Culture Vannin has announced two free public workshops aimed at helping people create Manx-language content for social media, as part of efforts to increase the language’s visibility and use online.

The workshops, titled ‘Content WILL contain Manx!’, will take place on Saturday, February 7 at two locations. The first session will run from 10am to 12pm at Ramsey Town Hall, with a second, identical session held from 2pm to 4pm in the Athol Room at Peel Centenary Centre.

The sessions will be led jointly by Stephen Rule, a Welsh-language content creator and educator widely known as ‘Doctor Cymraeg’, and Ruth Keggin Gell, Manx Language development officer for Culture Vannin.

Stephen has built a large following through his Welsh-language educational content on social media, while Ruth has extensive experience teaching Manx language and music, and is also known by the Manx title ‘Yn Greinneyder’, meaning ‘the Encourager’.

According to Culture Vannin, the workshops are designed to support people with some knowledge of Manx, from beginner learners to fluent speakers, in using the language more confidently and creatively online.

Although primarily aimed at adults, young people aged 13 and over are welcome to attend if accompanied by an adult.

Each two-hour session will take a practical, hands-on approach. Participants will be guided through the process of developing ideas for short Manx-language videos, with support in mind-mapping concepts and shaping them into suitable content for social media platforms.

The workshop leaders will then introduce practical techniques for filming using smartphones, including writing short scripts, using basic autocue tools, and understanding simple filming principles.

Weather permitting, participants will also be encouraged to go out into the surrounding towns to capture footage, before returning to edit and assemble their videos. By the end of the session, attendees are expected to leave with a finished or near-finished piece of content, as well as the skills and confidence to continue creating Manx-language material independently.

The workshops are intended to encourage participants to share their content online during ‘Say a Manx Phrase Week’, which will run from February 16 to 21. It is hoped this will help raise awareness of the Manx language and promote positive, creative engagement with it on social media.

The events are supported by the Gaelic Broadcasting Committee and are free to attend, although advance booking is required.

Dr Breesha Madrell, director at Culture Vannin, is looking forward to seeing the Manx language appear more and more in social feeds.

She said: ‘We hope that these workshops will empower more people to create and share Manx-language content, strengthening the online presence of the language during Blein ny Gaelgey, the Year of the Manx Language, and beyond.

‘Whether sharing a single phrase or a short story, every contribution helps Manx to be seen, heard and celebrated.’

Further details and booking links are available via the news section of the Learn Manx website at https://www.learnmanx.com/