The Welsh Government will invest £11 million over the next three years in Arfor 2, Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething and Designated Member Cefin Campbell have announced.
Arfor 2 is a new programme to be delivered by local authority partners which will help strengthen the economic resilience of Welsh language strongholds.
As part of the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru and building on the experience and evaluation of the earlier Arfor programme launched in 2019, the Welsh Government funding will be available to the four local authorities of Gwynedd, Ynys Môn, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.
The main objective of Arfor 2 is to support the communities that are strongholds of the Welsh language to flourish through economic interventions which will also contribute to increasing opportunities to see and use the Welsh language on a daily basis.
It will also help:
- to create opportunities for young people and families (under 35 years old) to stay in or return to their indigenous communities, supporting them to succeed locally by engaging in enterprise or developing a career
- to create enterprising communities within Welsh-speaking areas, by supporting commercial and community enterprises that aim to preserve and increase local wealth by taking advantage of the identity and unique qualities of their areas
- to maximise the benefit of activity through collaboration, to ensure that good practice and lessons learnt are shared and that there is on-going monitoring to ensure continuous improvement
- strengthen the identity of communities with a high density of Welsh speakers, by supporting the use and visibility of the Welsh language, encouraging a sense of place and local loyalty
For further information select the following link https://gov.wales/11-million-arfor-2-programme-boost-economic-prosperity-welsh-speaking-communities