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21/10/2004
Integrated schools key to community relations
More integrated schools would help improve community relations, a new report has claimed.
The report, according to young people from different religious backgrounds in Northern Ireland, sought young people's views of sectarianism and was launched on Wednesday.
The ‘Voices Behind the Statistics’ report, co-authored by Shirley Ewart of the University of Ulster and Dirk Schubotz of Queen's University Belfast, is the result of a joint project undertaken by the National Children's Bureau (NCB) and ARK (The Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive). During the project sixth-form students from eleven schools across Northern Ireland were consulted on their experiences of sectarianism and their ideas about how community relations could be improved.
The research was designed to complement the 2003 Young Life and Times (YLT) survey, carried out by ARK, which provided young people's views on a large-scale statistical level. Voices Behind the Statistics is a more in-depth exploration of the views of young people on issues such as national and religious identities and attitude formation.
Dirk Schubotz of Queen's University said: "The project with NCB created an ideal platform to get in touch and consult with young people in schools. The participatory workshops were enjoyed by young people and researchers alike. The results of Voices Behind the Statistics gave important impulses for the 2004 Young Life and Times survey, which we have just concluded."
Many of the young people felt the need to compromise and integrate more in order for community relations in Northern Ireland to improve.
Asked about the future, one young person commented: "I would like to hope that there will be a lot more cross-community projects available within schools and that there will be more integrated schools opened to give young people a chance to mix."
Another project participant said: "I hope young people will understand both sides and will be able to mix within the community more."
"The feedback from this project suggests that bringing young people from different community backgrounds together has the potential to generate change," said Ruth Sinclair, director of research at NCB, who supervised the research project.
"Actively engaging with young people and openly discussing sensitive and controversial issues must surely be a way forward in addressing sectarianism in Northern Ireland."
(MB/GMCG)
The report, according to young people from different religious backgrounds in Northern Ireland, sought young people's views of sectarianism and was launched on Wednesday.
The ‘Voices Behind the Statistics’ report, co-authored by Shirley Ewart of the University of Ulster and Dirk Schubotz of Queen's University Belfast, is the result of a joint project undertaken by the National Children's Bureau (NCB) and ARK (The Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive). During the project sixth-form students from eleven schools across Northern Ireland were consulted on their experiences of sectarianism and their ideas about how community relations could be improved.
The research was designed to complement the 2003 Young Life and Times (YLT) survey, carried out by ARK, which provided young people's views on a large-scale statistical level. Voices Behind the Statistics is a more in-depth exploration of the views of young people on issues such as national and religious identities and attitude formation.
Dirk Schubotz of Queen's University said: "The project with NCB created an ideal platform to get in touch and consult with young people in schools. The participatory workshops were enjoyed by young people and researchers alike. The results of Voices Behind the Statistics gave important impulses for the 2004 Young Life and Times survey, which we have just concluded."
Many of the young people felt the need to compromise and integrate more in order for community relations in Northern Ireland to improve.
Asked about the future, one young person commented: "I would like to hope that there will be a lot more cross-community projects available within schools and that there will be more integrated schools opened to give young people a chance to mix."
Another project participant said: "I hope young people will understand both sides and will be able to mix within the community more."
"The feedback from this project suggests that bringing young people from different community backgrounds together has the potential to generate change," said Ruth Sinclair, director of research at NCB, who supervised the research project.
"Actively engaging with young people and openly discussing sensitive and controversial issues must surely be a way forward in addressing sectarianism in Northern Ireland."
(MB/GMCG)
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