Afterthought

We have now been back from Belfast for a whole week, which has sufficed to effectively solidify the confusion created by our ten-day visit. This is not to say that it’s negative confusion. Rather, I find this confusion to be inspirational.   

The opportunity to witness firsthand the complexity of conflict in Northern Ireland, as well as the experience of participating in a peace building process, has personally increased my own desire to learn more about these issues.  Throughout the visit and over the past week of contemplation, I have found that I am continually debating with myself potential new strategies and compromises for what violence still exists in Northern Ireland.  While I have consistently proved myself wrong in this debate; each time that I am forced to revise my opinion I find I have something new to bring to the table.  Some forgotten opinion is remembered, some new fact is discovered or some new conversation is had. The percentage of my thoughts that these ideas preoccupy is pretty incredible considering the relatively short length of our stay.  I sympathize with anyone who had lived through 30 years of conflict and spent the next 15 trying to comprehend what just happened. 

 

            Throughout the experience I have noticed my desire to think critically about these issues has really grown. Coming from the Sociological and Criminological background of my studies, I assumed that perspectives taught to me in school would shape the way I interpreted the experience. While this is true, I found even more so that I have wanted to try and devise my own theories. The line between academic study and “the real world” (as it has been described to me by countless family friends, professors and my parents) has undoubtedly become clearer.  Personally, the timing of this trip could not have been better for me. I’m now in my last semester of my undergrad degree, and naturally, most of my focus has been about what comes next.  While friends are applying to grad school or finding jobs, I am inspired and guided by the experience I had.  Specifically, it has given me the realization that real change can manifest itself in personal pursuit.  That as inspired individuals we have the ability to inspire progress in others.  Being able to watch as the children we worked with eagerly took to the lessons we taught was reassuring to my faith in a brighter future for this often overlooked generation.  One highlight would be watching a young boy excitedly assume a super-hero stance, his fist high in the air, after I told him of his often overlooked super power called empathy. 

 

            Another aspect to this experience that’s worth noting is how we as participants were treated.  Given the circumstance, at times we were students, at times volunteers, travelers, teachers and tourists.  The ability to interchange between roles was granted to us by the amount of respect from just about everyone we met while away.  We weren’t kept on a short leash or tirelessly paraded around by guides. We were free to interpret and experience Northern Ireland, Belfast and the troubling aftermath of violence as we saw fit.  This ability allowed for everyone participating in the trip to create an experience unique to them.  There were opportunities for everyone to utilize their talents, explore their interests, and provide their insights. Because of this you feel as if your contribution to the cause is personal and not in any way a part of a cookie cutter school trip.

 

            To me, the most drastic contributor to what divide still remains in Belfast is from the social deprivation that exists.  It seems the sectarian divide now has little to do with religion or nationality but rather debates over what historical narrative you believe.  Naturally, descendants still align with which side caused less harm to their family and friends. Due to this however, Belfast struggles to achieve the necessary amount of group coercion needed to overcome a divided past.  But there are many strong signs of healing.  The younger generation, which we had the privilege of working with, seemed to be less in tune with sectarian beliefs than their elders.  Similar to how in Canada we might hope today’s youth are less racist or homophobic than yesterdays.  If we frame the problem in terms of a social rights issue within the context of global citizenship, the divide seems less overbearing.  The peace walls still exist (in actuality there are more being built than are coming down) but the conversation from both sides about how to bring them down is being had.  To think that when we’re over in Northern Ireland talking in schools, taxicabs and restaurants, we are somehow facilitating this conversation makes the entire process worthwhile.

 

            As an experience, working with Peaceful School International and The Saint Mary’s University Conflict Resolution Society is everything it could be.  The experience to me will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable opportunities of my undergrad and the time I most likely learned the most.  The opportunity to travel with a group of truly amazing people, work together and learn from one another isn’t something easily found.  I would recommend anyone interested to peruse it, and anyone else to look for similar opportunities or to create their own.  You learn a lot more about yourself when given the opportunity to teach others, to broaden your comfort zones and to travel.  The trip to Belfast was all that and so much more. 

 

Thanks to everyone who made this a possibility.