Treats & Tales for the Mentor Team - Irish Language Workshop & Coffee Morning!
Fighting Words Volunteer Mentors Create a New Story - as Gaeilge!
A group of Fighting Words mentors and illustrators recently came together for a story writing workshop and coffee morning at our Dublin centre. For many, it was a workshop with a difference - they were writing through Irish.
Facilitated by Bríd-Treasa Wyndham, Comhordaitheoir na gClár Gaeilge and Seirce Mhac Conghail, Comhordaitheoir Tionscadail Gaeilge, the group of 20 mentors filled the room with laughter as they chose the characters and decided on the plot, without focusing on spelling or grammar.
As Fighting Words programmes expand in Gaeltacht areas and with Gaelscoileanna in our existing centres, our team of volunteer mentors is being encouraged to use the Irish that they have to help students create new stories in Irish.
"I really enjoyed it and it was much easier than I thought. I would encourage anybody to give it a go" - Philip Elliott
Inclusive and Fun
Most of the volunteers who attended the workshop would not consider themselves completely fluent but they were eager to have the opportunity to use the skills that they have.
"It was fantastic to see everyone giving the workshop a go and using the Irish they had, from a few words to full fluency. The story the group wrote together was full of fun and imagination, which is all we want for our school workshops as Gaeilge, " said Seirce Mhac Conghail, Comhordaitheoir Tionscadail Gaeilge.
This sentiment was echoed by the volunteers who attended.
"I really enjoyed it and it was much easier than I thought," said Philip Elliott, who has been volunteering with Fighting Words for several years. "I would encourage anybody to give it a go. Because you already know the workshop format in English, it was easy to do it through Irish."
If you are an existing volunteer mentor who would like to learn more about volunteering through Irish, contact us today to learn more!
Related News and Links
- Interested in volunteering through Irish? Contact Seirce by email for more information
- Sign up for workshops as Gaeilge using our online calendar
- Read stories created in Irish in Stories & Creative Work - you can filter by language!
