Formation | 25 January 1922 |
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Founder | Ifan ab Owen Edwards |
Headquarters | Gwersyll yr Urdd Glan-llyn |
Location |
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Membership (2021) | 55,000 |
Official language | Welsh |
Chief Executive | Sian Lewis |
Mascot | Mistar Urdd |
Young Trustees | Emily Pemberton, Deio Siôn Llewelyn Owen |
Staff | 390 (in 2024) |
Volunteers (2024) | 10,000 |
Website | Official website |
Urdd Gobaith Cymru (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɨrð ˈɡɔbaɪθ ˈkəmrɨ]; known as the Urdd) is Wales' largest youth organisation. It provides sports, arts, volunteering, apprenticeship, outdoor pursuits, humanitarian, international and residential opportunities for children and young people through the medium of Welsh.
The main aim is to ensure that all young people in Wales are given the opportunity, through the medium of Welsh, to play a constructive role in the community, developing personal and social skills. To date, 4 million children and young people have engaged with the Urdd in one form or another.
The Urdd turned 100 on 25 January 2022 and celebrated by breaking two Guinness World Records.[1] The youth organisation was awarded the First Minister’s Special Award at the 2022 St David Awards for everything it had achieved in a century of serving young people in Wales, sustaining Welsh as a living language, and in the most recent times exemplifying the Nation of Sanctuary approach to providing sanctuary, support and safety to people fleeing Afghanistan and Ukraine.[2]