Back in November 2022 Mudiad Meithrin announced its success in applying for a Welsh Government Language grant – ‘Taith’. The ‘Taith’ scheme is intended to extend the boundaries of our work and provide learning opportunities for the Mudiad and its partners in Patagonia.
Following this announcement three individuals have been selected to head over to Patagonia to represent Mudiad Meithrin and its sector on the Exchange trip. The three are, Heather Thomas from Cywion Bach Day Nursery in Carmarthen, Erin Williams from Cylch Meithrin Bro Alun, Wrexham and Vikki Thomas from Carmarthenshire who is an Internal Quality Assurance Officer for the Mudiad’s Cam wrth Gam Training Scheme.
Vikki Thomas said:
“I have worked in childcare and in Welsh settings for the past 12 years. I am passionate about sharing good practice and improving the quality of care we are able to offer children, to give them the best start and opportunities in life and to promote the Welsh language.
The opportunity to be part of the study visit to Patagonia is very exciting and I’m looking forward to learning and sharing experiences with teachers and practitioners in the settings over there. Also, my mamgu’s family came from Patagonia so I’m very excited to be able to visit!”
The three will travel to Patagonia on 31st September 2023 and will spend two weeks visiting Cylchoedd Meithrin (Welsh-medium playgroups) and local schools. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen the bond between Patagonia and Wales and to support the efforts of the Cylchoedd Meithrin and Welsh schools by promoting Welsh language immersion method. Heather, Erin and Vikki will share their experiences with the teachers there and learn from their work too.
Helen Williams, Head of Training, Learning and Development at Mudiad Meithrin, said:
“We’re really looking forward to the visit at the end of September. We’ve had many conversations with teachers and practitioners in Patagonia over Zoom to plan and prepare and get to know each other better. A comprehensive programme has been prepared for the visit – and thanks to Teithiau Patagonia for their help with the arrangements and to everyone over in Patagonia who is so willing to support and extend a warm welcome to Vikki, Erin and Heather. We will be constantly sharing photos and stories of the visit on our social media so follow us for the updates!”
“The final phase of the scheme will be to welcome three teachers from Patagonia to Wales during Spring 2024 and the arrangements are in place for that visit. It’s our intention then of course, to build on these relationships and connections to continue to share good practice and the development of the Welsh language”.
