A Welsh town finds a more human way to talk about the news
People in Blaenau Ffestiniog reported feeling more willing and able to take part in community life after a journalism project began with dancing, poetry and conversation.
Newyddion i Bawb — News for All — brought residents and media partners together over six months. Before designing ways to share local information, they wrote poems about their town, drew unfamiliar views and asked strangers what Blaenau needed.
In his new account, researcher Shirish Kulkarni explains that participants were paid and weekends avoided time off work. One person left with “lists to write and people to phone”.
The project report describes how an early discussion about Welsh language and identity helped people feel safer sharing difficult experiences.
These are participants’ reflections, rather than proof of lasting civic change. Some found the process unclear, and the group did not represent everyone locally.
Still, the feedback offers a useful starting point: give people time, care and a shared creative task, and conversations can become easier to join.
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