Community Relations Magazine

Inspirational Stories Showing the Small Steps that Local People are Taking to promote a Shared and Better Future

Deep Breaths Small Steps and Much More!

In this Issue: Shona McCarthy Bronagh Gallagher Mayor Maurice Devenney and much more! 1

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ontents

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Introduction

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Mary McAleese - ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’

6-7

Mayor Maurice Devenney

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Bronagh Gallagher

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Brian Anthony

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Rachel Duffy

12-13

Katherine Rowlandson

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Kenny McFarland

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Ruairi O’Doherty

16-17

Ashling Martin

18-19

Foyle Contested Space Programme

20-21

Michael Cole

22-23

Peter Hutton / Rory Patterson

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Declan Doherty

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Nicky Harley

26

Emma McDermott

27

Councillor Brenda Stevenson

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William Stewart

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Alderman Mary Hamilton

30-31

Shona McCarthy

32

Mark Higgins

33

Councillor Kevin Campbell

34-35

Getting to Know Your Institutions

36-37

Tar Abhaile

38-39

Nigel Gardiner

Words: Ciaran McCauley, Joe Carlin and David Lewis Production: Nerve Centre for Derry City Council

Introduction Deep Breaths, Small Steps…

is this the way to tackle our ongoing Community Relations issues?

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hen then President of Ireland Mary McAleese likened peace building to climbing a mountain and needing to take “small steps and deep breaths” to make it to the top, during a speech at First Derry Presbyterian Church, the phrase really resonated with Derry City Council’s Community Relations Officers.

Over the years, we have been involved in many peace and reconciliation projects and have seen the slow pace at which this work can proceed. CROs are acutely aware of how frustrating this can be at times and the commitment required by people to stick with it when things get tough.

This year for our Community Relations Week campaign, we are asking people: “What small steps are you taking to deepen the peace locally?”

We are doing this for two reasons, firstly to make people aware of the small things that everyone can do to make a difference and secondly to celebrate those who have taken the small (and sometimes not so small) steps for peace and reconciliation. The inspiring stories in the magazine are evidence, if it was needed, of how far we have come.

Our thanks to the Nerve Centre for compiling the stories and text for the magazine, to all those who agreed to be interviewed for the publication and also to you for reading.

We hope you will be inspired to take your own ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’ now and in the future.

Mary McAleese The following is an edited extract of a speech President Mary McAleese gave at the ‘Conversations Across Walls and Borders’ event, at First Derry Presbyterian Church, on 6th October 2011.

The people who live in this city are neighbours. Their children are destined to be neighbours. No one needs a degree in social anthropology to know that to live happily among good neighbours who are friends to each other and not strangers is by far the healthiest communal environment for the flourishing of the human person.

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hat community, like the family if it is to flourish, if it is to be fair, has to let itself be comfortable with diversity and inclusivity. The openness that faces with genuine curiosity the very otherness of others is far from easy to embrace but we have all paid too high a price for insisting on living inside bunkers where only those who agree with us are welcome and where the voices of “the excluded other” are muted or silenced. To limit ourselves to friends, colleagues, acquaintances, partners who reflect only ourselves back to ourselves is to live such a diminished and narrowing life... ...Look at the past. Look at the wasted opportunities, the lives only half-lived, the grief, the fear, the hurt, the mistrust, the litany of adjectives and experiences

that broke many a human heart but miraculously never managed to break the spirit of those who believed there was a better way to live and who set about finding it. A lot of good people found each other in the dark and joined the dots of peacemaking, holding lines that at times were stretched to breaking point. They are now legion.

They are now the present and the future but of course there are still those who are unconvinced, who seem to prefer that miserable world of contemptuous division where violence is a raw, desperate, inarticulate and unintelligent power.

They have disrupted Derry in ways we had hoped were long past and their continued resistance to the good future we are building confers on us a responsibility not alone to

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be wary of the sting in the tail of the dying culture of paramilitarism, but to ensure we do our utmost to prove that our way is best in every way - that it is robust, that we are united, that we are not to be turned from the path of peace.

It is important that everyone, especially those in positions of leadership, whether in the home, the workplace or the community makes a genuine and sustained effort to honour the new culture of parity of esteem set out in the Good Friday, St Andrews and Hillsborough agreements. Between them they have created a durable and overwhelmingly agreed architecture of shared institutions and a shared society underpinned by a raft of legal rights and guarantees... ...The past tells us that emphatically, so what will the future tell? What can we make it tell?

Years ago when we were small most of us loved colouring in books – where the shapes of things were already outlined but we got to add the colour. Well the shape of things is already outlined for us in the big

headline agreements.

Now we need to fill in the colour, with communication, with community, with connections to one another, with the comfort of each other’s company, with the sheer human heft that is needed to pull up the evil weeds of sectarianism and to plant the seeds of reconciliation.

Already the first harvest from those seeds is quite a wonderful thing to behold.

A shared government at Stormont where old enmities are transcended by an executive drawn from the widest spectrum of politics.

A cross-border relationship that is now vibrant, dynamic and collaborative at every level – politically, economically, culturally and socially. A relationship between Ireland and Britain that is the best it has been in a millennium. Those who were once wedded to paramilitarism are almost all now converts to the democratic and peaceful resolution of problems. Our populations are the most educated they have ever been, the most resourceful and imaginative in terms of problem-solving. And we are only at the very start of this new future, only in its early opening chapters.

Derry features prominently in these first pages of the new future. It is a place we look to for inspiration and for creativity as we struggle to break old habits and unlearn old redundant ways of looking at the world and

Just as every child needs the constant and reliable love of family to grow comfortably into adulthood, so every human being needs a loving and welcoming community to grow healthily into responsible citizenship. at each other. It is a journey of hard won increments but we are no longer at the bottom of the steep hill looking up. Now we are much higher up that hill and the panorama we can see from here is so much more beautiful, so much more expansive than what was visible to us from below. The higher up we trudge, the better the landscape gets and the more confident we become that the summit is a place worth aiming for. A few years ago on a summer climbing holiday in the Alps which proved to be much tougher than I had thought I was signing up for, our guide told us, “Don’t stop, take small steps and deep breaths and you will make the top.” She was right. It could be a set of instructions for peacemakers too.

I hope to live long enough to see this island from that summit that once seemed impossible and now seems achievable. I have been so very privileged to have 5

served as President of Ireland since 1997 when the miracle of peace and prosperity first began to look less outlandish. Today, after a bitter economic retrenchment we know just how fragile our hold on prosperity is. The Troubles had already taught us the fragility of our hold on peace. So with chastened hearts and hands we turn these terrifying lessons into the distilled wisdom that will deliver a sustainable peace and a sustainable prosperity to the coming generations whose fate is right now in our hands. Like every harvest that was ever brought in on this island, it will be easier done with all hands on deck, neighbour helping neighbour and all enjoying the benefits.

But first we need to get to know our neighbours well and I am grateful to David Latimer and to this Church for doing what it can to make sure Derry is not just the first City of Culture but the city that cultivates enduring friendships through encouraging conversations across all the barriers, whether real or imagined, where friendships once foundered but now will blossom and lead us who knows where. There is a lovely proverb in the Irish language - ni neart go chur le cheile - we do not know our true strength until we work together. Some generation will be able to write the end of that story.

but it took me three full hours to cross over.

I heard some fantastic stories on the bridge.

People who had lived in the Waterside or Cityside who hadn’t been to either bank ever, and people who hadn’t been over to St Columb’s Park in decades. Also, there were people who had been a little negative about the Peace Bridge project and possibly thought it was a waste of money, who came up to me and said, “It’s a wonderful project, we were wrong to be negative.”

Mayor

Maurice Devenney Mayor Maurice Devenney has seen first hand the community relations work going on in Derry, initially as a councillor and, since last May, as mayor. In the last year he has witnessed the opening of historic developments such as the Peace Bridge and Ebrington Parade Ground, as well as the developing programme for City of Culture 2013.

How has your year as Mayor been?

has progressed, would your younger self believe it?

I’ve had a really wonderful year. Two years ago I had the opportunity of being Deputy Mayor and to see some of the good work going on in this city, but this year I’ve had the opportunity to see all the good work in the city. And I can tell you, there’s a lot of fantastic work going on. The people delivering those programmes are the unsung heroes of the city. They’re working away quietly on the ground and don’t get the media attention, the front pages or the headlines – in fact, most of them don’t want the attention, they just want to continue doing the work.

But it’s nice for them to get some plaudits, because they operate wonderful projects which bring young people, old people and people from different backgrounds together under the banner of sport, art and culture.

They are really delivering.

No, definitely not. The way the political situation has evolved in the last number of years is remarkable. In Northern Ireland, Stormont and the Assembly are now on stable foundations, and, in Derry, there have been amazing developments in the last couple of years like the Peace Bridge and Ebrington Parade Ground.

What was it like to be there when those projects opened?

Very. In the last couple of years you’ve had people like Mark H Durkan and Colum Eastwood come through the council and move on to the Assembly, and they’re a breath of fresh air. I find sometimes older people sitting in government can be very set in their ways, whereas new faces with new ideas open things up and give young people a voice. Particularly since it’s the young people who are so important. They’ll be the future councillors, MLAs, MPs, teachers, solicitors, and what have you, so it’s crucial they are given the opportunity to interact at a young age.

I was also really proud to see how many people came out for the whole day to celebrate. There wasn’t a single bad incident all day. When we can deliver programmes like that, then it gives me great confidence we’ll be able to deliver for City of Culture 2013.

What are the ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’ the people of this city can take to make Derry an even better place?

My message to people would be simply to get involved – if you feel negative about the city, then go out and join a group in whatever you’re interested in, such as dancing or art or sport, and just see the great work that is happening in communities around the city right now. If you get involved in those things, then your eyes will be opened. During my time as mayor, every day has been a new day with the different, amazing things I’ve been lucky enough to see in this city.

What is the major difference to have allowed these improvements?

What I’ve clearly seen is a groundswell of change. People are more willing to work with one another, to come into each other’s communities without fear, and that’s led to great improvements in relations, particularly between young people. It’s important that it’s the younger people who are showing the way. Even in our own council, there are councillors who consider the Troubles as history. They’re not coming in tagged to any paramilitary group on either side. It’s easier for them to speak freely because there’s no identity badge stuck to them.

And what does the future look like?

Very, very bright. We have a history in the last 30-35 years which isn’t so good, but my hope is over the next 30 years we will build a positive history so that when I get to my pensionable years, I’ll know we have left a legacy of good news for the younger generations.

It’s remarkable to think people who are now coming into power do so with fewer memories of the Troubles. How heartening is that for Derry?

Amazing. The day we opened the Peace Bridge was a phenomenal day. I came into the city at 8.45 am and my wife asked me what time I thought I would be back at. I said two or three in the afternoon, but I didn’t get back home until 11.45pm that night!

My driver left me off on the Cityside to walk across the bridge and I told him to pick me up on the other side in about half an hour,

If you could time travel back 10 or 15 years, and tell your younger self about how Derry 6

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Bronagh Gallagher Bronagh Gallagher has been a regular presence on stage and screen for over two decades, appearing in films such The Commitments, Divorcing Jack, Pulp Fiction and You, Me & Marley, as well as releasing albums Precious Soul and its follow-up later this year. The Derry~Londonderry native and her band performed at the opening of the Ebrington Parade Ground on Valentine’s Day. Having grown up in the city, she has been an interested observer of the city’s cultural development.

You played the inaugural gig at the opening of the Ebrington Parade Ground back in February. How was that?

It was amazing. There was a wonderful turn out and the gig was great to play. Obviously Ebrington has quite a history – a lot of it fairly negative to many – and we were all very aware of what it had stood for in the past. I was honoured that myself and my band were asked to perform.

But the main thing is it’s a beautiful space, fit for all sorts of events – concerts, market days, events, exhibitions. Symbolically it’s a new space for people from the Cityside and Waterside to meet, almost in the middle.

It really is a lovely space and opportunity for the city.

Growing up, I’m sure you never thought you’d have the opportunity to play a gig at Ebrington Barracks of all places?

Never. Absolutely never. When I was growing up the barracks were invisible – you didn’t really know what they were. It didn’t feature in your life at all. Obviously Derry when I was growing up was a very different place, quite territorial, which was very sad, as is any tribal type of conflict. But for children now to grow up in an environment where 8

it is not tribal, opens people’s minds and relaxes people. Derry now is a blank canvas.

There’s a lot of potential.

Did you have much of an opportunity to meet young people from other communities when you were growing up?

What does Derry have to do to realise that potential? Particularly the communities of this city?

Actually I did. There were some great crosscommunity projects in operation when I was growing up. I grew up in the Bogside so have witnessed plenty of the badness and brutality that happened, but all I ever wanted to do was dance and sing. I went to the Grove Theatre Group, which had young kids from different backgrounds, and my mammy sent me to ballet classes when I was younger too, which was run by a Protestant lady and was full of Protestant kids. So I was involved in various classes and things which were not exclusively one community or the other. My parents were humanitarian and – thank God – they always treated people as equal.

Just to have the right attitude. There are some great opportunities in Derry at the moment for the city to move forward, like City of Culture 2013. There’s nothing better than taking the small steps for yourself and walking the path in your own way. We have huge calling cards in this city – such as the Jazz Festival and Halloween celebrations – and we have some great infrastructure, beautiful buildings like St Columb’s Hall and the old Stardust Ballroom. I mean if you drove past the Stardust and it was in the US, and there were neon lights all over it and bands playing inside, you’d think it was the coolest venue in the world.

You’ve been all over the world touring and acting. What do you think is the main impression people have of Derry across the globe?

There are so many community groups and community workers who need the support of the people of Derry because they are the ones with great ideas and are also the people who champion creativity. They are the ones who will take this city forward.

People do associate Derry with the Troubles, but what they remember most of all, if they’ve visited, is the sense of community and warmth of the people. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and speak to British soldiers who were stationed here during the conflict, and even they’ve said Derry people are the kindest people they’ve ever met, which is remarkable considering their position in the city during the conflict.

Just look at Pauline Ross in the Playhouse as an example. Pauline was absolutely gung ho about the Playhouse, and people didn’t think she’d achieve what she was attempting – to take this dilapidated convent building and convert it to a modern, trendy, art house theatre. But she did it because her attitude was amazing and she, and her team, worked non-stop to make it, to my mind, the best arts facility in Derry. The facilities in there for people with learning difficulties and disabilities are fantastic and it’s used by people on both sides of the community.

What ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’ does Derry still have to take to become a more integrated, better place for all communities?

Life is what you make it, I feel. Derry is now an incredibly fertile place. But it’s up to the people of the city to make it for the people and sustain it beyond City of Culture. The most important small steps are to find solutions to common problems. We can all make this work if we put our shoulder to it.

It’s amazing what people can do when we all work together.

So it goes to show that attitude can move mountains. There are so many people that do great work in this city and it’s amazing what can be done when people pull together.

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Brian Anthony Brian Anthony is an international overseas student taking a management and marketing degree at University of Ulster’s Magee campus. He is currently on a year’s work placement with the Community Relations team at Derry City Council.

How does Reach Across benefit young people in this city?

What were your first impressions of Derry when you arrived here?

I got a very good impression, particularly of the people. They’re very laidback, pleasant, friendly, polite, and I received a really warm welcome. I’ve been treated like I’ve been here all my life. And I’m always surprised if people ask me if I’ve had any negative experiences because I haven’t experienced any.

the council area. The goal was to challenge the perceptions students had of the various communities in Derry, whether religious, ethnic or those based on sexuality. We’ve also run conferences, including one last year on City of Culture where the Culture Company met community groups in and from around Derry to facilitate them getting involved in the events of 2013. And another was a legacy conference with ex-prisoners.

We have also done a lot of diversity awareness and cultural sensitivity training for council staff, so they are more aware of the diverse cultures of Derry.

How aware of Derry and Northern Ireland’s past were you before you came here?

Not very to be honest. I knew a little bit about the Troubles but most of what I know now is from what people have told me since I got here.

Are you surprised by the history since you’ve had such a positive experience?

Would you like to stay on in Derry?

I’d love to but it’s all about where my degree might take me. But I will be here next year and I’m really looking forward to what City of Culture has in store!

A little bit. It’s odd. Something that definitely surprised me and that I consider a negative – although I’m not sure if it really is one – is the colour painted on the kerbstones in certain areas. To me this represents the flag and in India, it is very disrespectful to walk on a flag, so I don’t understand why people do that. It really shocked and amazed me because it just wouldn’t be done at home.

But that’s just my experience – and it means I’m very careful when I’m on the street because I try to avoid walking on them!

And if you do have to leave, what will be your abiding memory of the city?

That’s difficult – there are so many!

Personally I think a city is made by its people. So when I arrived, the people of Derry smiled at me, embraced and acknowledged my culture and showed me respect. It was so positive. So the memories I’ll take are of the great people and the time I spent with every single individual of the city. That’s the best I can do because if I had to say every great memory I have of Derry it would never end!

What community relations projects have you been involved in at Derry City Council?

I’ve worked on quite a few, from big to small. One major project is Prejudice Face On, which is aimed at 11-14 year olds in 10

The young people I work with are of the opinion that we still live in a deeply divided society, but that divisions are more subtle now than they were in older generations. I think that makes the situation more precarious, as we can normalise the divisions and remain divided. This cannot lead to a more cohesive Northern Ireland and I feel that programmes like ours can have really positive outcomes for young people and help them open their eyes and minds to the similarities we have with our neighbours instead of focusing only on the differences.

I’d imagine working with young people, you must see the improvements first hand?

Absolutely. There have been so many wee incidents in doing this work that have made me smile. For instance I was recently working with two teenage girls of different religious backgrounds who were discussing the labels which they feel society imposes on them – and one turned to the other, very earnestly, and said: “You know I think there should be an ‘i’ in that word ‘tag’.”

I had to suppress a little giggle to myself but I think it

Rachel Duffy

Rachel Duffy is an Educational Development Worker at Reach Across, a cross-community organisation which covers the North West. Reach Across promotes community relations by providing residential trips, activities, training and educational projects aimed at 14-17 year olds. The Reach Across Schools Programme is funded by the International Fund for Ireland’s Sharing in Education Programme. exemplifies how there isn’t an awareness of what these words mean. In addition, I have witnessed friendships start and develop through our summer residential and schools programme which would not have happened were it not for these projects. Often when I’m leaving one school to go to another, I am inundated with lists of hellos and messages to give to other students in other schools.

I suppose for me the lovely thing is the way the children and young people relate to the project and take from it what they need, giving it meaning in their own life.

What ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’ are you witnessing in cross-community work at the moment?

We’ve been moving in the right direction for many years, and it really is the little things that matter. In my last post I worked

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on a cross-community intergenerational project which took older people from Newbuildings to Donegal for the first time.

Breaking down small barriers like this is key for improved community relations. I also think asking questions and not being afraid of the unknown are vital – I once had a young girl ask me if we were on the Waterside when we were standing on the Walls near the Fountain. But I think there is no such thing as a stupid question as misinformation just breeds misunderstanding.

So for me, I would say, take a chance, try something different and you might just learn something valuable along the way. I know I have.

A filmmaker with a keen interest in real life experiences and documentaries, Katherine has been living in Derry since childhood. Last year she co-created a film looking at Derry’s second Gay Pride Parade, placing it in the context of the city’s history in the Civil Rights Movement. As a member of the LGBT community, she shares her perspective on the city’s acceptance of her community, the improvements that have been made and what more can be done.

Katherine Rowlandson Could you tell us a little bit more about your film?

It was a based around the Gay Pride Parade last year and people’s differing reactions to it, particularly given Derry’s long history in the Civil Rights Movement and the various marches the city has hosted throughout the decades.

Does the film parallel the two different movements – the Civil Rights Movement and now the Pride Parades?

Yes. For the film we were able to talk to Eamonn McCann, who is a veteran of both campaigns, and he spoke at length about the similarities. And, of course, last year the Pride Parade decided to take the same route as the original Civil Rights marches simply to highlight how the Pride Parade is about equality.

There was some resistance to the route, however. Some people believed there isn’t a comparison between the two and in no way did the organisers of Pride want to belittle the original Civil Rights marches, because it isn’t illegal any more to be gay. But it is illegal in other countries, so the march was about reasserting a point of view that the LGBT community across the world still do not enjoy the freedoms they should.

Did you find out anything surprising when making the film?

Yes. We interviewed a pastor called Mark Bradfield. Every year he and people from his church come to the parade with banners and loudspeakers to protest against it. But when I spoke to him, I was amazed by how nice he was. I completely disagree with him, but he wasn’t a bad or violent person – he simply believed very strongly that he was doing his best, that he was trying to help. Obviously I think that’s misinformed, but that’s what he believed, and he was coming at it from a compassionate point of view, which really surprised me. It shows you can have completely opposing views but actually come to some kind of mutual respect.

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Would you say an incident like that shows the importance of dialogue in community relations? That it’s important to respect other people’s views, even if you disagree with them?

support, which was very heart-warming.

And there are other heterosexual people who sit on the Pride Committee and are willing to set up nights and events. That’s important because gay rights isn’t about who you sleep with, it’s about people feeling strongly about people being disadvantaged in society because of who they choose to sleep with. In any situation like this, it should not just be the persecuted group who are standing up for themselves, it should be all members of society standing up.

It is vital, certainly. I had spoken to this guy years before and was confrontational – it got really heated. Because I thought that was the only way a conversation between us could go, because we came from such opposing views. But you can’t just think about what people are saying, but why they are saying it – and he obviously came from a compassionate place, where he believed he was doing the right thing. It was a fascinating discovery.

What ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’ do people in Derry need to take for the LGBT community to feel yet more accepted and part of the city?

How have things changed for the LGBT community in the last few years?

From my perspective, everyone needs to remember we all want Derry to be a better place. Regardless of political or sexual orientation, everyone wants more investment, everyone wants more jobs. So we all have to do our bit to make the place better. And, I guess, there are little things – for instance if you hear someone using off-the-cuff homophobic language, which someone might not even mean, just ask them to stop and think about if they really mean what they’re saying. People need to think about how these words can be picked up and repeated by their children, by other people.

Individuals need to think about the implications.

Improvements have definitely been made, but we can’t just look at the good things.

There’s still a lot of work to be done.

Ever since I came out 15 years ago, there’s a lot more visibility – kids are happier to come out much younger. They’re coming out in school, which is great. People are finding it easier to be open, at least with family and friends.

But I do still think there are major issues to deal with regarding acceptance. Bullying, for instance, is a massive issue. And the rates of self-harm and suicide among gay kids are still massively disproportionate to the proportion of people who are gay. So heightening awareness is important and was a part of the ethos behind the film and the Pride Parade itself.

How has the Pride Parade been treated by the city?

The fact it’s got off the ground in the last two years is an indication that it has been received well. People come out and even families out shopping when the parade is on are not hiding their children’s eyes or anything! And I suppose the nicest thing about last year’s Pride was the overwhelming support from the heterosexual community. There was no way everyone who attended the parade was gay – over half the people would have been friends and family who came out to show

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Kenny McFarland Kenny McFarland is Secretary of the Londonderry Bands Forum and since 2011 has been promoting and representing marching bands in the North West. Kenny also spends much of his time educating communities as to the reality of marching bands.

Is there a problem with the perception of marching bands from all communities?

too. For years there’s been a feeling in the Protestant community of not really caring how bands are perceived, but that has changed now. For example, when people see bands perhaps at contested parades on TV, or wherever, that can lead to assumptions about marching bands. It isn’t in our interest to portray that image and it is important to bands and the communities they’re from that they are represented properly.

Yes. People tend to think bands are either involved with the Orange Order or the Apprentice Boys but that’s simply not true. Perhaps during parades people see marching bands at the front of the march and assume they’re highly involved in whatever organisation arranged the parade. It’s not the case. Marching bands are largely independent of any organisation and are engaged to come and perform at a parade. For most bands, parades with the Loyal Orders will be only a small part of the parades they do over the year, as most parades will be hosted by other bands. The focus of these parades is the competition of looking and playing music better than any other band.

After all, marching bands are a rich part of this city’s culture, which we should be promoting. For instance, the Churchill Flute Band is based inside the Walls and is the oldest marching flute band in Ireland.

What changes have you noticed since you started working at the Bands Forum?

There’s been plenty of improvement and willingness for things to get better. Bands have been very independent and in some ways are only starting to work together, and our aim for the forum is to support and build capacity within the band community.

Marching bands have their own unique, evolving and independent identities and are often crucial components in their local communities.

How is the Bands Forum attempting to change these perceptions?

While we’ve only just started, the attitudes towards marching bands do appear to be evolving in both the Protestant and Catholic communities.

We will be launching a number of projects, both in the Protestant community and at a cross-community level. Recently we hosted a number of workshops around the history of marching bands, one being in St Augustine’s Church Hall which included attendees from the Bogside and Creggan.

We also have a play called The Pride, which we will be taking around venues in the city, which looks at marching bands, and we will want to take that into nationalist areas too.

There’s still a long way to go – some of our members would see the ultimate ‘small step’ as bands being able to perform around the Diamond without hassle. But things are getting better on that front too. We want to be fully involved in the UK City of Culture, by promoting a range of events throughout the city. We feel very optimistic and positive that people will start to change their perceptions of our culture, and both communities can come to accept the music we play.

It’s also important we educate not just the Catholic community but our own community 14

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What’s the biggest challenge in getting kids to get involved in writing and performing songs?

Generally they can get a bit antsy when we’re trying to get them to discuss the kind of song they want to write. I think they find that element a bit dull!

The biggest challenge is when the kids bring up social issues, such as lack of jobs or poverty. There’s a real concern about finding work in this city and anywhere in Ireland.

Which is why we’re trying to suggest getting involved in creative industries, since that sector is growing so much in Northern Ireland.

These kids don’t really see it at the moment, but hopefully the City of Culture will help.

Surprisingly the crosscommunity element isn’t too hard. Kids these days think much differently from our generation. There’s just a focus on being a kid rather than being a ‘Protestant / Catholic’ kid, which is refreshing to see.

I never wanted to be a youth worker – I find teenagers quite frightening because I know what I was like! – but to see them work together like they do challenged my perceptions of young people.

We run the Music Hothouse at the Nerve Centre as well, which is an intensive course open to kids from all

Ruairi O’Doherty Ruairi O’Doherty is a musician and songwriter, who has long been a fixture in the Derry alternative music scene as part of groups such as Cuckoo and Little Hooks. He also coruns songwriting workshops which allow young people from all communities to explore the possibilities of music, as well as working in mental health with the Beacon Centre. communities and watching them perform and work together is amazing. And I know kids from different communities have gone on to form bands together too.

their community by helping everyone in it, instead of making grand gestures.

Helping these people get back into their communities – that’s my ‘small step’.

You also work in mental health, at the Beacon Centre in Clarendon Street. What impacts do groups like that have on community relations?

How can music and art help to improve community relations in the city?

Mental health doesn’t discriminate against race or religion – it affects everyone. The main impact is how treating those with mental health problems has changed in the last few years. Previously a centre like the Beacon would have been a place for people to come in off the street for a while. But now we are really motivating those with mental health issues to go back into their communities since they have so much to offer. We’re currently running a programme called Live and Learn where naturally talented artists who have struggled with ill health are having their work exhibited – it shows these people have something to contribute. And as Mary McAleese said people should work from within 15

Music in this town has always been an escape from political trouble or from a lack of prospects. Good creativity often comes from hard times and Derry has certainly had some hard times. Music, creativity and art have always been the things which keep people moving on. I think these projects where talented people are helping others, can help keep on pushing things forward and I feel blessed to be a part of it.

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Ashling Martin Ashling Martin has been working at Irish Street Community Centre, in the Waterside, since August last year and has been involved in cross-community work in Curryneirin, where she lives with her family, since 2003. For decades the largely Protestant community at Irish Street and the largely Catholic residents of Gobnascale (or Top of the Hill) have endured regular bouts of interface violence. But Ashling and the team at Irish Street feel the area is a shining example of community relations at work in the city.

What improvements have there been in community relations in Irish Street in the last few years?

ago there wouldn’t be a Catholic about this centre, either working here or using the facilities. But now there’s far more. There’s a computer club we run that’s about half and half, and a hurling club – all sorts.

Well, firstly, my time here has been amazing. We’re working with youth all the way up to pensioners – and everyone, from workers to local residents, has made a big difference.

Plus it shows the kind of mixing that’s happening in this area now. Five years ago this community centre would have been used exclusively by Protestants but now it’s probably about 70-30. Even my wee girl, who’s ten, comes up to the centre, and there are absolutely no problems.

Irish Street always seemed worse for interface violence than even Curryneirin where I live, but last year interface violence was cut by around 23 per cent. It shows the progress that’s being made.

When the 12th of July came around, they erected the usual bonfire, with tricolours on it, but actually took the tricolours down from the bonfire while I was working here, out of respect for me and my tradition. I mean I don’t consider it my flag or anything, I didn’t care either way, but they did it anyway, and then brought it back out again after I went home. They even invited me up – some of the people said: “Sure get a carry out, and come up to the bonfire!” It wouldn’t be for me, but still that they even invited me was surprising.

But more importantly just look at myself – I’m a Catholic but I’ve been welcomed with open arms in this community. There’s a youth leader here, Gareth Greer, who’s also Catholic, and it’s a big thing we can both be accepted here.

Four years

How has this improvement in relations come about then? Particularly with people such as yourself being welcomed?

First of all I think it has to do with respect when you’re working with them – that’s helped me and others fit in at Irish Street. Particularly with the young people we would work with here. I just try and spend five minutes chatting to them, taking an interest in what they do, have tea with them, that kind of thing.

But a lot of it has to do with the projects we run out of the community centre, which have allowed both communities to mix more than they’ve done in decades. We run courses and projects in conjunction with The Whistle [community centre at Top of the Hill] which allow kids from both communities to meet. It’s about getting two wee boys who may have been throwing bottles at each other over an interface last year, to meet this year and actually think “he’s not so bad”. And, touch wood, so far that’s happening and it’s bringing the violence down.

Not so long ago I did a sponsored walk around St Columb’s Park and we had kids from the Fountain, Curryneirin, Top of the Hill and the Bogside all together at it – and all the kids got on the best. So it goes to show the importance of getting them to know each other early.

Also it’s really about the hard work of all the team here.

There’s also a CAB (Combating Anti-Social Behaviour) project which is all about getting young people, parents and carers from Irish Street and Top of the Hill together into workshops and activities. We also run The Respect Project which involves ten young people and ten older people from both communities, doing workshops together in order for young people to become more aware of the older population in the area.

What ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’ do you feel you’ve taken in your own life?

One instance would be in my attitude to the police. I was brought up in County Armagh and it was the done thing to hate the police – I wouldn’t deal with them or speak to them.

But I’ve done work with ex-prisoners and ex-policemen, such as residential weekends.

And one weekend this policeman cornered me and forced me to speak with him. Even then I was reluctant, but after we talked honestly to each other it was fine – and now we are best of friends. I get cards from him all year and I send him an Easter lily!

What projects do you run for both communities?

One particular project we’re running is the Yes Lad project, which Gareth leads. It’s a good relations programme designed to allow mutual understanding and reconciliation between communities.

It allows young people from different communities in the Waterside to take part in various projects and also go away on trips together – towards the end of January they had a trip to Belfast which took in visits to the Falls and Shankill Roads.

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What lessons could this city learn from what’s happening at Irish Street?

The lesson is to get on with it. To see what other people are doing – because if it can be done here, in Irish Street where interface violence is high, then it can be done anywhere.

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Foyle

Contested Space Programme

A cutting edge initiative, piloting a new method of shared education.

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ideas in a collaborative cross-community network which will see all eight working closely together on a range of projects.

n Wednesday February 29, parents, school children, teachers, politicians and curious onlookers packed into the assembly hall at Lisnagelvin Primary School in the city’s Waterside area. All gathered together for an event launching the Foyle Contested Space Programme, a crosscommunity educational initiative designed to pilot a new method of shared education which could soon be the norm across Northern Ireland.

In practical terms it means pupils from each school will visit each other and be taught together. For instance, since September the students at St Mary’s, St Cecilia’s and Lisneal have shared classes two hours a week, taking part in workshops where they learn about the real issues which affect them and their community, as well as issues such as online safety, alcohol and drug abuse and sexual health.

Funded by Atlantic Philanthropies and the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM), the Foyle Contested Space Programme is based around eight schools – St Mary’s College, St Cecilia’s College and Lisneal College from the post-primary sector, as well as Ballougry, Ebrington, Lisnagelvin, Holy Child and St John’s Primary Schools. Under the umbrella of Foyle Contested Space, each will share expertise, resources, facilities, pupils and

On the launch night, the audience were treated to performances from the Contested Space Primary Choir – comprised of pupils from all five primary schools – as well as speeches from Professor Tony Gallagher of Queens University, which leads the programme, and Junior Ministers Martina Anderson and Jonathan Bell from OFMDFM,

who each praised the programme for being a potential good example for the rest of Northern Ireland in how to bring young people together through shared education.

“It is only when our young people have the opportunity to meet that relationships built on trust, tolerance, mutual respect and understanding can form,” said Ms Anderson.

“It is the people within the local community, like those of you taking part in this programme, who are showing themselves willing and capable of taking the necessary steps to reach out and engage across the divides in our society.”

Remarkably, the Foyle Contested Space Programme, which is a follow-on from the Shared Education Programme (SEP), was reckoned by all speakers to be an opportunity of forming a model of shared education which could be replicated across Northern Ireland.

During the evening, the audience got to witness first hand the work the programme is doing at postprimary school level thanks to a video showing students from St Mary’s, St Cecilia’s and Lisneal being taught and interacting together. It’s a programme, however, not without its challenges, said Kathleen Gormley, principal of St Cecilia’s.

“The whole programme can be very challenging,

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it challenges pupils to change but also everybody in the school, such as staff, to change,” she said.

“However, I’m already aware of the greater tolerance pupils from each school appear to have for each other. And it’s great when you see children taking it on themselves.

“Recently I went to Lisneal to watch their school production of Grease and I found quite a number of our own children were there with their parents.

We hadn’t organised that.

It had emerged naturally from the shared education programme to the pupils being in shared spaces. So it’s lovely when something like that goes out of your hands, because you realise you have made a difference.”

Speaking after the main event, the project coordinators for the respective secondary schools spoke about the challenges and benefits of the programme which has been running from September.

“The programme is about community relations, but it’s not about that specifically,” said Greta McTague, of St Cecilia’s. “We talk about common issues, such as sexual health and internet safety, with pupils from all three schools, so it’s an integrated approach. It can be challenging, however, to bring the parents in as well. Because they have to reassess their own prejudices to reinforce what 19

we’re doing in class.”

“Children are the best educators around,” added Marion McClintock of St Mary’s. “Plenty of times our kids have come in and told us something very true. So children can drive it home to parents. Thankfully we do have that support from parents, however, because we would be unable to do this without parents. The parents and kids are the real doers in this, we’re just the facilitators.”

As for how the young people have taken to the project, and each other, Claire Bell, of Lisneal College, described how already the programme has seen a big difference in their mindsets.

“They’re very comfortable and confident together,” she said. “During the video, you saw them all walking the walls together in their uniform. When I first started on shared education at Lisneal, we would have had them change into normal clothes before taking them out. We wouldn’t have dreamed about taking them into town in their uniforms because the response would’ve been that they didn’t want to be seen together in public and in uniform. But now everyone can see how trusting they are of each other, no matter where they’re going together or what they’re wearing.

They just think they’re going into town with their friends.”

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confidence, what small steps did you make to boost it further?

Michael Cole Michael Cole is a former full-time Development Officer with Destined, a support organisation for people with learning difficulties.

What was it like growing up with a disability?

the crowd in any way at all was going to be subjected to that sort of abuse.

It was tough because people were calling me names and I was often excluded, even though I didn’t realise at the time I was being excluded. It wasn’t all bad, I had a lot of good times as a child but of course it was a generation where people didn’t really have the knowledge about learning disabilities they do now and there were times I found it difficult to cope. Anybody growing up with a disability or anybody that stands out from

What kind of challenges do you face on a day-to-day basis?

Well, sometimes I would be afraid to stand up for myself if I wanted something, although I can do that a wee bit better now than I could in the past. People often talk down to me, they will tell me that it’s no different to the way they speak to others, but I can tell the difference.

Is it important that disabled people are accepted like everybody else?

Of course! We have the same feelings, the same dreams, the same fears, the same hopes and the same ambitions as everybody else. For most people with disabilities, all they really want is to be accepted and included in things that normal people take for granted.

Are people more understanding and accepting now in comparison to when you were growing up?

There has definitely been a significant change over the course of time. People have a better understanding of learning difficulties because of better education. It is similar with mental health.

Years ago people said people were crazy or insane but there’s less of that sort of terminology now. ‘Learning disabilities’ is moving the same way but there is still a long way to go before we are accepted into an inclusive society. There are still people out there that don’t want to know, but they are the people who will be left behind in my view.

What kind of small steps could people make to help that happen?

They could join organisations such as Destined. Their ethos is all about empowering

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people and they put you on programmes that will help you move forward in life. When I first came to Destined I was very shy and timid but through the years my confidence grew and it helped me to take part in plays and make public speeches, which would frighten a lot of people.

I’m now in an employment programme which will hopefully lead to full-time employment.

Do you think Destined gave you that kick-start to be where you are now?

Yes, I had been involved in similar organisations but never stayed for anything longer than four weeks as I felt that the other members weren’t as active-minded as I was and didn’t really have the programmes or ethos that Destined has. I believe that if they had more funding, they would be the leading organisation for disability.

You mentioned that Destined helped boost your 21

I had to face my fears. For example, I took part in a play in 2004, produced by Destined, which was about putting people down. I was convinced that I wouldn’t be able to do it but I was encouraged to take part in the rehearsals and by the time the play came around, I wanted to be there and be a part of it because I knew I could do it. And when it came to making a speech at the City Hotel [as part of a different programme], I knew that it was another thing that I needed to face on the road to empowerment.

You took part in a good relations cross-border event Heads On Hands On last October. What did you think of it and how important are these type events for the city?

The key thing for me was that it was the first time people with learning disabilities were on such a course and that was a huge step forward. We are becoming a more multicultural society much in the same way as the UK and US, and it is important that people understand other cultures. I think that it is a good thing that we are becoming more multicultural – it gives us a whole mixture of people and makes us a more interesting society.

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Peter Hutton

Peter Hutton is a former professional footballer and Derry City FC legend, captaining the team to their last league title in 1997. He’s played for clubs on both sides of the border and currently manages Finn Harps FC. He is also the project co-ordinator of Teenage Kickz, a cross-community cross-border football programme targeted at young people.

As a former footballer, and now manager, you must have seen first hand how football can bring people together?

it’s all sport and football. The project is running until next year and we’re bringing in elements such as anti-sectarianism workshops and creative workshops where everybody designs t-shirts and then we get them made up.

Absolutely. Everyone has seen how sport can bring people together across the world.

The love of sport transcends mindsets. And that’s what we’re hoping to do with Teenage Kickz. We’ve got communities involved from across Derry – such as Newbuildings, Creggan, the Fountain – as well as others from across the border from as far away as Glengad and Malin in Donegal. They all come out of their own communities to participate, which is very important. Graham Warke, a community worker in the Fountain, has said about how difficult it can be to get young people out of a community area and into other spaces so it’s great to make that happen.

What has been the most pleasing thing for you when running these programmes?

It’s been great to see how the communities really want to get involved. They realise the value this can play in young people’s lives.

Bottom line is young people want to play sport, and we’ve seen it in all our projects – once we bring the ball out, everything else is forgotten. An hour beforehand they might have been debating politics or different viewpoints but when the football starts it’s all left behind. Sport is a great leveller.

And it’s been fantastic just how it’s taken off.

The first project we ran was during the World Cup of 2010 when we operated a community programme up in Ballymagroarty. And even with the World Cup on, attendance was very high. Around that time we also held a 7-a-side football tournament at Magee pitches on Duncreggan Road, which had teams from the Fountain, Ballymagroarty, Newbuildings, Creggan and other areas. We enabled everyone to get down to a neutral space and it was very popular. We’re hoping to get it going again with more communities involved.

What projects in particular get young people into these shared spaces?

At the moment we’re running a programme called Red Card To Sectarianism. Again it’s cross-community and cross-border, involving communities from Derry, Strabane and Donegal. It brings young people together from the ages of 13 to15. We split each community into groups of four, and then each takes turn to host the other three with an event every month. Usually the host community gives the others a tour showing them about which is a good ice-breaker – it shows every kid attending that the others aren’t so different from themselves.

Having played for teams such as Cliftonville and Portadown, you’ve had plenty of experience of football across Northern Ireland. Has sectarianism ever been apparent during your playing career?

Then we run a peace and reconciliation workshop which looks at various issues such as flags, emblems, sectarianism and stereotypes. And in the afternoon 22

In the teams I played in, we were picked irrespective of religion. The only thing I ever really experienced was when I played for Portadown. It was at the height of the Garvaghy Road troubles and just after Billy Wright had been killed, so a very tense time. I was driving up for pre-season training and all the roads were blocked by police, with lots of protestors about.

To get through, the police backed off and told me to put my foot down to drive through a crowd of loyalists and not stop until I got through – so it was pretty hairy stuff! And something that even in Derry I hadn’t experienced before. But things have changed since then thankfully and long may it continue.

What ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’ does Teenage Kickz encourage?

To be open to dialogue and engagement. In our projects you often hear kids talking about their staunch viewpoints and defending it by saying, “That’s how I was brought up.” But our projects encourage trust between young people in terms of going into each other’s communities and feeling safe to express themselves and their views.

One thing we encourage is for the young people to wear Celtic or Rangers tops if they wish – because that’s who they are. Other organisations would ban them but we’re about

tackling these issues and perceptions head on.

And what small steps can others in Derry take to improve things even more?

I think whoever takes the initiative has to be wary – because you can’t just throw projects together and expect them to work. You have to self-identify with the young people in each community first, realise what their fears and concerns are, before introducing communities to each other. If they’re not sure about the work, then you’re only going to antagonise people, you can’t force them together.

Everything is about trust and providing an environment where people can have open dialogue and express their own views and opinions.

It isn’t going to happen overnight, but the younger generation are certainly more open to it. There are generational issues in Northern Ireland, with some stereotypical views being enforced at home. So it’s about getting young people to correct the views of the older generation. They’re the ones who are going to show the older generation the way forward.

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Rory Patterson Rory Patterson, the Derry City striker who made the move from Linfield.

I’ve only had a few matches at Derry, but the fans have been brilliant – loud and passionate. They are great supporters, who are up there with the best fans I’ve played in front of.

At Linfield we had Catholics and Protestants playing together and I never came across anyone who had a problem. Even though Linfield would be thought of as a Protestant team, they did do a lot of work in the community, and there was loads of Catholics in their first team, reserves and youth squad. And they operated lots of crosscommunity schemes for young people to play football together.

I know it’s similar up here at Derry City though. With the two communities on both sides of the bridge, football can be used to get the two together on a regular basis, particularly from a young age. Also, I think Derry do a great job with the team being mostly locals, from both communities.

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Declan Doherty

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Nicky Harley

Declan Doherty is the chief executive of Derry Youth and Community Workshop, an initiative which since 1978 has offered youth training programmes, skills courses and projects designed to get those out of work into employment. Since its inception, DYCW has operated on a cross-community basis, designing courses and projects to appeal to individuals from all communities.

Nicky Harley is an actor, director and drama facilitator who has been involved in theatre productions in the city for over two decades. She also worked as co-ordinator of the Playhouse’s Theatre of Witness programme – a theatre and story-telling workshop based on the legacy of the Troubles – and on a cross-community performance programme In Your Space, at the Waterside Theatre.

What is DYCW’s ethos when it comes to operating programmes across all communities?

The Playhouse’s Theatre of Witness programme is all about people coming together to talk about their stories from the Troubles.

How difficult was it to get people to open up?

Well our focus is employment, of course, we’re not set up to analyse communities or anything.

But we’ve always been set up for everyone who comes through these doors to respect people’s differences. For instance, some organisations would ban the wearing of football jerseys, but we don’t do that.

If I’m a Celtic supporter and you’re a Rangers supporter, I expect to be respected and will respect you back. We don’t gloss over anything – people are allowed to express themselves. If people call the city Derry or Londonderry it doesn’t matter – all we ask is for mutual respect from everyone. And that’s the approach we’ve always had.

We don’t try to understand the differences between the communities, we simply accept that there are differences.

Are there any particular cross-community projects you run?

In cross-community relations our big project would be the Wider Horizons

programme. We get a group of young people comprising of eight Catholics, eight Protestants and eight people from across the border, and they are placed with an employer here for two days a week while also receiving skills training. Then they are sent to Canada, near Vancouver, to work in the hospitality environment. The main thing for us is getting these young people into work – because it’s an issue that affects every community – and fortunately we had 21 in the group last year, and 12 are now employed.

Having seen young people come through DYCW for 34 years, how do you think attitudes have changed?

With young people now the issue of sectarianism is almost an issue of the past, aside from a small group.

If you go back 20 years ago people were aware of who was Catholic and who was Protestant or would have tried to find out. Now nobody cares – that’s a big move forward. And there are less barriers to people of all communities interacting. If you go back 20 years again, Protestant young people didn’t come across to the city centre at the weekend or 24

at night. Nowadays if you’re talking to a mixed group, they will all meet up in a nightclub in the city. They are coming across for a night out or to meet up. Developments like the Peace Bridge have also helped.

How do you see the changes in this city over the decades?

It’s amazing to think about where we’ve come from. I remember the days when Catholics wouldn’t go into a Protestant church, even for a funeral – they’d stand outside if a funeral was on.

And vice versa, Protestant groups would stand outside for a Catholic funeral rather than go in. It’s madness when you think about it but that’s how life was.

Now even in different types of jobs, there are changes in what communities are in there. In previous decades the police were, of course, predominantly Protestant but that’s changing. Even traffic wardens, for instance, were almost exclusively Protestant but now plenty of Catholics are in that line of work. Likewise it wasn’t that long ago that Catholic schools only employed Catholics. These days there is a huge difference.

It was very challenging and the credit has to go to the project’s director Teya Sepinuck. But her view was if people want to talk about it, they will find a way to do so. People find it difficult to speak, but for those involved in Theatre of Witness it was the right time and right set of circumstances for them to talk.

The project worked because we were able to collect a lot of life stories and present them on stage. It’s hugely important people are able to share these stories, because there is always a question over when it is right for people to talk about the past, because it can be an open wound still. But the fact people are taking the time to share the stories gives others the opportunity to understand and hear different perspectives. I think Theatre of Witness was a huge learning curve for me because I spent too much of my life with people

saying “we’ll not talk about this or that”.

What kind of stories did Theatre of Witness share?

One which was particularly vivid was a story about a lady from the Shankill visiting a lady from the Bogside, with their children and grandchildren playing together. But there were quite a few in the last production run that were very memorable. The important thing was those who participated were able to come together to share their stories in a very loving, safe space and then tour them to the public.

The In Your Space programme you work on is more aimed at young people. What does it involve?

It’s basically a kind of circus-style street performance workshop.

The main focus is about having fun together. The shared experience, crosscommunity aspect is just a by-product of young people coming together to learn to be a great juggler or great uni-cycler. And fantastic relationships have formed out of it. Now these groups 25

that we’ve brought together are forming friendships and meeting to go up the town on a Saturday and things like that. It’s a small thing but feels huge to me because it’s a small step in the right direction. They’re seeing the person before they see the religion or community or anything else.

What role can drama play in bringing communities together from across Derry?

Basically it’s just about young people coming together. Community relations are two words that can put people off, because they think that might be the main focus of the projects we do. But really we’re just about getting young people together having fun. A kid isn’t bothered about the background of another kid when they are five-yearsold, they just want to have a good time learning new things. And fortunately that’s what these projects do.

We’re in a particularly good place in this city overall because the concerns of young people are now more in line with the concerns of young people everywhere as opposed to being focused on post-conflict issues.

Emma McDermott is project manager of the Teaching Divided Histories project at the Nerve Centre. The project trains teachers to use digital media such as film, photographic images and audio in the classroom to teach contentious histories to children from all communities. The project is in the early stages but has already received strong interest from the education sector across the North West.

Emma Dermott Why is there a need for a project like Teaching Divided Histories?

A lot of schools are cautious about introducing our conflict history into the classroom because it can be seen as divisive and some issues are still very raw. But if young people aren’t given the opportunity to learn about their own history in school then it makes it that much more unlikely that they will get the chance anywhere else. With Teaching Divided Histories children are given balanced and structured learning opportunities and offered a variety of perspectives so that they can make up their own minds.

The project is cross-border and cross-community and brings children together in learning about a shared past. We use the latest digital media technology so kids can better engage with the issues, taking the language and platforms that they use themselves to introduce issues and themes that they might not otherwise be interested in.

Film is such a powerful tool for giving us emotional insights into other perspectives –the Nerve Centre was involved in a research report recently in which a young nationalist said he only really developed any empathy with prison guards in the Maze for the

first time after watching the film ‘Hunger’ and it’s these kind of experiences that we are looking to build on with the project and then allow the young people to use the media tools to give their own perspectives on history and division and how it may impact on their lives and views.

We’re also keen to organise inter-school events, in which schools from different communities can attend events like screenings of movies they’ve made or exhibitions of posters they’ve created. So that will also bring children together in a shared space.

What’s the feedback been like so far?

A lot of teachers are very excited to be involved in the digital technology side of things. We’ve already had a huge sign up from schools.

So far we’ve got 14 schools signed up in the North West alone but we’ve had interest from Ballycastle, Belfast, Lisburn, Dundalk and all over. Basically anyone we’ve been in contact with has been supportive, because

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it’s a fresh way to approach the subject and gets pupils engaged.

Are you surprised by how receptive people have been?

Initially yes, because there can be an understandable desire to keep classes away from anything contentious. And speaking to teachers some of them had issues from parents saying they didn’t want their children to be taught certain things from history. But we feel it’s important to get the different voices of what did happen during the conflict out there. There’s definitely a need for a project like this, which can help Northern Ireland and the border counties form more peaceful communities with less segregation.

You’ve already signed up teachers and schools – what’s next for the project?

We’ve recruited our initial cohort of teachers and begun training them in digital media as well as providing them in-classroom support so they can start introducing Teaching Divided Histories lessons and resources into the classroom in the new school year.

Eventually we’d like to develop a mediabased conflict qualification, which could then be completed by pupils. It would be based around looking at conflict through all subjects.

Northern Ireland is still an extremely segregated place, with the vast majority of pupils going to single religion schools, but we feel this project is a small step towards two communities interacting and understanding where the other is coming from.

Teaching Divided Histories is supported

by SEUPB under the Peace III programme.

A Word from Our Elected Members As a parent of two teenage boys, it’s clear the younger generation have a very different view on politics and our divided society.

I recall this being brought home to me on a beautiful evening a couple of years ago. I was in Guildhall Square, it was towards the end of the school term, and I noticed groups of school pupils all hanging around together, freely mixing. Pupils from St Cecilia’s, St Mary’s, Lisneal, St Columb’s – none of them cared about the colour of the uniform they were wearing or religion or ethnicity or nationality.

It just didn’t matter to them. But they were sharing a space which was a no-go area when I grew up, an area which had to be accessed via turnstiles and checkpoints. It made it clear to me that the younger generation don’t want to be strangled by the mantras and opinions of the previous generation. They don’t see the colour of the uniforms or different religions – all they want is jobs and opportunities.

Talking about ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’, I feel everyone has really taken on that challenge.

Whether in the statutory sector, school sector, community sector or voluntary sector, everyone is playing their own small part. There are some great projects in this city. One of the more successful projects was Gateway to Protestant Participation, where money was given to the YMCA who rolled it out to Protestant community groups who felt they increasingly didn’t have a part to play in this city. The project got people participating in events and changing perceptions, which is very important.

And I’m optimistic because I really do think the younger generation are going to be a shining light for this city. I’m in a mixed marriage, and I feel it’s given me a real insight into how everyone has to listen to everyone else’s point of view. Even though I grew up calling the city Derry, and my husband grew up calling it Londonderry, it doesn’t really matter what you call it – it’s our city, we share it and it’s the best city in the world to live in. Yes, the city has had its demons and tribulations, but we’ve come through it, and we’re a lot more united now.

Councillor Brenda Stevenson (SDLP) 27

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William Stewart

William Stewart is a member of the Apprentice Boys of Derry and a tour leader of the organisation’s famous Memorial Hall and Museum within the city’s walls. In recent years the Apprentice Boys have launched initiatives such as the Maiden City Festival, a programme of events which runs alongside the Relief of Derry parade in August, and have made concerted efforts in crosscommunity outreach.

How did you go about it?

The perception of the Apprentice Boys now appears to be a lot more positive than in the past. Why is that?

First we had to educate people, even within our own organisation. After all we have thousands of members all over the world, but we had to make sure everyone was behind us. A tiny minority wanted to cause a problem over the direction we were going – on one occasion I was physically assaulted by someone who didn’t like it! – but that was a minor thing and our attitude was, we’re the Apprentice Boys of Derry, and if people didn’t like what we were doing they could leave.

First of all we had to come around to dealing with the issue of how we were perceived by the people in the city. Fifteen years ago the Apprentice Boys were certainly not what people thought they were!

The perception was of this dark organisation, beavering away trying to undermine the Catholic community. But the reality was an umbrella organisation – made up of eight different clubs – meeting two hours a month to organise traditional celebrations.

After that we decided we would meet and talk to anyone who wanted to talk to us, regardless of politics. Because even though there’s a human and civil right to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and freedom to assemble, we recognised the responsibility on us to explain what we’re doing.

But we had to come around to actually dealing with how people saw us and get the message out that it wasn’t right, that the Apprentice Boys are not anti-Catholic.

And when we did that we were surprised by the support we got from right across the Catholic community.

And look at us today. There was a small – tiny – amount of trouble at the parade last August, but the people coming to our defence were Bogside residents, members of Sinn Fein, members of the Catholic Church. When you see people like that defending you, it is a major step forward.

What projects do you run to change the perception of the Apprentice Boys?

The Maiden City Festival – with the different theatre and arts events – is a major cross-community event, and the museum is a great success story.

It has received 30,000 visitors from 77 different countries in the last three years. Plus we’ve had over 90 visits from schools from the Republic of Ireland in the last year. And we work with the Free Derry Museum, so these groups can spend half a day here and half a day down at Free Derry.

Building those links with the different museums is part of our long-term plan of improving tourism and jobs in the city.

Overall how have things changed and improved for the Apprentice Boys and their place in the city?

We’re very happy with how it’s going.

We’re not there yet but all the work from ourselves and others from different communities, means our culture is now pretty well accepted in the city. The evidence is the lack of trouble on parade days. The number of people who turn up to cause trouble in the past was a couple of hundred – now it’s a handful. And they’re a lot quieter. Overall, the future of Derry looks really bright to me.

A Word from Our Elected Members When I was growing up in Donegal, where I was born and reared, we had Catholic neighbours. I’m a Protestant but no one had any problem with anyone else – we all worked hard together and respected each other’s traditions. And this is surely the way forward for all of us.

Thankfully these days I can see the improvement in this city in terms of community relations. We remember the past but now people are working together all the time. We are now realising that the time to move forward is by respecting each other’s traditions.

This is an extremely historic city and new initiatives like the Peace Bridge and the City of Culture show how much we are joining together. I even know one lady who had never been in the Waterside in her life – but the Peace Bridge gave her the chance to go over.

It shows how communities are integrating better, and community groups and workers are helping to make that happen. Both communities – whether Catholic or Protestant or from the Cityside or Waterside – are mixing better. I’ve seen first hand the impressive work groups such as the Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership have done in bringing both communities together, particularly young people. It is this engagement that is required.

The important thing is for it not to be ‘them and us’, but for us all to be proud of our city and work within it. Particularly since there’s more here that unites us than divides us.

With City of Culture 2013 next year, there is now a platform where everyone’s traditions can be respected equally and the chance for days like the Apprentice Boys Parade and St Patrick’s Day to be treated as great days for both communities. One thing I have noticed from travelling Ireland is councillors in other cities are all working together for the good of that area. So it is imperative politicians and leaders in this city take their own ‘small steps’, be honest with each other and work together to improve this city.

Alderman Mary Hamilton (UUP)

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Shona McCarthy

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Shona McCarthy is chief executive of the Culture Company 2013.

Is the Culture Company 2013 working to involve members of the community in the City of Culture celebrations?

There are five people in our programming team, and already – in the period from September of last year – there have been over 800 consultations with individuals and community groups across the city. In many ways every aspect of our programming is really driven by local communities, right across the city.

There are big communities here who are formulating their own cultural strategies, not just for 2013, but as a legacy for the city way beyond 2013. Every school child in this city is going to be involved in the City of Culture programme over the next year and a half and beyond. Every community group is going to be involved as well.

How will City of Culture impact on the various communities within Derry City?

How do you think City of Culture will change the city?

quarter of the city. Every citizen will have the opportunity to participate in the City of Culture project. There are some events that will have to take place in venues like Ebrington simply to cater for the numbers.

But there will be many others that will be spread across different venues throughout the city: Ballyarnett Park, Prehen, St Columb’s Park, all over, and the idea will be to work with all the communities of the city, building skills and creating confidence.

Legacy can mean different things, and we have it written in as our top criteria in everything that’s going to happen during 2013. The very first thing we thought about was, ‘what’s going to be the long-term impact of this?’

In some cases, it will be physical transformation such as the upgrade of our railway line, or the restoration of flagship buildings in the city, such as the Guildhall refurbishment. In others it could be something happening in a community area, such as a new festival being started and built on.

Of course, as well as changing how we perceive ourselves we are also seeking to bring about a massive shift in how this city is perceived around the globe. Events such as the ‘Peace One Day’ concert are aimed at changing how the outside world sees this city, and allowing us to project a new story outwards. That was very much a key concept behind the City of Culture bid, and one of the big reasons that the city wanted the title in the first place. People from the outside have been spun a very one-dimensional story of the history of this city. City of Culture will provide a platform to demonstrate this flowering, this blossoming of a place that is in transformation.

That combination of change from within and the change in how people see us from outside will largely define the legacy of City of Culture.

A key aspect of legacy will be to challenge the perceptions that we have of ourselves, which are very often negative – we’re very good at looking in at ourselves and not liking very much what we see. One the most important legacies City of Culture could leave will be a renewed sense of selfconfidence in the city.

There will be major events that will take place right across the city – flagship photographic and visual arts projects – and will involve community groups from every

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Mark Higgins Mark Higgins works for Derry GAA and is the secretary in charge of organising the association’s high profile programme for City of Culture 2013. Many of these City of Culture events and projects are being instigated with the goal of using the GAA as a force to improve community relations.

How will these events engage with the Protestant community in particular?

Well, I think if anyone is interested in sport, then they can sit down and watch a game of Gaelic football or hurling and appreciate it. The games are spectacular and it doesn’t matter what background you’re from, anyone who is into sport will appreciate that. I know myself of friends and work colleagues from the Protestant community who do watch Gaelic games. So they’re already involved, albeit from a spectator point of view.

The projects we’re planning for next year include a conference which will have a dimension about the role of the Protestant faith in the GAA. A lot of our high-profile awards – including the Sam Maguire All-Ireland football championship – are named after Protestants. So we have to bring that link back to the fore again and get people thinking it’s not just a onesided association.

How do you envision communities getting involved in next year’s events?

If you look at the programme, we have some high profile national events coming to Derry including the GAA National Congress, which will bring international visitors to the city and create a great buzz.

However, these eye-catching events are only catalysts for the work local clubs are doing on the ground in their

own communities. There will be lots of stuff happening around every club which will be all about community engagement.

How do you think these events will engage with communities who wouldn’t usually be involved in the GAA? I think we are now building a body of work which is about communities who wouldn’t usually fall within the natural GAA circle.

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The GAA is a non-political organisation, which is simply about the preservation of Irish culture. So we’re hoping by sharing those experiences with people from other communities that we can show them what the GAA is really about.

There has been a lot of bad press over the last number of years for the GAA but it’s an organisation providing a really crucial hub within local areas.

At grassroots level there’s the Cúchulainn Cup project in Belfast, which is about getting kids from different backgrounds playing the game. We envision getting that rolled out in the city next year. And locally we’ll be engaging with all sections of the community, particularly in the Waterside area where we have two clubs – Doire Trasna and Ardmore. So those clubs are engaging at interface areas, trying to break down barriers – and we’ve some very committed people on the ground doing that work.

And what role can the GAA play in the future of an integrated Derry?

Quite simply being a glue which can stitch different communities together.

We have a great opportunity next year to build on work being done at local level, and break down barriers built up over the last 40-50 years and really build a better Derry for the future.

A Word from Our Elected Members My time as Deputy Mayor may be coming to an end but it’s been a great year for me. I’ve had the opportunity to really get involved in events across the city and in many ways it’s opened my eyes, whether it be to projects like the Peace Bridge or the fantastic developments that are being made for City of Culture 2013.

The Peace Bridge, in particular, represents how communities are embracing each other and gradually coming closer together. The opening of Ebrington Parade Ground on February 14 was symbolically a very significant moment for this city as the people claimed it as their own. It was an area which was looked at differently by the Protestant and Catholic communities – one community would have seen the barracks as a source of employment and safety, whereas the other saw it as a source of oppression. But now both Protestant and Catholic communities can come together in a wonderful shared space.

The improvements to community relations in the city over the last few years have been massive. Sometimes we can’t see the woods for the trees in terms of progress, but if you had of told me the things we would achieve by 2012 – such as the building of the Peace Bridge – then I wouldn’t have believed it.

There are still massive challenges for the city.

To overcome them, it requires people from all sides of the community – and I don’t just mean Protestant and Catholic but also those from different ethnicities and sexualities – to simply engage with everyone else, and work together.

And most of all to keep an open mind on other people’s point of view. I recently attended an event at the Nerve Centre on homophobia and it was very illuminating in terms of the issues facing that community. So we have to do our part, take our own ‘small steps’ in order to recognise every community as a vital part of this city.

If we can keep that open mind, listen and respect every single member of this city, then we can continue to progress like we have been for a long time to come.

Councillor Kevin Campbell, Deputy Mayor (Sinn Fein) 33

I went inside places where I would not normally have gone. There was a little bit of an intimidation factor about some of the locations and coming in as a group in a cross-community event has made it a safe place for me. I am glad I was able to be a part of it.

Renee DeLoriea

What attracted you to take part in this course?

Martin McCartney :We knew it was about knowing your institutions but I liked the fact that you didn’t know where you were going to go on the night. The good thing about that is that if people knew where they were going beforehand it would have given them the opportunity to step out of it if they felt uncomfortable. They didn’t get the opportunity and had to stick with it.

What have you learned from the last few weeks?

Getting to Know Your

Institutions D

erry City Council and the Rural Community Network Rural Enablers Programme jointly organised a community relations course, which took place over 6 weeks during February and March 2012. The course aimed to make people more aware of institutions such as the Orange Order, GAA, churches, etc. It involved a mystery tour to institutions in the Derry City Council / Donegal County Council areas to find out about the history and importance of these institutions to their patrons.

Participants got the chance to visit the premises of the institutions to take them physically into a space that they may not have been in before. They did not know in advance which institution they were visiting each week to make sure that people were open-minded about the course and not self-selecting. Organisations were able to challenge perceptions and stereotypes about what they represented and the work they do.

Participants were from across the community and voluntary sector and representative of all communities. Martin McCartney, chairperson of Maydown Community Centre, and other participants give their take on an intriguing crosscommunity experience.

I enjoyed taking part and raising any issues that I had about certain organisations. These events give you a different outlook to how people from other communities live and you have to respect people for what they are and what they believe in. It’s good to be opened up to the different cultures, definitely worthwhile.

Elizabeth Dunn

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Martin McCartney: I have learned a lot of things that I didn’t know about some organisations. I had never been in the A.O.H. [Ancient Order of Hibernians] and was surprised at the few numbers they had as a membership. I enjoyed visiting the four churches – to see that they are all striving to make a difference and make a society that we can all live in together. I was particularly impressed with David Latimer and the steps that he has made in stretching out the hand of friendship.

Was there anything that has surprised you or changed your perceptions about an organisation?

Martin McCartney: I was very surprised at the GAA, at how forward-thinking they have become. They have guaranteed that if they are invited, they will attend every centenary commemoration, and I was very surprised by that. I enjoyed the whole learning process, it was a great to see a mixed crowd going into different places where some haven’t been before and some wouldn’t have gone to before, and come out with a bit more knowledge and understanding of how other people work and get on with life.

What changes have you seen in the city in recent years?

Martin McCartney: ‘Knowing Your Institutions’ is a good example! Everyone went with an open mind, everyone was prepared to listen and even challenge. People could say it was not only an enjoyable night but they had learned something that they didn’t know before or had seen a new side of someone else’s culture. I think this is happening more and more in this city and I would have to really compliment the Community Relations team because they go overboard to organise things like this. The event was innovative and I would like to think that it will go from strength to strength and be more and more successful over time.

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I have taken a lot out the last few weeks. I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in 2003 and as part of my condition I am very good at gelling with groups of all persuasions and very open-minded in accepting people’s cultures. I’m still hopeful that the city can gel positively and overcome all of the sectarianism.

I would like to see everybody trying to get on as best they can and accept each other. Events that help community relations in the city help towards ending narrowmindedness.

Declan McBay

I think events that improve community relations in the city are very important and I would love to see more people participating in events like this. Just crossing the barrier into a new location and hearing the representative from those locations can help us not be as afraid and help us to appreciate differences.

Renee DeLoriea

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Tar Abhaile In 1995, former prisoner Pius McNaught co-founded Tar Abhaile, a group set up to assist republican ex-political prisoners and their families, alongside current Sinn Féin MLA Raymond McCartney. Méabh Mackel is Tar Abhaile’s project co-ordinator. Together they work to help ex-prisoners and their families while encouraging crosscommunity links in the city.

How important is it to have ex-prisoners telling people their experiences?

Méabh: It’s crucial, especially when you look at some of the groupings encouraging young people to get involved in anticommunity behaviour now. Many young people now have no real concept of what happened during the conflict, but they still experience its effects. We run a programme in schools and youth groups, giving young people an overview of some of the reasons people got involved in the conflict, what the reality of imprisonment was, and the lasting effects on exprisoners and their families.

The young people then get an opportunity to hear a republican ex-prisoner and loyalist ex-prisoner talk about their experiences and ask them questions. It’s very positive for young people to hear ex-prisoners talk about the reality of imprisonment together, and saying that there is now an alternative, while also not pretending to be anything other than a republican or loyalist.

Pius: It’s all about us going in and talking to them and saying, you know, this is what we did – but there is an alternative now.

It’s a good example to set...

Pius: Definitely. And if you talk to Nigel at EPIC, he

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comes from a different background as a former UDR man. He has a different angle as a former member of the security forces. I first met him three years ago but it was grand and he has a great outlook on the way forward.

Méabh: Yes, we recently did another project, which was a women’s health weekend, involving a group of republican women and loyalist women. Many of them wouldn’t have spent a weekend away with someone from a different community before – but the remarkable thing is we found they had exactly the same experiences. So when a nutrition expert was

talking about getting kids to eat healthily, all the woman tended to agree they could never get their sons to eat a sweet potato! We ended up having a brilliant weekend, we went for a game of bowls and everything.

Everybody really enjoyed it and felt that had forged relationships they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Pius: Yeah, they came up from Newtownards and they couldn’t get over how friendly the people were in Derry – even said they couldn’t believe drivers here stopped their cars when people were crossing the road!

What changes have you noticed in community relations in recent years?

Méabh: We are finding there is more recognition for the work we do in Tar Abhaile and the role ex-prisoners play in their communities.

We now do a lot of work with the Community Relations team in Derry City Council, and with staff in the ExPrisoners Working Group in OFMDFM. There is a real

understanding now that community relations cannot work without republican exprisoners’ contribution.

What other ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’ does this city have to take for community relations to improve even more?

Pius: Our ‘small step’ though was to listen to our community. People told us there was a better way forward and that’s partly why the peace process happened. And look where we are today – I feel we’re going from strength to strength.

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Méabh: Republican exprisoners have been at the forefront of their community for a long time, doing community work. There are still a lot of issues for ex-prisoners, in terms of employment equality and other legal issues that have yet to be resolved.

Tar Abhaile will continue to represent and assist republican ex-prisoners and their families, in order to create a fair and equal society for all.

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Nigel Gardiner Nigel Gardiner, project co-ordinator at EPIC North Ulster, has been working with loyalist ex-political prisoners since 2004 to help defuse interface violence and improve community relations. He believes that people are reconnecting in a way they haven’t done for years.

What are the main issues facing ex-political prisoners in modern Northern Ireland?

How can groups or people in the city take their own ‘Deep Breaths, Small Steps’?

In Derry at the moment there is a network of ex-combatant prisoner groups which has developed naturally over the last couple of years. Basically groups such as An Eochair [representing Official IRA], Coiste [representing Provisional IRA], Teach Na Failte [representing INLA/IRSP] and ourselves began working in our own

The most important thing is to enter into dialogue. When issues such as interface violence and contentious parades exist, you must engage. To be fair, in instances such as these, Derry has led the way. There are groups coming from various parts of Northern Ireland and asking us, ‘How did you deal with interface violence and sectarianism?’, or, ‘Why do you only have one peace wall?’, which is remarkable considering Belfast has so many. So, bearing in mind last year was probably the quietest year for violence around parades for 17 years, I think Derry has led the way and people want to learn from that.

Is Derry ahead of the curve then when it comes to tackling community relations issues?

Absolutely, and things like the UK City of Culture 2013 and the Peace Bridge can only enhance that. The bridge, for instance, is being used on a daily basis and allowing people who are entrenched on their own side of the river to actually go to the other side. People are reconnecting with people in a way they haven’t done for 40 or 50 years.

communities years ago and then began to forge links with each other. To the degree that, more than a few years ago, each group were comfortable going into each other’s areas and working on shared problems, such as averting interface violence or trouble during the marching season. So exprisoners play a very important role in the development of better community relations in this city.

For instance I was at a meeting recently and Mary Nelis was there, a former Sinn Fein activist. It was the first time I’d met the lady and we were just chatting normally, but she talked about her time working in the shirt factory, Hogg and Mitchell’s. I used to work there too as a young apprentice cutter and although Mary had left before my time we both reminisced about Jamesy Anderson’s

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shop across from the factory, how every day a young, new worker was sent to Sally’s Home Bakery on William Street for gravy rings. They are all memories but it is remarkable how we both had these experiences – and it’s only now people can reconnect with them.

What other small steps does this city need to take to improve community relations in the future?

I think a recognition of each other’s history, culture and identity is vital. And where the ‘small steps’ come in is in making sure this city is no longer a cold house for the Protestant community. I think that work is happening particularly in various community groups across the Waterside who are now extending their efforts across the river.

So those small steps are turning into strides, and, in Derry, I don’t see the entrenchment of communities apparent in other areas of Northern Ireland. I think people can learn a model of excellence from Derry. You can see how far we’ve come in the last decade even, it’s apparent the people have delivered a better city. And things can only get better.

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For further information on Community Relations Week in Derry~Londonderry contact the Community Relations Officers at: Tel: 028 1736 5151 Web: www.derrycity.gov.uk/goodrelations Email: angela.askin@derrycity.gov.uk carol.stewart@derrycity.gov.uk, sue.divin@derrycity.gov.uk This document is available upon request in a number of formats including large print, Braille, PDF, audio cassette and minority ethnic languages.

For further information on Alternative Formats please contact: Email: equality@derrycity.gov.uk Tel: 028 7136 5151 Textphone: 028 7137 6646

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