Celtic inclusion in YEN, and carving out new spaces for youth

On RISE UP’s travels in Kernow/Cornwall in March this year, we bumped into Cornish activist Jowan, at the St. Piran’s walk. This year, YEN was also proud to have not one but two Bretons in its Board, Loeiz and Enora from the Breizh/Breton youth organisation Kennstroll Breizh. And, long time friend of YEN and Cymraeg/Welsh activist Aaron joined us at the Autumn Seminar in Daruvar, Croatia, where we had a record-breaking Celtic presence: 1 Cymraeg/Welsh, 2 Kernewek/Cornish, and 3 Breizh/Breton participants, not forgetting our amazing Breizh theatre trainer, Essyld.

For those who are wondering how RISE UP and YEN have worked together in the last years, a great deal of the work has been put into creating and expanding existing youth networks, reaching out to young individuals, and working on youth-focused initiatives together which directly involve speakers of minority/minoritised languages. Fostering the preservation and recognition of their languages, standing up and advocating for their human rights as marginalised and non-kin state communities, and building community spaces of care, inclusion, and friendship has been our focus. Seeing the increase of Celtic presence at the YEN seminar was a warm moment, particularly as the inclusion of Celtic youth voices has been lacking in the past, so we decided to ask the participants about their motivations to join YEN and share their experiences.

“Not only did we make new friends who live very far from Kernow but we also had time to deepen our relationship with our Welsh and Breton cousins. Bagas Keltek byghan en ni!” said Jowan (23, Helston), who travelled all the way to Daruvar with friend and fellow activist, musician and dancer, Elizabeth, who not only speaks but also sings in Cornish. We were lucky enough to hear a snippet of her beautiful singing during the cultural exchange night, which was a magical little moment for everyone there.

The seminar was packed with creative workshops, and there was even a spoken-word performance and a zine created, where participants could include their minority/minoritised language poems and stories. Aaron (29, Caerfyrddin), who works and advocates for Welsh Youth Group Plaid Ifanc added: “I was able to join our largest Celtic contingent yet – the Bretons, Cornish and Welsh together exploring our cultures through writing and performance art.”

RISE UP supports YEN in extending their support and invitation to Celtic regions, increasing the outreach to those who have less infrastructure in terms of an organisation or club, and often feel alone in their struggle with keeping their language and culture alive. Through RISE UP’s dedication to amplify the voices of minority/minoritised youth and young speakers, moments of community connection like these show us, how vital it is to prioritise youth inclusion for young speakers. Spaces where young people can gather, share experiences, and hear each other’s languages spoken in the room… these are so often lacking, so the more spaces we can carve out and create like this, regardless of whether on- or offline, is vital.

Anna (18, Plounevez-Moedeg) shared a little anecdote: “A few Bretons, two Cornish and a Welsh are gathered in Croatia… It almost sounds like the beginning of a joke…” She continued to tell us how nice it was to connect with people from minorities so different and yet so similar to her own Breizh/Breton. “Different histories yes, but so many similitudes in our fights to keep our cultures and languages alive, these same languages that are so close to each other.”

The connections and friendships created between young people at these events are invaluable, and continue to grow and flourish across borders. Some of these connections had previously been formed during HIGA: the Summit of young endangered language speakers in the Basque Country back in July, where young minority/minoritised speakers gather from all over the world to take part in empowering workshops. These are spaces of learning and sharing for young people, particularly those who languages are not taught in schools, and the spaces where the language can be spoken, practised, or learnt is ever shrinking.

“One thing I find really special about YEN events is the encouragement we get to share our Cornish language, culture and nationality”, Jowan continued. “We don’t often get opportunities like this at home. Leaving the seminar, we felt more confident and inspired to do more as a young people in Kernow. We dreamt that one day our home could host such a seminar with young people like us from across Europe. But until then, we’ll make plans to spend more time with our fellow Celts just across the water. Meur ras dhewgh hwi YEN!”

YEN has always aimed to increase the visibility of RISE UP’s work, and RISE UP also increases YEN’s visibility in regions where YEN do not have member organisations. We have always worked toward the aim of giving something back to the community, and showing that we are there alongside young people in their fight for recognition and language rights! We truly hope this new Celtic wave is the beginning of more new friendships, collaborations and networks.

“I imagine a near future YEN where Celtic engagement sits securely at the heart of a rich and varied web of language and culture, serving to enrich and strengthen youth activism across the continent and beyond”, continues Aaron. “The future of YEN rests in expanding and deepening its engagement with the Celtic Nations, both Brythonic and Gaelic together.”

If you are a young Celtic person, please message us! And you can always sign up for a YEN seminar or training, even if you do not belong to an organisation, just to get to know YEN, RISE UP, and the work that they do together. We are always happy to hear from you, welcome guests, and we hope to see more of you! Minority rights are human rights!

Author: Jenny Browne