Education / Primary schools to benefit from new arts project with focus on local dialect
FREELANCE creative artists and musicians who have lost work due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit will tutor primary school children across island communities, the Scottish Government has announced.
Up to 50 tutors will work with primary schools to lead cultural workshops on Scotland’s indigenous languages and dialects, music, drama, dance and visual art.
Through a shadowing scheme, tutors will also work with and support the development of assistant tutors to deliver the workshops as part of the primary school curriculum.
Gaelic arts body Fèisean nan Gàidheal will deliver the programme – which is called Treòir – Voar – Virr – in Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney, Shetland, Argyll and Bute, Highland and North Ayrshire.
In Shetland primary aged bairns from Unst to Fair Isle will benefit from the project.
The University of the Highlands and Islands will offer support to the tutors, leading to accreditation for their work.
Higher and further education, youth employment and training minister Jamie Hepburn said: “Many freelancers have experienced considerable financial hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“On top of this, we know many touring musicians will also face challenges due to the UK’s exit from the EU for some time to come.
“This new programme will offer valuable re-training and employment opportunities for creative freelancers to work across all of our 93 inhabited Scottish islands.
“Not only will school children get to learn more of the rich cultural diversity across our island communities, this project will also help promote Gaelic, Shetlandic and Scots languages and local dialects distinctive to islands such as Orkney.”
Arthur Cormack, Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s CEO, said: “All primary schools across our islands have been presented with an exciting opportunity to enable local artists to work with one year group, delving into local culture integral to our island communities.”
The programme is being supported by the National Transition Training Fund and through islands programme funding from the Scottish Government.
Become a supporter of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.