Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association: 2019 Annual Grant

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A decision made on 15 March 2019

Decision Reference: MD-E-2019-0011
Decision Summary Title:	Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association Annual Grant 2019		Date of Decision Summary:	4 February 2019
Decision Summary Author:	Strategic Policy Manager		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association’s 2019 Business Plan		Date of Written Report:	December 2018
Written Report Author:	Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association – 2019 Annual Grant.
Decision(s): The Minister approved an Annual Grant not exceeding £57,820 to fund the cost of delivering the objectives contained within Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association’s 2019 business plan.
Reason(s) for Decision: The Minister, having considered Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association’s 2019 Business Plan and the Department’s Capability Assessment, endorsed the Business Plan and accepted that the maximum budget requested was appropriate to deliver the objectives contained within the plan.
Resource Implications: The 2019 Annual Grant award of up to £57,820 has been identified from within the Department’s 2019 budget. There are no further financial or manpower implications.
Action required: The Minister instructs officers to arrange completion and approval of the 2019 annual schedules to the Service Level Agreement with Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association. Officers are further instructed to monitor delivery of the award and to take remedial action as appropriate through the course of the year.
Signature: Senator L J Farnham		Position: Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association: 2019 Annual Grant

2019 Report - Grant Award to Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association

Context

There are two bodies with the name ‘Le Don Balleine’: a will trust established during the Occupation with the principal objective of sustaining the Jèrriais language by publications; and a much more recent (2012) Incorporated Association (‘LDBIA), the vehicle for which was established before the Association began to hold regular meetings in 2016.

L’Office du Jèrriais was established by Le Don Balleine Trust in 1999 through a system of annual grants from the States of Jersey to run a programme for teaching Jèrriais in States primary schools. The programme was expanded to include classes in those secondary schools where there was a demand. Since 2005, L’Office du Jèrriais has provided adult classes at various levels, these having previously been run by Highlands College. It also promotes the language to States departments, businesses, academics and the general public.

In addition to its remit to teach Jèrriais in schools and to adults, since October 2016 L’Office du Jèrriais has provided training for four new teachers, who have been employed by the Education Department. To achieve this, Le Don Balleine sought additional funding from the One Foundation, the Association of Jersey Charities and other sources. These teachers will take over the teaching programme in schools from September 2018.

At the beginning of January 2017, Le Don Balleine Incorporated Association (LDBIA) took over the Jèrriais teaching programme and related activities from Le Don Balleine Trust in order to separate the Education Programme from the other Trust’s activities.

LDBIA, through L’Office du Jèrriais provides the following services:

Cultural: Engagement with the community to promote an understanding of Jèrriais and support its use in a range of community events.

Normalise the use of Jèrriais in everyday life and the involvement of the Jèrriais speaking community at relevant local events.
Work with the Jèrriais teachers to increase the number of learners and potential speakers of Jèrriais
Work with other Jèrriais-related groups and minority language groups within and outside the Island to promote the use of Jèrriais in the community.
Encourage and support heritage bodies and other organisations in Jersey and elsewhere to use Jèrriais at sites, events and in promotional material to emphasise the centrality of the language to Jersey’s culture and heritage.
Act as adviser to the Growth, Housing and Environment Department (‘GHE’) (Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture Department (‘EDTSC’)) on matters affecting minority language policy as it involves Jèrriais.

Economic: The use of Jèrriais to confer distinctiveness on the cultural offer for visitors to Jersey, and the use of Jèrriais on products and in marketing to give visibility to this distinctive identity.

Encourage and provide translations into Jèrriais for public and private bodies wanting to use Jèrriais to confer distinctiveness on their work.
Work with GHE (EDTSC) to encourage the visibility of Jèrriais in the communications and daily activity of the States of Jersey.

Educational: Manage and support structured learning of Jèrriais for the teachers employed by the Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department (‘CYPES’)) (Education Department (‘ED’), and normalise the use of Jèrriais as a means of bringing members of the Island community together.

Devise and maintain under review a learning course for the new Jèrriais teachers.
Support instruction and the opportunity for teachers to take over Jèrriais teaching in schools.
Offer adult classes and informal community learning opportunities.

The Department have now reviewed LDBIA’s performance for 2018 and 2019 business plan, as part of the Department’s compliance and governance framework. This includes ensuring alignment with the States of Jersey’s current cultural strategy and supports the States’ strategic goals and departmental objectives. The Department are satisfied with the information that has been provided and support the issuance of the grant.

The resource implication reflects the provision made within the current Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

Recommendation

The Minister is recommended to agree to LDBIA’s grant as follows:

£57,820 as the revenue grant paid over four quarterly payments.