Survey Results! Canlyniadau'r Arolwg!
What’s it like being a young adult in Mid Wales? / Sut mae'n teimlo bod yn berson ifanc yng Nghanolbarth Cymru?
We are still collecting responses for this survey! //
Rydym yn dal i gasglu ymatebion ar gyfer yr arolwg hwn!
Click here to acces survey // Cliciwch yma i gael mynediad at yr arolwg
“Training and job opportunities in your area ofinterest? / Cyfleoedd hyfforddiant a swyddi yn eich maes diddordeb chi?”
(Range 1- 5) Avg rating: 2.3
“Cultural opportunities / Cyfleoedd diwylliannol”
(Range1-5) Avg rating: 2.6
“Opportunities to socialise with other young adults / Cyfleoedd i gymdeithasu gydag oedolion ifanc eraill”
(Range 1-5) Avg rating: 2.2
“Opportunities to try out something new and develop life changing skills / Cyfleoedd i roi cynnig ar rywbeth newydd a datblygu sgiliau sy'n newid bywyd.”
(Range 1-5) Avg rating: 2.3
“Overall how would you rate your experience of being a young person in Mid Wales?”
(Range 1-10) Avg rating: 4.9
“What’s the best thing about living in Mid Wales / Beth yw'r peth gorau am fyw yng Nghanolbarth Cymru?”
"The tranquility and connection to nature make it an ideal environment for personal growth and reflection."
"The sense of community and connection to nature."
"I love to be surrounded by mountains and find them restorative."
"The nature, beaches, forest and hills. The people."
"Outdoors activities like mountain biking, climbing, etc. Good community spirit here, grown up here 20 years myself."
"Nice people and close to family but nothing else."
"Natur a chymuned."
"Quite a few things to do. All sorts of activities for various ages."
"Mountain biking, surfing, walking in the hills."
"Warm and welcoming locals, along with a surprisingly high number of creative individuals given the smaller population. Limited opportunities to meet other young adults, though."
"The allure of the mountains and the presence of a vibrant local creative community."
"Stiwdio Dyfi projects. The concentration of creative individuals in the area."
"The scenic hills and mountains!"
"The serene environment that offers a departure from city chaos."
"Appreciation for the natural surroundings."
"Love for the mountains despite being a recent resident."
"Grassroots movements and the charm of small local music events/festivals."
"Enjoying nice walks, emphasizing nature over nightlife or indoor activities."
"Appreciation for nature, especially for those close to the sea."
"Embracing the countryside and the presence of numerous creative individuals."
"A love for the countryside and its unique features."
"The unique charm of the community and captivating views."
"Scenic beauty, safety, and a secure environment for raising children."
"The landscape and outdoor opportunities, coupled with a lovely atmosphere and pride in local culture."
"Thriving in a natural environment close to the sea, forests, hills, and rivers."
"Accessibility to nature and the countryside, with walking and biking as natural attractions."
"Deep appreciation for the countryside."
"A peaceful and homely place, offering a unique sense of community and shared values."
"Compared to other rural areas, Mid Wales stands out with interesting youngish people, fun activities, and a proactive, environmentally-minded community."
"Appreciation for the surrounding environment, nature, a close-knit community, and a low crime rate."
"The beautiful nature and the creative bounds emanating from the community."
"Landscape, family, and friends."
“What’s the worst thing about living in Mid Wales? / Beth yw'r peth gwaethaf am fyw yng Nghanolbarth Cymru?”
"There is nothing encouraging here for young adults as there are no places for us to socialise or gather other than the pub. It is incredibly difficult to find suitable housing for young folk."
"Limited availability of specialised training and career advancement opportunities."
"Limited access to diverse cultural and career opportunities."
"I find it hard to find work in things I feel passionate about and also hard to network with other peers as there is 0 infrastructure to meet people outside my circle."
"Not much choice for speciality short courses/college courses. Young people 16+ sometimes travel to places in England such as Shrewsbury to attend college as there are more choices and opportunities. Travel links are poor, takes ages to get to major cities and can be very costly for a poor experience with late/cancelled trains."
"Lack of transport sometimes and the winter weather, perhaps."
"Nothing to do, no job opportunities, no socialising, have to travel 1-2 hours to go anywhere."
"Dim digon o ddigwyddiadau." (Translation: Not enough events.)
"A lot of things are a distance away and require travelling."
"Lack of social activity, lack of cultural activity. Basically no projects for young adults except for the radio."
"Nothing connecting the dots. Everyone is operating separately, no collective creative projects apart from the ones Stiwdio Dyfi does."
"Nothing to look forward to in the year. No big event where everyone can get together. It's all for kids or for older folk, nothing for the twenty-somethings."
"The (lack of) public transport."
"Cultural exchange (including our own) is minimal. There aren’t many opportunities to learn about the ways of cultural expression of our people and other peoples. Whereas in the bigger cities like Cardiff or Bristol, there is a huge cultural exchange, so all the youths end up leaving Mid Wales to pursue their goals in these cultural hubs. I definitely want this to change; I want reasons to stay here, not to leave."
"Basically not very much to do with other young folks."
"Bit closed off."
"Few queer people and hard to meet other young people."
"Lack of transport links with the rest of Wales, lack of funding, and a council that lines their pockets before anything else."
"The lack of efficient transport links to South Wales."
"It's difficult to socialise. Also, there's not enough opportunities to network and collaborate on creative projects and business."
"Lack of organised activities or organisations to try new things. Basically having to organise your own fun to have any fun."
"Not many opportunities for young creative people. Filmmakers like myself try to fund and organise projects online and in England."
"Lack of job opportunities, lack of socialising opportunities."
"The sheep."
"Not enough opportunities. Low wages and lack of development/funding."
"Very few job opportunities for young people or those not interested in whatever the town area has to offer. Travel is an issue, and trying to progress in the arts is a genuine struggle for most. Very little in terms of youth activities in the area; therefore, I have a lot of respect for those who are trying to start something new for young people and introduce them to new, more varied skills that otherwise would remain dormant."
"Have to travel far for any course or training in the arts. Training and education opportunities in Mid Wales are sparse and focused mostly on ‘academic’ and ‘agricultural’ subjects. For example, theatre courses at GCSE and A-level rarely run due to such low student numbers, not even allowing students the opportunity to take the course."
"Very little cultural activities to do that I am interested in."
"Limited jobs and opportunities were always very limited. I had to travel a 26-mile round trip to train sports or play games. Having a lift by car was compulsory as there were no buses or public transport. Because of this, the opportunities were limited and inaccessible."
"Not a lot to do."
"For me, getting around and lack of opportunity. If you don’t have a car, then you have no control over your own life and destiny. No car means no way of getting to a workplace to earn money for said car. It’s a complete sinkhole for young people who don’t have initial start funding to get out there and make something of themselves. It’s very demoralising and taints the experience. There is also very little opportunity in jobs and skills and careers. What little opportunity there is is usually fleeting and hard to come by. Which again compounds needing to outsource life outside of Wales, which is a shame."
"Not much of a range of live music. Not very culturally diverse. Nowhere cool to buy clothes. Hard to find good housing."
"Lack of job opportunities. Having to travel to visit a bigger supermarket for a wider range of groceries and cheaper groceries."
"There aren’t many opportunities for young people to apply their creative skills in areas of work in Mid Wales. Options can be limited."
"Training and job opportunities in the creative sector."
“In your own words, please describe what it’s like being a young person in Mid Wales? / Yn eich geiriau eich hun, disgrifiwch sut mae'n teimlo bod yn berson ifanc yng Nghanolbarth Cymru?”
"It is unfortunate that the place I grew up seems set up to push out the young locals and be catered towards helping rich individuals gentrify and do as they please. I love the place that I am from, but it is hard not to feel bitter towards a place that is set up to push me away."
"Being a young person in Mid Wales is a unique blend of peaceful living and a hunger for diverse experiences. However, there is a desire for more professional development opportunities."
"Being a young person in Mid Wales is characterised by a strong sense of community, but there is a need for more diverse opportunities and activities to address feelings of isolation."
"It's fine. Sometimes I look to the bigger cities and think life seems more fun over there. I would like it to be more fun over here."
"Personally, I have had a positive experience as I get along well with those in my community and haven't found the need to move away to have a social life. Those that have a close circle of friends, it is the same as everywhere else, but I can imagine if you don't, it can be quite isolating and some may struggle socially if they don't click with those in their small towns. I feel that even though we live in an area with great outdoor activities in places such as Aberdyfi such as surfing, mountain biking, etc., that a lot of young people don't participate or get involved as they are often marketed at tourists/advertised in tourist leaflets, and therefore, we don't make the most of what's available in our local area. Also, some of these activities can be very expensive for young people to get into, i.e., surfboards, mountain bikes, safety equipment, lessons. It would be great to see some funding to help encourage people locally to get into outdoor activities we have on offer in the Dyfi Valley."
"Really nice safe community to grow up in, lots of things to do outdoors. Great place to grow up (childhood). Somewhat lacking as a young person who's into music and events. Great underground scene but not too many venues/events/festivals."
"I am a disabled person who needs help and cannot travel alone. There are no opportunities for me in anything, the trains and buses take hours to get anywhere, and other forms of travel, i.e., taxis, are too expensive."
"Gall fod yn unig ar adegau, ond mae'n lle hyfryd gyda phobl hyfryd." (Translation: It can be lonely at times, but it's a lovely place with lovely people.)
"It’s good, but being the age I am, there’s not many things to do once you're in your 20’s."
"Safe, a lot of the time boring as there aren’t many people my age still living here."
"Pretty shit."
"Lonely, boring, depressing."
"Bit shit, to be honest."
"Very quiet and a humble upbringing in a beautiful landscape. This country is a beautiful retreat, but when you live here, it’s hard to have a life with varied activities. There is more in Dyfi than in other parts of Mid Wales, such as an amazing mountain biking scene, and there is an interest in electronic music culture, but nothing so big as to incite an event or regular workshops/gatherings of like-minded people. We lack third-spaces in this part of the world, while me and everyone else my age crave exactly that. I think many would agree with me in saying that we don’t want to have to move to bigger cities to pursue something artistic, but you will find that many do. So the ones left behind can feel lonely and isolated."
"Pretty quiet, lucky to find a decent job, and then spending remaining time at home alone."
"It’s enjoyable and beautiful and calm and relaxed, safe. I always wanted more; that’s why I moved away. I want to be where it’s at."
"Nice when self-motivated."
"It's slow and quiet, which can be nice but sometimes gets a bit lonely and isolating."
"Pretty boring."
"A quiet life, more suited towards older people. For a young person with curiosity and energy, it can feel isolating."
"Fine as a teenager, boring and uninspiring as a young adult."
"There’s always a buzz about the place when it comes to meeting other creative people, but those opportunities are scarce. It’s very cool to be from an area where there’s so much beautiful scenery to use as film locations and lots of people that support/love the environment/climate change ideas. In general though, young people tend to stay inside or get solo hobbies like mountain biking/cycling due to a lack of social events and communities."
"As lovely as the area is, there aren’t any career opportunities for young people outside of hospitality. There also aren’t any places to meet new people or hang out with people, especially in the evenings. It’s a difficult place to find your tribe as Mid Wales seems a little bit stagnant at times."
"Interesting."
"Isolating but if you've got a good group of mates it's not bad."
"Once again, job opportunities are few and far between, pursuing any career in the arts is a struggle and travel distance to workplaces is difficult and expensive."
"It’s great, so much outdoors on your doorstep, going to the beach, climbing a mountain, swimming in the rivers. However, because it is such a rural area, traveling to places to meet friends or go places is difficult."
"Socially, it was very limited, as it was professionally. You had to travel to gain experiences and network with others."
"Difficult."
"Being a young person in the Dyfi area is an interesting experience. I think I feel that I have discovered a lot more life and energy than I felt was there growing up, especially more initiatives being set up by young people, and meeting a lot more young people with interesting skills in art or carpentry, etc., useful and practical skills is nice to see and be around. It definitely feels like a strong sense of a burgeoning community and that there’s a lot of people and skills to tap into. It feels hard to be a young person in the Dyfi as the area and lack of public transport or access to transport and careers makes reaching places and opportunities and people so much harder. It is so easy and eventual to be stuck in the closed loop the area creates, where you’re stuck in a circle of no job and no money and no access to changing that. It does feel stacked against you, despite the community feeling bright and connected and especially connected to its heritage. Always good to see the folk come through."
"It's pretty great generally but sometimes I feel like I'd like to hang out with people in my age group."
"As a lover of nature and adventurous sports, it’s awesome living here, and I have always felt safe in the area. However, there is a lack of job opportunities and can be quite expensive living off smaller, more expensive shops such as Spar and Co-op."
"Romantic and beautiful, but it can sometimes seem small and lacking in opportunity. The more the Dyfi Valley can keep helping foster creativity, the better it will become for sure!"
"It's full of potential but nothing bringing young people together."
“What would improve the quality of your life? / Beth fyddai'n gwella ansawdd eich bywyd?”
"Some kind of exciting project for young adults. I'm really into film, so a film festival would be cool. Other festivals would also be cool. The problem with a festival is that there isn't much on a regular basis, so maybe a festival plus some regular stuff? Literally anything!"
"More creative activities like in cities. Something to look forward to. Something which brings young adults together to do something cool together."
"More creative activities where I can put my talents (carpentry and art) to good use."
"Better public transport."
"Third-spaces. Of any kind, to share knowledge of creative mediums and the cultures that express themselves through these mediums. Whether it’s music, cinema, the contemporary arts. To have these things contained in the quiet towns of a beautiful landscape would really create an exciting edge Mid Wales hasn’t experienced before. It would be great to, on a weekly basis, have multiple options for where to spend our leisure time, especially if these spaces were educative in the arts."
"If there were more opportunities to socialise and learn new skills with other people my age."
"More opportunities to be creative."
"More creative initiatives."
"Better transport links and more funding for young people/young people's activities."
"More activities in the local area or more reliable transport out of the local area."
"Mid Wales is in need of more thriving social activity. It would help with mental well-being and establish a more healthy community long-term."
"A better social environment, support for the young people of Mid Wales, especially!"
"More opportunities to meet like-minded people, more socialising spaces, and more opportunities to develop skills and build careers."
"Ice skating rink."
"Moving away. It's always nice to come back to the Dyfi area."
"Having a space to play and hear live music regularly, schemes that help with the cost of travel for work, more help with housing for those with young families."
"More public transport options, and better funding for courses involving the arts (e.g., theatre, film, etc.)."
"If there were more cultural events, projects, or activities, this would be great."
"Personally, accessibility was poor. Having to rely on parents/grandparents for transport to reach destinations was a very common arrangement. But the standard of delivery of workshops and jobs were also limited."
"More options for things to do/learn."
"Access to transport, funding for apprenticeship/wider range of apprenticeships, support for skill expansion, funding and support for young people trying to start out in life such as support for driving lessons or fuel or cars. Maybe lessons and seminars on how to network or career building or opportunity education about what’s available in the area. More stuff to do. Welsh education needs to be vastly improved on how it’s delivered and supported, second language learners don’t stand a chance at grasping it at this current rate."
"Better housing options. Access to live music. Therapy."
"Higher-paid jobs and lower-costing groceries."
"More opportunities for creative outlets and meeting young, like-minded people."
"More events and something to look forward to each year. Some kind of shared project which is reliable and comes around every year so we can all learn some new skills and get to meet new people and see friends. There isn't anywhere for twenty-somethings to be twenty-something's. It's more like we're a minority at every event. It's great to have a mix of ages, but it's also important to have things going on for your peer group."
"More opportunities set up for young folk, e.g., training opportunities, work experience, housing for young people, and places for young people to convene. Locations to hold events."
"Increased access to advanced training programs, mentorship initiatives, and avenues for personal and professional development."
"Increased access to training programs, cultural events, and networking opportunities."
"I watch a lot of telly and cinema and think I would be good at making it also. Unfortunately, it's hard to access this as it's expensive to buy kit. To play around is impossible. I want more spaces and forums for me and my peers to be able to experiment with making things."
"Cheaper/discounted gym membership, classes aimed at 18-30 year olds. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable being one of the younger members of the class when there is no one else your age."
"More community events bringing people together with music events or other events (e.g., fireworks night)."
"More social groups geared towards disabled people, cheaper assisted travel, more respite places in my local area. I travel 1.5 hours to get to one. More groups for over 18 as youth clubs only go up to 16/18."
"More events and more funding for facilities."
"Clothes sewing factory in town "
What would you do to help make this happen? / Beth ydych chi'n credu sydd ei angen i helpu i wneud hyn ddigwydd?
"I would volunteer to help make something happen."
"A festival? Regular events also would be really great. Stuff comes and goes before it's even got up and running. It's what I like about the radio station and Sos Coch Sinema; they have stuck around, not just finished after the funding's ended."
"Some kind of creative festival for young people."
"More government investment in rural areas."
"We need to create that third space, whether it be a town hall that we rent out regularly to a list of diverse events or buy a space to act as a community hub permanently. A space that’s intention is to create a community of like-minded people with excitement towards the arts and creative pursuits. It would need money, but it would be worth it, as the youth would stay and thus maintain a vibrant energy here in mid Wales."
"Initiatives that focus on bringing young people together and doing fun things."
"Open spaces."
"Forums to share and collaborate on ideas, access to funding for projects."
"Councils who actually engage with young people to see what they need/want."
"It's difficult to imagine what could change."
"More funding to provide regular community activities, social spaces, and the funding to attract people to the local area; keeping us connected with each other, as well as with the wider country."
"Events and communities that promote creativity and, importantly, creative careers in the area! As opportunities are rare."
"Support from locals when new projects arise, and more exposure of the issues young people face when living in Mid Wales."
"Barry white money."
"Ambition and motivation."
"The council need to be on board with helping the youth and not living for what the area was like 50 years ago. More opportunities need to be available to younger people to try out and develop new skills, and simply, younger people need to be able to set up small businesses in the area to generate jobs for others."
"Funding from government schemes, more advertisements for opportunities that do happen so that it reaches the desired audience and there is a successful outcome of the course, that, of course, then makes it more likely to happen again!"
"A collective group of young people, as they know what the future is, and collectively we can work on projects to help the world and people's minds."
"More workshops and events so people can gain experiences and wide horizons."
"More things run for our age group."
"Lots and lots of dosh."
"Services for young people - bursaries to help people set up businesses, etc. A designated elder - support/advisor service. Therapy :)"
"Funding put into projects that benefit a community as a whole rather than smaller groups."
"Community support to get creative projects, activities, and other creative endeavors going."
"Teamwork. Funding. A shared vision."
"People to take notice of the actual state of the area. Although mid Wales is flourishing for rich old colonizers, it is at a serious detriment to the young locals who have no real reason to stay and make it a functional, varied community."
"Collaboration with local businesses, educational institutions, and community leaders to create tailored programs that address the specific needs and aspirations of young adults in Mid Wales."
"Investment in local initiatives, such as festivals and ongoing workshops, as well as collaboration with educational institutions and businesses."
"I don't know. Maybe some monthly meetings with a space where we can discuss and workshop ideas in person, talk about what we want to do and how we should do it."
"A chat with Freedom Leisure, the private company that runs the local leisure center, and discuss potential classes. Speak with them about lowering the fee for memberships for young people and those that are on a lower income."
"More venues to host events of all types."
"Government officials to come to the area to see what is not available and understand that we need widespread representation. I live in Tywyn, and everything is in Caernarvon or Bangor."
"Policy changes."