Press release
Significant 3-year funding package for Kinia announced
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, T.D and the Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and in the Department of Education, Thomas Byrne T.D. announced a three-year financing package worth a total of €2,374,379 for Kinia today (21/6/2024). This funding will enable Kinia to continue their highly successful Techspace, Tech Féile programme and start their new ’Léigh Liom’ scheme over the next three years.
TechSpace is a national network of digital media spaces located in youth centres and schools that help young people to be active in the creation of digital and technological content in Irish. Kinia provides training for teachers in the STEAM field and the teachers bring this knowledge back to their classrooms. It is expected that the number of teachers and youth workers involved in the programme will increase and that STEAM/computer science/digital media learning resources in Irish will be developed, and made available to those involved in the programme.
Tech Féile is Kinia's biggest annual event where participating young people come together to celebrate the work they have done on their technology projects throughout the year. This event takes place during Creative Technology Week, a celebration created by Kinia and recognised nationally as an opportunity to recognise the initiatives and achievements of young people in relation to creative technology. These events encourage young people to apply the skills they have learned from trained educators and participants and they spend up to three months preparing for these events.
In addition to continuing these activities, Kinia will be undertaking a new programme called Léigh Liom. Leígh Liom is an online pilot programme in which native speakers of Irish will be connected with students in Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools to read an Irish book together online. This programme was designed to support students with low levels of Irish fluency by providing them with one-to-one mentoring. This newly proposed aspect of the Kinia programme is closely aligned with the wishes and strategy of the Department in relation to improving Irish language fluency among the whole community.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D said:
"As a result of the investment that my Department is announcing today, it will be ensured that the students of the country will have excellent opportunities to receive high quality training in important areas of new technology in our national language. This is an expression of the Government's firm intention to normalise the Irish language and place it at the centre of the modern world in which we live."
Speaking in Gaelscoil na Mí, a school participating in the Techspace Programme, the Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne T.D., said:
“I am delighted to announce this significant three-year funding package for Kinia. Kinia has been instrumental in creating the link between the Irish language and technology for many years and that is why we are supporting their work with over €2,300,000 in funding over 3 years. The Techspace Programme ensures that young people are informed about the opportunities available in the digital world for those who speak Irish."
The CEO of Kinia, Marianne Checkley said:
"We are honoured to be part of the Clár TechSpace journey with The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and announcing a further three year funding partnership . From a small pilot project in 2016 we now have a national reach to over 700 educators in Gaeilscoileanna and Gaeilcholaistí and a unique Tech Féile celebrating young people’s technology creativity and innovation. By expanding the use of technology and the Irish language as a catalyst to ignite a curiosity and creativity in young people around the country we aim to build a sense of agency that develops confidence in their language and in their future skills."