Urdd Gobaith Cymru () (known as the Urdd) is a national voluntary youth organisation, which claimed over 56,000 members in 2019 aged between 8 and 25 years old. It provides opportunities for children and young people across Wales to take part in a range of experiences through the medium of
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
. The Urdd turned 100 on 25 January 2022 and celebrated by breaking 2
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
.
Urdd Gobaith Cymru also has 5 residential centres for children and young people across
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.
The main aim is to ensure that all young people in Wales are given the opportunity, through the medium of Welsh, to play a constructive role in the community, developing personal and social skills'. Up till 2019, 4 million children and young people have engaged with the Urdd in one form or another.
The Urdd National Eisteddfod (Welsh: ''Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Urdd Gobaith Cymru'' or ''Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd'') is an annual Welsh-language youth festival of literature, music and performing arts organised by Urdd Gobaith Cymru. Arguably
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
's largest youth festival, it is usually held during the last week of May, coinciding with schools' half term holiday.
History
Urdd Gobaith Cymru (or 'Urdd Gobaith Cymru Fach') was established by
Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards in
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
. His aim was to protect the Welsh language in a world where the English language dominated every aspect of life outside the home and the chapel. In an issue of the magazine ''‘Cymru’r Plant’'' in 1922 Sir Ifan said, "These days, in many villages, and in most towns in Wales, children play and read in English. They forget that they are Welsh."
He appealed to the children of Wales to join a new organization that offered opportunities through the medium of Welsh, and as a result, Urdd Gobaith Cymru was established.
Nearly a century later, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the main youth organization in Wales, has over 56,000 members, belonging to over 900 branches who take part in a wide range of activities. The work is carried out with the help of 260 staff and 10,000 volunteers. The Chief Executive appointed in 2015 to take the movement forward to the 2022 centenary left in 2017 after Trustees took action following the expression of a lack of faith in her ability by staff. The current Chief Executive of Urdd Gobaith Cymru is Sian Lewis.
It had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic as an organisation that thrives over face to face activities like sporting and cultural events. It had estimated that due to the pandemic it would make a £3.8 million loss and an overall £14m reduction in income. It had to cut jobs in the organisation by half, over 160.
Mistar Urdd
![Mistar Urdd (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Mistar_Urdd_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Mistar Urdd (Mr Urdd) is the Urdd mascot, based on the Urdd Gobaith Cymru logo and badge. Mistar Urdd has his own song 'Hey Mistar Urdd'.
On 25 January 2022, the date that the organisation celebrated its 100th birthday, it broke 2
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for the most videos uploaded to twitter and Facebook of people singing the same song in an hour.
Eisteddfod yr Urdd
![Urdd Eisteddfod 2017 - 29 May - Pavilion interior during Cerdd Dant competition](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Urdd_Eisteddfod_2017_-_29_May_-_Pavilion_interior_during_Cerdd_Dant_competition.jpg)
The Urdd National Eisteddfod (
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
: ''Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Urdd Gobaith Cymru'' or ''Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd'') is an annual Welsh-language youth festival of literature, music and performing arts organised by Urdd Gobaith Cymru. Arguably Europe's largest youth festival, it is usually held during the last week of May, coinciding with schools' half term holiday. The location is decided a few years before hand and alternate between north and south Wales.
The Eisteddfod consists of competitive
singing
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
,
recitation
A recitation in a general sense is the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse or other writing before an audience.
Public recitation is the act of reciting a work of writing before an audience.
Academic recitation
In a ...
, art, composition,
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
and
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
events for contestants aged between 7 and 24 years. Regional qualifying heats are held in advance around Wales.
In 2019, the Eisteddfod yr Urdd was held in Cardiff Bay. In 2020 and 2021, it was planned to be held in
Denbigh
Denbigh (; cy, Dinbych; ) is a market town and a community in Denbighshire, Wales. Formerly, the county town, the Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills.
History
...
and
Llandovery
Llandovery (; cy, Llanymddyfri ) is a market town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the River Tywi and at the junction of the A40 and A483 roads, about north-east of Carmarthen, north of Swansea and west of Brecon.
Histo ...
respectfully but were postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Instead an online event was done called 'Eisteddfod T'. The postponed
Denbigh
Denbigh (; cy, Dinbych; ) is a market town and a community in Denbighshire, Wales. Formerly, the county town, the Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills.
History
...
Eisteddfod in 2022 will have a free entry.
Sports
The Urdd's Sports Department hosts a wide range of community sports clubs and national sporting events for children and young people through the medium of Welsh. In 2019 boys were banned at short notice from participating in netball at the Urdd National Sports Festival.
The Sports Department, supported by Sport Wales, now employs 20 staff and trains over 1,000 volunteers annually. This has enabled the organisation to offer regular activities for children and young people, with 150 sports clubs held weekly across the country, and over 11,000 children attending.
Residential centres
They have said that 47,000 people have visited the Urdd Camps annually. In 2018, over 2 million young people have attending one or more of the Urdd residential Centres. The aim of the centres is to create spaces that offer opportunities for children, young people and adults to live, teach and socialize in a safe and welcoming Welsh environment. In 2019 £5.5 million was allocated to Glan-Llyn and Llangrannog by the
Welsh Government
The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...
to develop the centres.
The Urdd offers residential experiences through its 5 residential centres:
*
Gwersyll Llangrannog,
Ceredigion, providing recreational activities, including horse riding and skiing
*
Gwersyll Glan-llyn, near
Bala, Gwynedd
Bala ( cy, Y Bala) is a town and community in Gwynedd, Wales. Formerly an urban district, Bala lies in the historic county of Merionethshire, at the north end of Bala Lake ( cy, Llyn Tegid). According to the 2021 Census, Bala had a population ...
, offering water sports;
*
Gwersyll Caerdydd located in
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay ( cy, Bae Caerdydd; historically Tiger Bay; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it serves as the river mouth of the River Taff and Ely. The body of w ...
*
Pentre Ifan
Pentre Ifan (literally "Evan's Village") is the name of an ancient manor in the community and parish of Nevern, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is from Cardigan, Ceredigion, and east of Newport, Pembrokeshire. Pentre Ifan contains and gives ...
, Pembrokeshire, a centre for environmental and wellbeing experiences;
* ''Tŷ Kisbodak Ház'' in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
offers young people of Wales an international experience.
Peace and goodwill message
Every year since 1922, the children and young people of Wales have written and sent a
Message of Peace and Goodwill to the children and young people of the world on
Goodwill Day
Goodwill or good will may also refer to:
* Goodwill (accounting), the value of a business entity not directly attributable to its assets and liabilities
*Goodwill ambassador, occupation or title of a person that advocates a cause
* Goodwill Games, ...
, 18 May.
Since 1955, Urdd Gobaith Cymru has been responsible for arranging for the message to be written and shared each year
References
External links
Official website in EnglishOfficial website in Welsh
{{Authority control
Education in Wales
Clubs and societies in Wales
Youth organisations based in Wales