A new report capturing insights into the lives of young people who grew up living beside Belfast’s longest peace barrier, reveals the challenges and hopes of a generation living with a legacy of division. 

Peace Walls: An Impact Report Capturing Youth Voices was launched as part of the Wall2Wall Project by Springboard Opportunities Ltd, funded by the International Fund for Irelands Personal Youth Development Programme (PYDP).

Wall2Wall is a cross-community initiative, working with young people aged between 16-20 years who live on either side of the Cupar Way peace line, helping them build understanding between the two communities. The report depicts experiences of the young participants and how living near an interface has impacted their lives and the lives of their community.

Speaking at the launch which took place at Ulster University, Belfast on Monday, Anne Carr – IFI Board member said,

“Through the IFI’s Personal Youth Development Programme, the Wall2Wall project is providing vital opportunities for our young people not only to develop personally and professionally but to gain a broader understanding of the experiences of those within their own, and other communities living close to peace barriers.

“Participants gained insights into how they can positively influence and shape the areas they live for the better, while sharing their own lived experiences. This project is supporting young people, who face a multitude of complex issues including social and economic disadvantages providing opportunities to build and develop life skills and foster good relations.”

A young participant from the project who described the impact the programme had on them, spoke candidly on why young people should be involved and benefit from good relations – “Springboard gives you the opportunity to discover yourself, while being exposed to diversity, the reason isn’t to change what you think  but to understand you think the way you do. Springboard has changed my life.”

Over the duration of the project, participants gained a greater understanding of the reasons for the existence of peace barriers, exploring local and global viewpoints on conflict and reconciliation.

Participants got the opportunity to take part in an overseas visit to Cyprus, to learn and share with their young Greek and Turkish counterparts enabling them to engage with peers living in a divided society in the shadow of peace barriers. The trip consisted of historical tours, workshops, peer to peer learning and group reflection sessions in order to help the participants gain an insight into the impact of division but more importantly the importance of peacebuilding and effective cross community work.

One participant outlined the impact of Wall2Wall said,

“Joining the ‘Wall2Wall’ group wasn’t something I had planned to do but I am glad I did. We talked about the wall and division and for the first time I understood so many different perspectives on this place we called home. I started to create my own beliefs on things rather than just taking on what other people had told me.”

Another participant outlined the impact the project has had on their wider family circle,

“The project has brought different perspectives to my family. They always worried about me spending time on the other side of the wall, but ‘Wall2Wall’ changed that. I have seen their perspective shift. Now I move more freely through the city and my family now have the belief that there’s hope for interface violence to stop.”

The external evaluation of the ‘Wall2Wall’ project, which was carried out by independent evaluator Dr. Shelley McKeown Jones from Oxford University Innovation Ltd found that the project was personally and socially ‘transformational’, with potential knock-on effects for local communities.

Participants also took part in a video where they voiced their experiences of the Wall2Wall project and talked about their own personal journeys. You can watch the video here.

Report: https://springboard-opps.org/publications-and-videos/