Kirsty has been working in community, learning and development (CLD) for more than 20 years. However, she really found her calling when she ventured into the field of language and heritage as Fife Council’s Gaelic development officer back in 2016.
Not bad for someone who back then didn’t even speak a word of Gaelic! Since then, Kirsty has become a champion for Gaelic communities in Fife, connecting previously isolated Gaelic speakers with one another, promoting learning opportunities and raising awareness within the broader community about Gaelic.
“We found that a lot of Gaelic learners had been struggling to get support and didn’t have a lot of opportunities to speak the language ‘in the wild.”
To help boost those opportunities, Kirsty brings native speakers and learners together through Gaelic conversation groups held in coffee shops and other public spaces and has created a successful “Gaelic-friendly” status programme which other organisations can join.
“I was able to use some of a budget dedicated to Gaelic development in some of the hardest hit communities in Glenrothes and Fife. That money was used to as a tool for social wealth building – in other words, as a means to bring people from a particular community together, to boost and develop the language, and also to look at the local Gaelic heritage and history that we were missing out on.”
Kirsty has also linked up with Dementia UK and Alzheimer’s Scotland to look at the importance of recognising Gaelic in care homes for older people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. This is particularly important, as it’s common for people to revert to their first language as the disease progresses. Kirsty was instrumental at bringing people and organisations together from across the UK and Nova Scotia in Canada to develop this ground-breaking research, and she’s excited to see where it leads.
When reflecting across her career in CLD, Kirsty speaks about how having flexibility to grow into the job has been one of the best things.
“When I came out of uni, I was super passionate and wanted to change the world! Then you realise, you know nothing! But being able to shape and grow CLD into whatever is authentic to you matters so much. It took me a while, but eventually I discovered that the linguistic and heritage route is where my enthusiasm, skills and passion really lie. There aren’t many jobs you can go into where your personal and professional lives can entwine and develop as you move on with your career, but CLD has been brilliant for that.”
Kirsty has been a member of Scotland’s CLD Standards Council for many years. Through her involvement, Kirsty has been involved in a network for CLD practitioners working in Gaelic across Scotland and beyond and has helped to strengthen the links between the group and the council.
“Through the CLD Standards Council, I have colleagues that I can connect with – whether it’s touching base when you’re having a bad day or celebrating achievements. That’s massively important.”
Furthermore, she said the CLD Standards Council has helped recognise a lot of work happening in the Gaelic learning community that was previously under the radar. As for registering to be a member, she says: “Why would you not? It’s not costing you anything and there’s nothing to be lost from joining, just join and see where it can take you!”
To find out more about membership of the CLD Standards Council click here