A key conference event titled ‘Young People as Leaders in Peace and Reconciliation’ was today held in The Foy Centre, Carlingford.  Organised by Beyond the Lough Youth Initiative, the conference brought together groups and individuals from along the border regions to share expertise acquired over the previous ten years.  The findings of the conference are to be collated and will form part of a practice guide for community-based peace and reconciliation work. Through Beyond the Lough, a number of youth-focussed training initiatives have facilitated young people from a variety of backgrounds from both sides of Carlingford Lough to meet and learn more about the rich cultural diversity of their communities.Speaking at the event, Deirdre Ryan, Board member of the International Fund for Ireland, said: “I wish to commend the ‘Beyond the Lough Youth Initiative’ for organising today’s event and, indeed, for their vision and hard work on behalf of young people in this area.  They have rightly identified the importance of young people in the context of all our efforts to promote peace and reconciliation, and to ensure that the young people of the future must never re-live the terrible divisions that afflicted us for so long.”She went on to highlight the range of successful programmes the IFI has supported over the years, in particular, the Wider Horizons programme, which has brought together over 14,000 young people from both traditions in the North, and from the South.  She emphasised the immense importance of young people in building true peace and reconciliation and how this focus is at the heart of the Fund’s new strategy, entitled ‘Sharing this Space’.     The conference was part-financed by the European Union’s Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the Cross-border Consortium. Taking place in the Foy Centre in Carlingford, a building funded by the International Fund for Ireland, conference speakers included Deirdre Ryan, International Fund for Ireland; Catherine Woods, Carlingford Community Development; and Brenda Hegarty SEUPB Programmes Manager.

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