The initiative was presented at the Euskal Museoa in Bilbao and was led by the First Vice-Lehendakari and Minister of Culture and Linguistic Policy, Ibone Bengoetxea, accompanied by Mikel Agirre and Miren Olasagasti from Ikertalde and Osoigo, respectively, who are responsible for its methodological development.
Bengoetxea stated that the process seeks to "better understand the concerns, experiences, and desires of society to better guide its policies," offering "a more precise picture of reality." She added, "We see the tip of the iceberg, but we want to know what lies beneath. Because the future of Euskera will not be built solely by those who live Euskera every day, nor solely by those who work around Euskera. We need the voice of all of society."
The methodology will combine 600 individual interviews and 12 focus groups, employing an intentional and iterative selection of profiles. Participants will be recruited through various channels to ensure a wide diversity of profiles and sociolinguistic backgrounds. The research will focus on five main areas: institutions and activism; transmission and socialization; social use; socioeconomic sphere; and symbolic and digital sphere.
Interviews will allow for in-depth understanding of personal experiences, while focus groups will identify collective discourses, agreements, differences, and social interaction. Fieldwork will take place until February 2027, followed by an analysis and interpretation phase, with the entire process expected to conclude by July 2027.
The ultimate goal is to construct a map of experiences and narratives to better comprehend the social reality, identifying not only tensions, difficulties, and obstacles but also points of convergence and opportunities surrounding Euskera.
Euskararen Ahotsak is a key component of the Jauzia Gara process, which emphasizes advancing Euskera use by combining public policies with societal involvement and paying attention to the language's emotional dimension. The results will be compiled into a synthetic report, a summary publication, and various dissemination materials.
