Today on the Eisteddfod Maes, the Eisteddfod launched The Sgwrs (Conversation) to hear opinions and ideas as part of its plan for the next few years
Betsan Moses, Chief Executive of the Eisteddfod said, "There’s a chance for everyone to share comments and ideas about what they’d like to see over the next few years."
She spoke at an event on the Welsh Government stand with the Minister for Education and Welsh language, Jeremy Miles MS, Mel Owen, comedian and member of the Eisteddfod Spoken Word Panel, Michael Strain, Chair of the 2023 Eisteddfod, Executive Committee and Helen Prosser, 2024 Eisteddfod Chair.
She said, "This is not a conversation about 'the future of the Eisteddfod'. There’s a definite and clear future for the Eisteddfod; it’s a conversation about how we mould what we have and make it relevant to Wales today, keeping to our core principles of promoting our language and culture.
"Our strategy ends in 2025, and we want to find out what people think. Once we get to the autumn, we’ll look in detail at our strategic priorities and organise sessions on specific subjects, with the comments currently being collected feeding into everything."
The organisation's Strategic Priorities are to:
- raise awareness of the Eisteddfod as Wales' main cultural festival, at home and internationally;
- promote the Welsh language, especially among young people and learners;
- deepen the Eisteddfod's commitment to Welsh communities;
- strengthen the resilience of the Eisteddfod financially and operationally;
- work closely with partners in order to spread the linguistic and cultural wealth of Wales;
- create an Eisteddfod that is accessible and welcoming to people of all ages and communities;
- honour our responsibility to the well-being of future generations.