Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 26
Events: Young Social Innovators 2005
As a special development to the project this year, three of the Dublin school groups – from Our Lady's Grove, St. Benildus College and St. Conleth's College decided to enter the Young Social Innovators competition, culminating in the YSI Exhibition, held at City West Conference Centre in Dublin on May 11 and 12, 2005.
The idea was to link up with the three Belfast schools involved in the Schools Across Borders project. The aim was to give real meaning and value to the the theme of Interdependence.
By building upon the initial project work accomplised throughout the First Term for the Israeli and Palestinian school groups, this joint exercise also proved that the schools in Dublin and Belfast could develop and apply the project themes and objectives on a north-south basis on the island of Ireland.
Interdependence? What on earth is that ?!
Let the students explain...
“First, we worked on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, connecting with students in both Jerusalem and Hebron. We didn't point the finger, just treated them as students of the same age and ready to listen to the different perspectives. We added our own messages to give them respect and a sense of dignity. And to show the first step forward is to the language of rights is not some cheesy charade, but necessary for all young people to feel they are given an equal chance. Towards each other, just as we will continue to show them both.
We then realised we should be doing more in our own backyard! We saw how both sides in Belfast tried to connect with both sides in Israel/Palestine. We decided to organise a similar project and encounter with the students in Belfast, from both sides.
First, we sent them Questionnaires to establish 1) their personal interests, and 2) their political awareness and perspectives. Then we analysed them and invited them to join us in Dublin for an Open Discussion on the theme of Interdependence.
So then, what is Interdependence ? A new buzz word? Or a value for our time with real political meaning?
For us, it is making the effort to listen to both sides and showing that we all believe in the same universal values and rights. It shows we can depend on each other to share a common language of rights and responsibilities, to speak and act for a common aim. It means no one is just on the outside when we she or he is aware of what is going on in a conflict elsewhere.
Above all, we want to demonstrate that we can overcome our own sympathies to reach out to both sides because we have to work for our own generation, for all our futures. School is the place to build futures, schools can cross borders.
From our Questionnaire surveys, we noticed we shared much common ground with both sides in Belfast in terms of interests in sport, music and personal ambitions.
We learned more about the realities of conflict experienced by students on both sides in Belfast:
- they cannot go around in their school uniforms as a precautionary measure against sectarian abuse or assault
- a majority of them on both sides have experienced verbal sectarian abuse
- some of them on both sides have experienced physical attacks
- some of them experienced attacks on their houses and riots in their streets
- two of the schools and/or school buses on both sides have been attacked
- they don't walk in each other's neighbourhoods - the City Centre is the only place where they feel they can walk in safety
We also saw that we shared similar values (justice, equality, security, peace) and almost everyone wanted the peace process to work. There were of course different political perspectives, especially on the subject of least and most admired politicians.
We also learned that both sides believe in the peace process and that they think all paramilitary groups should end their activities.
We learned from both sides that although the peace process wasn't really working, they felt it was worth it because no one wanted to return to the dark days of the past.
Only a handful of the Belfast students had friends “from the other side”. Students from both sides had visited Dublin before, but the Unionist students had never sat and talked with people their own age here. We decided to give them all that chance. We now strongly believe we helped the Belfast students to see that we here in Dublin are open-minded and prepared to listen to both sides:
First: We succeeded in getting the three Belfast school teams of six students to come to Dublin with their teachers on the same train!
Second: We were able to show that we have very similar personal interests and ambitions.
Third: Despite different political perspectives, we were able to overcome these differences.
Fourth: We opened the floor to questions to discuss how we could help each other to stop sectarianism, racism and discrimination. We discussed what we could do as individuals to help each other.
Fifth: We finished the Open Discussion with a pact to strengthen our interdependence. We came up with three main ideas for future action:
- We decided on a common list of values: Freedom, Peace, Equality, Justice, Security, Respect and Dignity to apply to us all. We then agreed that no one could experience these values unless shared and experienced by all of us.
- We agreed that the Convention of the Rights of the Child should be applied in our treatment of all young people; We should stand up for others who are denied these rights, as they would for us.
- The Belfast schools said that they should make a return trip together some time…and that our schools should try and arrange a similar Open Discussion in Belfast!
Sixth: We then divided into small groups to write joint messages of encouragement to the Israeli and Palestinian students.
We therefore think we have helped both sides to feel the benefit of an Open Discussion, and to see that with some preparation and determination, we can sit in one room and work together.
Thank You for your attention! We felt we should show the wider public something of our project. We also want to encourage you to try your own initiatives. If we believe in our interdependence, we can work together for the values and rights that we all believe in and that all people should experience - on this island and elsewhere."
On behalf of the Transition Year students of St. Benildus, St. Conleth's and Our Lady's Grove with the agreement of the Year 11 students of the Belfast Boys Model School and Year 13 students of St. Patrick's College and Our Lady of Mercy School , Belfast.
The YSI showcase also provided certain media attention to the project, as the participating students contributed to an article in The Irish Times. They also put up information posters on display within their own schools and in local public Libraries.
It should be added that although the three Dublin school groups were disappointed at not achieving an award at the YSI showcase on May 11 and 12, 2005, they all felt they had thoroughly benefited from the project and were subsequently awarded distinctions at their own respective school Graduation Ceremonies.
In recognition of all their hard work, the Dublin students were also issued with Certificates of Achievement by our main funder, Development Cooperation Ireland.
Having thus established a working commitment by the six schools to foster further contacts between each other, Schools Across Borders intends to develop this new north-south dimension over the following school year.
We leave the final comment to Daragh, a student from St. Benildus College in the interview for The Irish Times , May 11, 2005:
"I don't care whether we win the Young Social Innovators or not! The process of taking part has changed my opinions completely, and I value that."
