Nova Scotia Highland Village Society Launches Gaelic Language Scholarship Program - Stóras na h-Òigridh (Treasures of Youth)

The Nova Scotia Highland Village Society has announced its inaugural scholarship award as part of its Treasures of Youth (Stóras na h-Òigridh) program. This program is another sign that the struggle to restore Scots Gaelic to its rightful position in Nova Scotia is gaining steam. The Society’s scholarship fund was created to ensure that cultural skills based on Gaelic traditions continue to flourish with youth in Nova Scotia

The Cape Breton Post reports this will be an annual bursary awarded to a Nova Scotian between the ages of five and 21 to advance their skills in one or more of the following: Gaelic traditions, fiddle, pipes, piano, language, storytelling, song and dance. This years award was made to Jessie Helen MacNeil, who is described as a Grade 8 student with a strong passion for learning Gaelic and who hopes to become a fluent Gaelic speaker in her community so she can share and promote the language “She is an asset to the Gaelic community of Nova Scotia at this time because she encourages others her age to learn and speak as well.” said Bernard Cameron from the Bayview Education Centre. "Jessie Helen has demonstrated her commitment with her time studying Gaelic in school, practising Gaelic songs at home as well as in the community, and spending time with native speakers."

The Society’s web page gives us the following:  The Nova Scotia Highland Village Society was founded in 1959, to create a living history museum to interpret, preserve and promote the Scottish Gaelic language, culture and heritage as found in Nova Scotia. In 2000, the Society entered into a new relationship with the Province of Nova Scotia, which resulted in the Highland Village becoming a part of the Nova Scotia Museum family. The Society continues to operate the site on behalf of the Province. The Nova Scotia Highland Village Society has created Stóras na h-Òigridh (Treasures of Youth) - a fund to ensure that cultural skills based on Gaelic traditions continue to flourish with our youth in Nova Scotia. The purpose of this fund is to provide financial support and assistance to up-and-coming Nova Scotia youth between the ages of five and twenty-one, who are keen to advance their skills in the Gaelic tradition including: fiddle, pipes, piano, language, storytelling, song, and step dance.

It is widely accepted that at the high point of Nova Scotia’s Gaelic culture that there were approximately 100,000 Gaelic speakers (some estimates approach twice this number),  residing in the Canadian Maritime with Cape Breton Island as the linguistic stronghold.  Cape Breton Island is today home to world’s only Gaelic speaking population outside of Europe. The 2011 Canadian census reported 1,300 Gaelic speakers, with an additional 2,000 enrolled in Gaelic language programs around the province. The Celtic tongue of Nova Scotia is experiencing a remarkable comeback and the credit in large part can be attributed to initiatives like the Stóras na h-Òigridh.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2014-05-14/article-3725250/Highland-Village-announces-first-youth-scholarship/1

https://highlandvillage.novascotia.ca/about/ns-highland-village-society