Contested Spaces & Identity

Introduction

Youth as Evaluators - Networking around the World

Public Achievement in Northern Ireland hosted the first international gathering of young people involved in Public Achievement and similar programmes around the world at the Corrymeela Centre, Ballycastle, Northern Ireland 11 - 22 August 2005. The focus of the event was on training participants as evaluators of their youth programmes at home, and on creating an international network of young people interested in improving young people’s experience of being civic co-creators.

Eighty young people participated in the event from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Turkey, Serbia, Croatia, Albania, Finland, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and the United States of America. The group taught and learnt from each other – each delegation prepared information about their country and the issues young people face there.

Corrymeela - The Spirit of Reconciliation

The event was held in the beautiful surroundings of the Corrymeela Centre on Northern Ireland’s north Antrim coastline. Corrymeela is a space dedicated to peace and reconciliation where for more than 35 years, people from Northern Ireland have come together to try to build more peaceful alternatives to the conflict and violence that has divided our society for so long. It has also played host to many international conferences on peace-building and reconciliation.

Public Achievement – Building Democratic Communities Together

Public Achievement is a Belfast based organization which provides young people with the opportunity to get practical experience in directing and implementing their own work around real and important issues, while challenging them to learn that there are other perspectives and that issues are often complex and difficult. This helps young people to be more effective contributors to the democratic life of their communities. We also work internationally with our partners around the world, particularly in conflict regions such as the Balkans, the Middle East and Southern Africa.

Web Resources

Selected web-based information resources (for more, search the FMO website)

• Public Achievement (Youth training organization), Northern Ireland
• Youth as Evaluators (Conference website maintained by participants)
• WIMPS: Little People Big Ideas (Youth educational forum), Northern Ireland
• The Corrymeela Community (Cross-community centre), Northern Ireland
• Bush Radio (Participating organisation), South Africa
• The Naughton Gallery, Queen's University, Belfast

Alternative Formats

• Forced Migration Online Moving Image Archive, Internet Archive

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