Hi everyone, sorry about this being so late. I am aware this is supposed to be written in real time but after dropping Alex, Dillon, Hannah and Chelsea at the airport, I traveled to Carrickfergus to visit my family over there. The trip to Northern Ireland with the group was very interesting. There was plenty of opportunities that I had never done in all the time I have spent in Northern Ireland. Crumlin Road Goal, the tour of the City Hall, seeing the flag protest and the city bus tour gave us a good insight into the context that we were looking at.
The trip to North Down YMCA (Bangor) was amazing, the youth club was a great experience. The idea of Young Leaders running the youth club and all taking responsibilities in running the show is something I can see working in any setting of the YMCA and something I will be working on putting in place in my local YMCA. I had some very inspiring conversations with the young people. It was very interesting to hear what they had to say about the troubles and their views. They differed greatly between the young people but even so it was interesting to hear their views on it all and it gave me hope that Northern Ireland has a future in peace. They don't want Northern Ireland to go back to how it was with the troubles, they want a peaceful society and the work the YMCA is doing there, there is hope. One girl, Amy, spoke to me in detail about her experiences with the YMCA and the Friends Forever experience in America. She found it a life changing experience and now has a very different attitude to the differences that appear in Bangor and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the YMCA she now has best friends that are Catholics and no longer judges people based on first appearance.
The experiences we had with Andy and Martine were worthwhile and enjoyable. We had the opportunity to meet people and do things that I, personally have never had when been over in Northern Ireland and I thank Andy and Martine for all their hard work in pulling it together. We all had something to bring to the table and not only did we learn from them but they learnt from us and as a group, we all learned from each other. Something unique about the YMCA and I love it!
Thanks to everyone's hard work to make the trip a success and a very enjoyable one. Can't wait to hear what happens in the future for the YMCA's in Northern Ireland.
The experiences we had with Andy and Martine were worthwhile and enjoyable. We had the opportunity to meet people and do things that I, personally have never had when been over in Northern Ireland and I thank Andy and Martine for all their hard work in pulling it together. We all had something to bring to the table and not only did we learn from them but they learnt from us and as a group, we all learned from each other. Something unique about the YMCA and I love it!
Thanks to everyone's hard work to make the trip a success and a very enjoyable one. Can't wait to hear what happens in the future for the YMCA's in Northern Ireland.
Great post Rachel, The visit seems to have gone really well. Very interested to hear about the Friends for Ever Programme. You might be interested to know that I started that programme in Carrickfergus, must have been 28 years ago. Great to hear it continues to effect young lives today, just what it was established to do all those years ago. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI actually visited Carrickfergus YMCA in my time there and enjoyed speaking to them there. The Friends Forever programme is still a big part of the work that YMCA Ireland is doing to bring about peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
ReplyDeleteRachel, your blogs are always interesting and insightful i do enjoy reading them. Well done! speak soon my friend
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