Young people from a school in Strabane in County Tyrone want to see an end to sectarian fighting in their town so that everyone can have a shared future – but they know that they all have their part to play to make sure that happens.
Senior students from Knockavoe School completed a Headliners International Fund for Ireland programme focusing on shared education and they were keen to have their views heard.
Damien, 16, said: “I hate Catholics and Protestants fighting with each other, I’d like to be friends with more of both religions. Where I live in the country is peaceful, but a couple of years ago our car was stoned because we had a football flag flying from it.
“To me sharing means mixing, Catholics and Protestants together, you can learn from people of different religions. In the future, I’d like to work with both Catholics and Protestants.
“I don’t know why people fought in the past but it’s up to all of us to keep the peace now and in the future.”
Shanna, 17, is a Catholic. Protestants and Catholics don’t really get on where she lives in a Catholic area in Strabane. She said: “People I hang about with fight with them [Protestants], probably because of teams and who got beat. I don’t really like the fighting, I wish they could just get on. I’m friends with a couple of Protestants but you can’t talk about the 12th of July.
"It’s all Catholics where I live, I wouldn’t really like Protestants to live there because when I lived in Victoria there were loads of fights. But if you lived in a mixed area you could get to know each other and talk.
“I wouldn’t want to marry a Protestant because we couldn’t go to same places like other people, it wouldn’t be the same.
“Going to a mixed school, we get to know each other. It’s up to all the people who live in Northern Ireland to keep the peace here. For me, I can help build a peaceful future by not fighting or trying to fight with Protestants. In the future, I’d like to go to the tech then get a job and a flat.”
It seems these young people at Knockavoe are happy to share space at school but in their wider communities they don’t always get the opportunity to do that. However, by taking part in this programme, they are taking the first steps towards a shared future.
Class teacher, Joanna, added: “Protestant and Catholic young people need to meet each other more often, to learn and understand their differences and similarities. When they understand, they’ll wonder why they were fighting. Everybody needs to be educated.
“My hopes for these young people in the future are that they are happy, healthy and they show respect for others and others show respect for them. Programmes like this should be in every school so you can chat about religions – I wouldn’t want to see young people today growing up like I did, ignorant of the facts.”
It seems then that a peaceful future can only come about by mutual understanding and respect and sharing in education is the most promising path to that peace.
About this article
Christopher (17), Damien (17), John (15), Josh (19), Stephen (16) and Shanna (17) worked together on this project.
