help us have a clear idea of what the starting point is for work you can do in your organisations to develop the leadership culture around bilingualism 

Further sessions for your two senior nominees:

14 September 2023, Session 1: Where are we all at with bilingualism and Cymraeg?

In person, whole day.

• Getting to know each other
• Sharing where we’re at: discussion about the baseline cultural assessment you’ll have done prior to this first session
• You and Cymraeg, and your organisation and Cymraeg: past experiences of and aspirations for our language
• Explore unconscious bias and empathy in relation to English<>Cymraeg bilingualism
• The type of language we use when we speak and write about bilingualism

Learning into action: work between sessions. 

26 October 2023, Session 2: Building the narrative and building a team

Online, 9am-12pm with breaks.

• Putting previous learning into action
• Building the narrative: diagnosing what we need to change
• Bilingualism in practice (our story)
• What else do we need to know more about?
• Developing ambassadors within your organisation: a message to our sponsors

Learning into action: work between sessions.

7 December 2023, Session 3: How will it feel when we get to 2050?

In-person, whole day.

• Tying bilingualism into our own organisational values and vision
• Bilingualism in practice (our story)
• How can technology help us change culture?
• Build on strengths/address challenges raised in last session

Learning into action: work between sessions.

18 January 2024, Session 4: Building support

Online, 9am-12pm with breaks.

• Talking the talk about bilingualism – how’s it going?
• Helpful tools and takeaways for everyday bilingualism
• How individuals and organisations experience bilingualism

Learning into action: work between sessions.

29 February 2024, Session 5: Maintaining momentum

In-person, whole day.

• Today we invite our sponsors to join us to discuss to share the journey to date and to discuss what we can do together (in a community of practice) for bilingualism in the future.