Innovations in Irish Language Support, Social Mobility and Well-being in a Regeneration Community in Limerick /
Innovations en matière de soutien à la langue irlandaise, de mobilité sociale et de bien-être dans une communauté en revitalisation à Limerick.
The design, implementation, outcomes and impact of an Irish language support intervention involving
parents, children, a Home School Community Liaison Coordinator, and community and university research
partners are presented. The UNESCO Knowledge for Change (K4C) Community-Based Participatory
Research (CBPR) model (Hall & Tandon, 2017), the framework used, is explained and parallels are found
with the principles of Linguistic Citizenship (Rampton et al, 2018). The school at the heart of the smallscale study is an Irish-medium DEIS school. DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) is
recognized as the main policy initiative of the government to tackle educational disadvantage in Ireland.
As well as income, educational attainment and health impact on social mobility, and mobility prospects
are an important determinant of life satisfaction (OECD, 2018).
Participants were encouraged to be open to growing their repertoire of linguistic skills and capacities and
to value their competence. The research intention was to investigate what kind of intervention might be
co-designed and piloted over a six-week period so as to create opportunities for change and nurture
parental well-being. By drawing on participants’ experiences and using arts-based activities and reflective
observations, the project allowed participants to inform and co-construct a novel minority language
support infrastructure. The “Five Ways to Wellbeing” of Mental Health Ireland frame the discussion on
outcomes and impact. These are Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning, and Give; simple
“evidence-based actions” to improve wellbeing (New Economics Foundation, 2008). Consideration is also
given to the mobilization of research findings and audiences. Finally, steps taken within the academic and
non-academic community to create a sustainable model of Linguistic Citizenship research by establishing
a “Languages and Culture Portfolio”, at the newly established University of Limerick K4C Hub, are outlined.