18/02/2011

HTR celebrates with Our Lady of Mercy Girls’ School & Belfast Model School for Girls

Students & guests attending Sharing Education Programme celebration

From September to December 2010, Healing Through Remembering assisted in the Sharing Education Progamme jointly held for students of Our Lady of Mercy Girls’ School and Belfast Model School for Girls.  HTR led workshops with the students on issues related to dealing with the past, centering on the conflict and and about Northern Ireland.  The workshops were facilitated by ‘Whatever You Say, Say Something’ delivery partner Patricia Devlin and project coordinator Laura Coulter which is funded by the SEUPB’s PEACE III programme.

In addition to conversational workshops about the legacy of the conflict, the students also had the opportunity to visit the Maze/Long Kesh prison to learn more about the conflict and the life of those who were held there prior to the Good Friday Agreement.

The Sharing Education Programme is partially funded by Queen’s University Belfast, International Fund for Ireland and Atlantic Philanthropies and seeks to break down institutional boundaries between schools.  A total number of thirty students from both schools took part in the workshops over the course of the Autumn 2010 term.  Students who complete the program earn a Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (COPE), which emphasizes research, listening skills, responsible management, and public speaking.

On the celebration of the success of the programme held on 2 February 2011 at Girls’ Model, students participating in Schools Across Borders from Palestine, France, and local schools in Dundalk and Dublin were also present, while students from Israel had been hosted earlier in the year.  The celebration was also attended by local councillors and Northern Ireland Assembly members Alban McGuinness and Nelson McCausland.

 

Pictured from L to R: Patricia Devlin (HTR), Paula Leitch (Girls Model School), Laura Coulter (HTR), and Aileen St Clair (Our Lady of Mercy)