North Eastern Peace III Partnership

Programme 9b – The Art of the Troubles Exhibition

• The Art of the Troubles Exhibition
• The Braid Arts Centre, Ballymena
• Tuesday 27th April 2010 – Tuesday 27th July 2010
• Open Event

Theatre Company shows Red Card to Holocaust

Red Card Theatre Company will perform a play about the Holocaust in the Moyle area in May. The one-woman show, entitled ‘Descent’, is part of a trilogy and was written directly in response to questions raised by young people who saw an earlier play – ‘Denial’, by the same company, which performed in the Moyle area in January of this year.

Red Card Theatre Company’s performance of the play is part of the Cultural Fusions project, which is funded under the European Union’s PEACE III programme managed on behalf of the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership.

Speaking about the play, Elaine Gaston, Arts Officer with Moyle District Council, said: “When “Denial” was performed in Ballycastle, Bushmills and Cushendall in January, many of the young people that attended wanted to know more about the key character, ‘Veronicka’, who is an inmate in Auschwitz. ‘Who was she?’ ‘How did she get there?’

“Descent” sets out to answer these questions and in common with its sister play ‘Denial’, it provides a powerful basis for addressing racism, homophobia and attitudes to refugees. The play is particularly engaging to younger people who are able to see Veronika as a real person, perhaps not dissimilar to themselves.

The play can be seen on the following dates: Tuesday 11 May, 7.30pm: Dunluce Parish Centre, Bushmills; Wednesday 12 May, 7.30pm: Ballycastle High School; Thursday 13 May, 7.30pm: Cushendall Golf Club.

For further information please contact: Elaine Gaston, Arts Officer, Moyle District Council.  Tel: 028 2076 2225. The play is suitable for anyone aged 12 and over and advance booking is recommended.

Programme 9b – Cultural Fusions

• “Descent” (Red Card Theatre Company)
• Cushendall Golf Club, Cushendall
• Thursday 13th May, 7.30pm

Programme 9b – Cultural Fusions

• “Descent” (Red Card Theatre Company)
• Ballycastle High School, Ballycastle
• Wednesday 12th May, 7.30pm

Programme 9b – Cultural Fusions

• “Descent” (Red Card Theatre Company)
• Dunluce Parish Centre, Bushmills
• Tuesday 11th May, 7.30pm

Programme 2 – Interchurch and Interfaith Confidence Building

• Opening Ceremony of Ballymena Islamic Cultural Centre
• Ballykeel Community Centre, Ballymena
• Thursday 22nd April, 10am – 12noon
• RSVP to Ameer Ibrahim at aib59@allstate.com

Communicating the Benefits of PEACE III Funding

Pictured at the Publicity and Communications Workshop, which was organised by the North East PEACE III Partnership and held in the Lodge Hotel, Coleraine on 14th April 2010 are (l to r) Andrew McCracken, Mediation NI; Ivy Ridge, Ballymena Inter Ethnic Forum and Dominique Bouchard, Mid-Antrim Museums Service.

A seminar designed to assist PEACE III funded projects in the North East PEACE III cluster area to improve their communication techniques took place on Wednesday April 14 in the Lodge Hotel, Coleraine.

Organised by the North East PEACE III Partnership, which manages the PEACE III programme on behalf of the Special EU Programmes Body, the event also acted as an invaluable networking opportunity and provided guidance on how the projects can acknowledge the support they receive from the PEACE III Programme.

Speaking about the event, PEACE III programme manager Patricia McCallion said: “The EU funded PEACE III Programme provides support to initiatives that foster peace and reconciliation support conflict resolution and mediation at the local level here in the North East.

“The purpose of this event was to help project deliverers, who are driving these initiatives forward, let the wider public know what they are doing and to ensure due recognition of the assistance that is being provided by the PEACE III programme,” she continued.

The event was attended by a diverse range of projects based in and around North East PEACE III cluster area, which includes the six local Council areas of Coleraine, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Larne, Limavady and Moyle.

The seminar included a presentation from Seamus McAdams, of i2 Total Marketing, who manages the Partnership’s Sharing Good Practice & Engagement Skills Programme, who gave tips and advice on the best way to approach the media.

Pictured at the Publicity and Communications Workshop, which was organised by the North East PEACE III Partnership and held in the Lodge Hotel, Coleraine on 14th April 2010 are (l to r)Darren Ferguson, Beyond Skin, Margaret Edgar, Ballymoney Borough Services Cultural Services Officer, Maria Cagney, Causeway Museum Service and Nigel Hunter, Avec Solutions.

First World War Experience to promote Reconciliation

Pictured at the 16th Irish Division memorial cross at Wytschaete Military Cemetery, near Messines Belgium, are representatives of the North East PEACE III Partnership that participated on the first phase of the Messines Experience Programme. In foreground (l to r) are: Craig Barr, co-ordinator for the International School for Peace Studies, Patricia McCallion, North East PEACE III Manager and Don O’Donnell, Messines Experience Programme facilitator.

A new training programme which uses the story of Ulster unionists and Irish nationalists fighting together in the First World War is to be used to further reconciliation between communities in the North East. The North East PEACE III Partnership’s Messines Experience Programme, which is being co-ordinated by the International School for Peace Studies, focuses on the real life experiences of the 36^th Ulster Division and the 16^th Irish Division, who fought together at the Battle of Messines in Belgium on 7^th June 1917.

Speaking about the programme, North East PEACE III Manager Patricia McCallion said “The Messines Experience Programme will contribute to reconciliation between communities in the North East area by means of an accredited training programme which focuses on Conflict Transformation. By exploring the experiences of the young men of the 36^th Ulster Division and the 16^th Irish Division, who fought and died together at Messines, we believe a deep personal and emotional experience can be elicited, one which will support and encourage open and honest dialogue, trust building and the recognition of differences of opinion.”

The programme, one of eight to be delivered in the North East area in the next year, is delivered over seven days and is accredited by the Open College Network at Level One. Part of the training will take place in Messines, Belgium, where groups will experience the battlefields of the Western Front.

Speaking of the relevance of Messines to the learning experience, Craig Barr, coordinator for the International School for Peace Studies, said: “The Battle of Messines in June 1917 was a pivotal point in the First World War. It was a battle in which unionists fought side by side with their nationalist comrades from all over Ireland, North and South.”

“It was and still is a battle that presented great hope for reconciliation between the two traditions in Ireland. The thinking was then as it is now – that if Irishmen can fight and die together, then surely they can live together. Unfortunately, because of events in Ireland, the sacrifices of some of those who died have never been recognised.”

The Messines Experience Programme is designed to commemorate those sacrifices, but more fundamentally, it is designed to use the historical event of the Battle of Messines as a catalyst for creating an environment of tolerance and understanding, leading to reconciliation and the acceptance of differences throughout Ireland.”

The first of the eight new programmes starts in May 2010. Applications for the programme open on 19^th April and are being sought from community organisations or groups seeking to nominate up to 4 individuals from their group. Anyone interested in taking part in this exciting new programme or wanting more information should ring the International School for Peace Studies on 028 7131 1005. Application forms will be are available at www.schoolforpeace.com/application and www.northeastpeace.com from Monday 19^th April, 2010.

North East PEACE III Partners to Avail of Reconciliation Training

North East PEACE III project delivery partners are to benefit from a Reconciliation Skills Development course that aims to increase skills in community engagement, reconciliation and peace building, and mediation techniques. 

The AA2 Programme, one of three support programmes provided to project delivery partners by the North East PEACE III Partnership, is designed to offer training support to the North East Peace III Cluster programmes. The Reconciliation Skills Development course is delivered by Mediation Northern Ireland and the Meath Peace Group and aims to increase the understanding, skills, and confidence of participants, particularly around the themes of community engagement, reconciliation and peace building, communication for peace building, and mediation techniques. 

Twelve hours of training followed by an optional four hours of mentoring is provided. There is also the opportunity for accreditation through the Open College Network (OCN) at Level 3. The courses are run either as four half-day sessions or two full days.

If you would like to undertake the Reconciliation Skills Development course, or there is any other way that the AA2 Programme can assist your respective programmes, please contact Whitney Louderback at whitney@mediationnorthernireland.org.

Irish Language and Cultural Weekend in Donegal

Individuals from Ballymena are invited to take part in a residential Irish Language and Cultural course in County Donegal this May. This course will be sponsored by the North East Peace III Partnership’s Cultural Fusions Programme.

Cultural Fusions is an exciting opportunity for local culture and arts groups to develop programmes with the collaborative assistance of the Cultural Fusions consortium and a resource allocation to help groups promote a greater understanding and awareness of the rich cultural diversity of the North East.

Participants will travel to the Irish speaking community at Glencolmcille, on the southwest tip of Country Donegal. In the area there has been a movement to revive and conserve Irish Gaelic. Glencolmcille is also an area of great historical importance, as it has strong historical connections to St Columba. It is here where St Columba and  his followers built churches and lived prior to moving to Scotland where he famously evangelised to the Picts and built his monastery at Iona.

The group will arrive in Donegal on Friday 21^st May and return to Ballymena on Sunday 23^rd May. Whilst at Glencolmcille, participants will be involved in Irish Gaelic cultural and language activities including coach tours of the Glen, taking in areas of archaeological importance and places of significance to the history of St. Columba, an introduction to the Irish Language, a trip to Father McDyers Folk Village and a night Irish and Ulster-Scots music and Poetry.

Room and board for the weekend is fully inclusive with the exception of alcoholic beverages. Participants may be expected to share rooms. To find out more or to sign up, please contact Nicola McFall at The Braid on 028 2565 7161 or email mcfall.mams@gmail.com

Spaces are very limited so to secure a space, a deposit of £20 per person will be collected at the Braid Ticket desk. All deposits will be returned in full upon departure on Friday 21^st May.