Gaelic Officer

About Northton Heritage Trust
Northton Heritage Trust, based in Northton in the Isle of Harris, oversees the Hebrides People Visitor Centre, which has accumulated more than 60 years of genealogical and social research focusing on the Outer Hebrides communities. The Trust is currently entering an important phase, marked by comprehensive redevelopment of the visitor centre and its exhibitions. You are invited to join the team during this transformative period.

Job Purpose
Northton Heritage Trust (NHT) recognises the Gaelic language as central to the future delivery of its services in Harris, with particular emphasis on promoting and celebrating local culture and heritage.

NHT currently offers Gaelic classes in partnership with UHI North, West and Hebrides, for which there is continued demand, with ambition to expand and enhance them.

The Trust is also planning to develop new exhibitions featuring Harris and St Kilda as part of an upcoming major redevelopment of the visitor centre, working in collaboration with academic partners. These exhibitions will initially present materials in Gaelic before translating them into English.

Conversations with other community organisations in Harris have highlighted the absence of a unified strategy to support Gaelic as a living language island wide. NHT recognises the opportunity for partnership working with community landowners and other stakeholders to explore options, conduct consultations, and develop a Gaelic language plan, helping to secure, as much as possible, the future of Gaelic in Harris.

Main Duties and Responsibilities
The key functions of the Gaelic Officer Role at NHT would be:
·       Promoting the everyday use of Gaelic in Harris communities by organising and sourcing funding for courses, and creating new opportunities for Gaelic learning and engagement.
·       Assessing community needs and consulting with key stakeholders regarding a Gaelic language plan for Harris, with the goal of developing such a plan.
·       Working with the NHT Board of Directors to draft a Gaelic Language Policy for the organisation.
·       Develop exhibition content – leading on the Gaelic input/design.
·       Archiving and cataloguing Gaelic materials held by HNT.
·       Collaborating with organisations that provide Gaelic services in Harris to enhance opportunities for using and developing the language, for example by working with schools to distribute Gaelic learning materials.