Peer Education – Belfast & Derry Educational Visit
Co. Monaghan VEC Peace III Project selected 25 transition year students from eight second level schools in Co. Monaghan to take part in an Educational Tour of Belfast and Derry. The students, who are also involved in a Peer Education Programme funded by Monaghan Education Centre’s Embedding Tolerance in our Young People project, travelled to Belfast and Derry on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd February to learn about there historical divide and the legacy left from the past.
To be eligible for this experience, students had to participate in the Monaghan Education Centre’s Peer Education Programme, submit a detailed application form, and most importantly show commitment to use their learning when delivering diversity awareness classes to their peers in 2011.
During the Belfast visit students were given a guided tour of Stormont and a mural tour of Belfast city, engaged in dialogue with youth leaders from Forthspring Inter Community Group and learned of their efforts to divert young people away from conflict, attended a workshop on Flags and Emblems, and a workshop on percussion instruments. While in Derry the students visited the Tower Museum, the Apprentice Boys Museum and were given a guided tour of the Walls of Derry. The educational visit has provided students with an ever-increasing knowledge of the conflict that occurred during ‘The Troubles’ which will ultimately help them when delivering diversity classes to their peers.
Schools that sent representatives included: Inver College, Castleblayney College, Patrician High School, St. Louis Secondary School Monaghan, St. Macartans College, Ballybay Community College, Our Lady’s Secondary School Castleblayney and Monaghan Collegiate School.
Peer Education visit to Stormont
School Percussion Initiative
In January 2010 Co. Monaghan VEC formed ‘A Youth Ensemble’. This ensemble meets weekly and aims to blend the music, instruments and songs associated with different religious and cultural traditions.
The ensemble is currently looking to include young people who can play, or have an interest in playing, percussion instruments. To help young people to avail of this opportunity Co. Monaghan VEC is offering free percussion lessons to class groups (aged 10 years +) in their school setting. Equipped with an array of percussion instruments including djembe’s, glockenspiel, wooden maracas, wooden cabasa’s, hardwood claves and tone blocks, the music tutor, Nathan Latimer, is currently visiting schools in Monaghan Town and delivering these unique percussions lessons. Starting on Tuesday 8th March percussion lessons will now be held each Tuesday, from 6pm – 7pm, to engage those young people taking part in the school classes and blend them into one unique group.
It is hoped that this unique opportunity will encourage more children to participate in music and become members of the Youth Ensemble. If your child is interested in taking part in the percussion lessons contact Helen McDonald, Co. Monaghan VEC, on 047 30888 (ext. 5) for more information.
Sense Over Sectarianism - School Drama Initiative
During a recent visit to Glasgow, teachers and educationalists were given the opportunity to observe school children addressing issues of sectarianism through the medium of drama. The drama activities, including role play and freeze frame, are part of a Sense Over Sectarianism (SOS) Drama Resource Pack that was developed by Glasgow City Council Education Service. Copies of the SOS resource pack were made available to Co. Monaghan VEC and the teachers and educationalists in attendance.
Since January 2011, two tutors have been developing the SOS pack to suit the needs of schools in the border counties and engaging 11 schools settings in Co. Monaghan and Co. Fermanagh to take part in the project. Though drama young people can not only act out scenes of hostility and conflict but also discuss the images portrayed in the scene and what effect this can have on people and their beliefs. These lessons are intended to promote discussion on sectarianism by asking children to consider their views but ultimately to begin to consider other people’s views and beliefs.
SOS School Drama
Roadmap for Inclusion Workshop
Co. Monaghan VEC arranged a Roadmap for Inclusion workshop under Action 1.2 of the Co. Monaghan VEC Peace III Plan. This workshop was designed to raise awareness of diversity and the need for youth clubs to have policies on making their own youth club inclusive. The workshop assisted youth leaders to develop the skills and capacities to produce there own policy on diversity and/or share existing policies which will then enable youth clubs to further progress Intercultural Youth Work in Co. Monaghan.
The workshop was held in the Iontas Theatre, Castleblayney on Thursday 3rd March 2011 from 7.30pm – 930pm and facilitated by Anne Walshe, a representative of the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI). There was an overwhelming response from youth clubs in Monaghan with 15 youth clubs represented on the night. This included; scout clubs, brigades, special needs groups, Foróige clubs, Youth Work Ireland clubs, and girl guides. Given the reaction at the event by the clubs in attendance Co. Monaghan VEC is anticipating youth clubs to create and adopt policies to make their own club inclusive thus building positive relations at local level.
All of the above projects are part-funded by the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund through the PEACE III Programme and funded through Monaghan Peace III Partnership