Catholics and Protestants in many parts of Northern Ireland still lead segregated lives, rarely coming into contact with someone from ‘the other side’.
This is the case in Strabane and the surrounding area. However, some local young people get the chance to mix when they go to school at Knockavoe, a special school in the town which welcomes pupils of all religions and none.
Among them is 15-year-old John who is a member of the Traveller community. During a Headliners International Fund For Ireland Programme he gives a unique insight into sectarianism as he sees it. John said: “I’ve got nothing against Protestants or other Catholics so I don’t really mind where I live. They should start getting along, times are changing, you want to get to know the person, you don’t judge a person by the way they look. You get to know other cultures and the way other people act. At a school like this you get to mix and get to know more people, find out more.”
He continued: “The people living in Ireland are responsible for keeping the peace in it, it’s up to them how they act and how they treat anyone else coming in. There’s nothing really I can do to build a peaceful future, young people don’t really get to have a voice, a choice. I could mix more with Catholics and Protestants but that’s about it. Just one person in Ireland is not going to make a big difference, one out of a million can’t change that big a thing with Protestants and Catholics, you need a bigger group to change things like that there.
“As Travellers, we don’t really believe in Catholics or Protestants or the way they go on. We know why they go on that way, but we don’t really bother. We don’t really vote for anything so it doesn’t really bother us. Travellers don’t really vote for either side.
“In the future, I’d like to get married, have a few children and move about the place,” added John.
John’s experiences of community life vary from his classmates but he still shares their same hopes for the future.
As staff member Naomi said: “If everyone plays their own part, maybe others will follow and take an interest in what they’re doing.”
Each young person can make the difference to ensuring a peaceful and shared future by reaching out and opening up to others. No matter what their background and beliefs, if they bond together they can become a force for future peace to be reckoned with.
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Christopher (17), Damien (17), John (15), Josh (19), Stephen (16) and Shanna (17) worked together on this programme.
