Community / ‘A virtual Christmas caird o sorts’
Convener o Shetland ForWirds Bruce Eunson reflects on da year dat’s awa fir da local language group
Dis Christmas, Shetland ForWirds is been delightit tae collaborate wi Promote Shetland on da latest peerie film dat is sent aa roond da wirld an watched bi hunders o thoosans o fok.
A virtual Christmas caird o sorts, lookin ta spread as muckle joy an best wishes fae fok here in Shetland as possible. Wir ey blyde tae help whin organisations laek Promote Shetland comes an akses fir local language an culture expertise, becis it brings tagidder twa o da maest important reasons dat ForWirds wis creatit fir: tae promote an celebrate Shetland’s midder tongue, an tae wirk on projects dat haes bairns lairnin Shaetlan at da hert.
Dat’s whaar da third organisation involved in dis digital Christmas caird comes in: da ALICE Theatre Project. Owre da years dir been plenty collaboration atween ForWirds an da various airms an legs o da drama community in Shetland. A jewel ida croon o drama in Shetland daday haes da be ALICE Theatre, run on Saturdays in Islesburgh fur bairns aged 4-12 wha enjoy lairnin da skills required tae perform theatre productions.
Da Elves an da Oo-makker wis da culmination o Promote Shetland, ALICE Theatre an Shetland ForWirds comin tagidder wan Saturday an lettin da bairns imagine, devise an act oot ivry an ony idea dat spanged intae dir minds. We hoop dat you enjoy watchin it as much as we enjoyed makkin it.
It’s da sicond ForWirds project tae be launched dis mont alane. Juist last week we wir at da Shetland Library an Scallowaa Museum fir da publication o Jane Cockayne’s Wilder an da Njuggel, translatit inta Shaetlan bi Christine De Luca.
Owre da 21 year fae ForWirds began wir hed a haand in da publication o dizens o Shaetlan books an whedher her role is been writer, translator, editor or juist passionate supporter, dir surely naebody done da power o wark dat Christine De Luca is.
Sam as Promote Shetland an ALICE Theatre Project, Jane Cockayne cam ta wis fir wir expertise in Shaetlan Literature fir bairns an da collaboration, tagidder wi illustrator Lauren Bulter, wis inspirin fae start ta feeneesh. Muckle thanks tae Chloe Tallack at da Library, an Laurie Goodlad at da Museum fir helpin ta pit on da celebrations in dir venues.
Aabody on da ForWirds Committee is excited fir sharin da book in 2026, whin we will be distributin free copies tae schules across da isles an deliverin classroom sessions tae primary bairns.
Dat brings wis tae anidder important pairtner in da wark o ForWirds, da Shetland Islands Cooncil. We will firiver be indebted tae da effirts o SIC creative links officer Noelle Henderson.
Whiniver we hae new books dat we wid laek tae geen oot as gifts tae schule libraries, or new education resources ta share wi teachers, or offers o in-person classroom sessions wi da bairns, we kaen we ey hiv a true freend ithin da schools service wha will geen tae ivry lent she can ta promote an celebrate Shaetlan in education.
If ony schule or teacher is readin dis an wid laek ta lairn mair aboot Shaetlan education resources or akse aboot haein wis alang dir schule fir a visit ida new year den ping wis an email: shetlandforwirds@gmail.com
We ey value da feedback we git fae teachers an try ta tailor wir offer o support ta da input dey wid maest value. Owre da twinty year dat ForWirds is been promotin da use o Shaetlan in education dir been mair n mair positive feedback aboot films dat haes a good Shaetlan voice wi it.
Fae Da Wadder Wan tae Yarmin Rasmie, fae Herma & Saxa tae 2027, wir ey delightit tae hear whit eens dir been studyin, an blyde ta help whin dir a request tae come inta da class an spaek aboot da wye at Shetland fok ir used language in sae mony creative wyes.
Da new year will nae doot be anidder busy een fir ForWirds. Julie Moncrieff an James Sinclair is aaready spaekin troo ideas fir da nixt variety concert. Wir concerts irna juist a chance tae pit Shaetlan on stage, dir wan o da wyes we mak da money we need ta be able tae buy books an geen dem tae schules fir da bairns.
So if onybody laeks da soond o da projects in dis peerie coarn o news fae ForWirds an wid laek ta help oot in da sam wye as dedicatit volunteers laek Beth Mouat, Helen Balfour, Peter Ratter, Claire White, Alex Wyllie, Hannah Mary Goodlad, Mona Walterson an sae mony idders, den dö feel free ta use da email abun an we can bidd you alang tae wir nixt meetin.
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