Mudiad Meithrin is pleased to announce that its application to the Welsh Government’s Taith travelling grant scheme has been successful. The ‘Taith’ scheme aims to expand the boundaries of our work and provide learning opportunities for the Mudiad and its partners in Patagonia. Three individuals will represent Mudiad Meithrin and the sector on an exchange visit to Patagonia, where they will visit Cylchoedd Meithrin, and Spanish-language schools and guarderías. The exchange visit will also offer two individuals the opportunity to travel to Wales to visit Cylchoedd Meithrin, Welsh schools and day nurseries, offering an interesting programme of meetings and visits.
Dr Gwenllian Lansdown Davies, Mudiad Meithrin’s Chief Executive, gave a short speech on the Taith scheme as part of the Adult Education in Wales Conference on Tuesday, November 29th.
Dr Gwenllian Lansdown Davies said:
“We are keen to use the ‘Taith’ scheme as a medium to expand our horizons and to create learning opportunities for ourselves and our partners in Patagonia. The exchange visit will strengthen the relationship already in existence between Wales and Patagonia, specifically between Mudiad Meithrin and the bodies delivering care and early education in Patagonia.”
Patagonia was a natural choice for the Mudiad as there are Cylchoedd Meithrin there, e.g. Ysgol Gymraeg y Gaiman and the Ysgol Feithrin (which are both Mudiad Meithrin members) and that they also operate in a bilingual and multilingual context.
Helen Williams, Head of Training, Learning and Development for Mudiad Meithrin, said:
“We already have partners in Patagonia – Cylchoedd Meithrin and Welsh-medium schools that participate in Mudiad Meithrin activities and which look to us for guidance on a number of subjects. Intensifying and enriching this relationship will be of benefit to us and to our partners in Patagonia in that we can share and learn from each other’s experience and also generate possibilities in terms of creating and sharing resources.”
Gwenllian added:
“Our intention is to form a partnership with local partners in Patagonia such as Menter Iaith Patagonia and Ysgol Gymraeg y Gaiman and the Ysgol Feithrin to identify suitable individuals who would benefit from experiencing an international journey. The opportunity to go on the journey will be advertised in an open, transparent and democratic way, but we will favour applicants who work, have worked or volunteered in locations such as a Cylch Meithrin or Welsh school.”
Information about the scheme and how to be considered as one of the candidates to take part in the Taith exchange visit will be shared in the new year.