GISDA

GISDA is a charity that demonstrates excellent youth work practice through the medium of Welsh. It provides support with housing needs; independent living skills; education, employment and wellbeing; and mental health support.

At the heart of GISDA’s services is the belief that there is exceptional value in being able to provide services in a young person’s preferred language.  Support and training is offered to staff who need help with becoming more confident or to improve their Welsh language skills to ensure that they are in a position to provide the appropriate support for vulnerable young people in their mother tongue.

The judging panel recognised that the service GISDA provides is special and is making a massive difference to young people. They highlighted comments from young people who said that had it not been for GISDA they would likely be “be on a friends sofa”, “going from house to house”, or “probably dead”.

There is no doubt that being able to communicate in a young person’s mother tongue when discussing sensitive issues hugely improves the quality of service provided.