Exchange Programs.
One of the most visible ways in which the Welsh language is being promoted in the Patagonian communities is through exchange programs--not just with students but also with Welsh teachers. The voluntary organization Cymdeithas Cymru-Ariannin (Wales-Argentina Society) organizes exchanges of students, teachers, and ministers between the two countries, and helps to sponsor students from Argentina who are interested in attending the intensive Welsh course at Llanbedr Pont Steffan. The society also has close ties with Coleg Harlech and other schools in Wales, where it has recently sent students.
There have also been significant governmental efforts in Wales to preserve the language through exchange programs. One aspect of the Welsh Language Project, administered by the National Assembly for Wales and the British Council, has involved sending teachers from Wales to Chubut. The aim is not only for these teachers to spend time teaching Welsh, but also for them to help the local Welsh teachers learn more about preserving the language in their communities. (One of my teachers on the Cwrs Cymraeg Cymdeithas Madog participated in this exchange a few years ago, and shared some of her experiences with the students on this year's course in Atlanta. It was fascinating to get an inside perspective on the undertaking.) Another aspect of the Project involves recruiting local Welsh teachers in Argentina and bringing them to Wales for intensive teacher training and language courses.
