Northern Ireland International Service Learning Program

Northern Ireland International Service Learning Program

When you enroll in a semester-long class specific to your study abroad experience, anticipation for the actual trip builds as each week passes. If you are like me and stuck in what I like to call the “U.S. Bubble,” you probably do not know the full extent of Northern Ireland’s violent history that extends into present day. A centuries

old conflict between those wanting a united Ireland and others wanting to be a part of the United Kingdom has left the soils stained with both Irish and Northern Irish blood. Northern Ireland saw a wave of violence, known as “The Troubles,” in the 1960s, and since then, many efforts at peace have been made. Our class visited Northern Ire- land and worked with cross-community organizations to bridge the gap between Protestant and Catholic adolescents, while collecting research about the current state of the conflict.

Watching movies, reading articles and discussing the conflict throughout the semester helped me understand what we were walking into, but I was not prepared for those I would meet and the stories I would hear. When we took trips to the coast and saw the breathtaking sceneries of Northern Ireland, I had the hardest time understand- ing how a beautiful land could be plagued with so much hate. We visited cities, like Belfast, which have twenty to forty feet high “Peace Walls” to prevent petrol-bombs from being thrown into opposing communities. Different neighborhoods are distinguished by either the Union Jack flag or the Irish flag, and even curbs painted in red, white and blue, or orange, white and green. Murals are painted on the sides of buildings representing certain battles, a hope for one side to prevail and in memory of all those killed in “The Troubles.” Even pubs, the social center of communities, are segregated.

After making it back to our hotel rooms at night, I often felt discouraged about the situation in Northern Ireland. How is one research team supposed to make a difference and change the course of a conflict that has been rag- ing for thousands of years? Throughout our trip, we attended seminars where we met with various cross- community organizations and youth programs that are working to eliminate the line between the two groups. When communities are segregated, it is easy for people to form negative biases against those on “the other side” who hold different opinions. In these segregated communities, youths on both sides rarely have the chance to interact and dispel negative stereotypes. This is where the cross-community organizations we work with come in.

The cross-community organizations work to bring the adolescents together by taking them on trips, doing weekly activities and providing them with information about conflict resolution. We met with and collected data from these organizations while traveling throughout Northern Ireland. Even after traveling to all of the infamous sites in Northern Ireland, my favorite part of the trip was still meeting with the adolescents. After the data collection sessions, we spent about an hour with each group making friendship bracelets, coloring peace doves and interacting. The friendship between the adolescents from opposing groups has given me faith that a real peaceful change can be made in Northern Ireland. I am hopeful that these adolescents will continue to work toward peace as they age.

Before I end my article, I would like to share the story of a group of girls I met at one of our data collection sites. Before joining “The Ulster Project,” the girls did not know each other and had never come into contact, despite living in different communities on either side of the same street. After meeting through the cross-community organization and traveling to America, the girls became close friends. Despite the occasional urge to

pull apart because of their differences, the girls have remained friends a year after they joined the project. Stories like this give hope and are a reminder why our university students should continue to travel to Northern Ireland and help with the peace process. I truly believe that a peaceful Northern Ireland is an obtainable goal.

Janna Imel, of Greenup County, Ky., is a senior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville.  She is studying psychology and political science.