Almost 40 Activists from opposing sides of the community in Northern Ireland have undertaken a very successful week long Study Visit to Croatia and Bosnia to look at conflict resolution and peace building.
The Study Visit lasted from March 10th to 16th and visited various sites in Croatia (Sisak, Petrinja, Glina, Topusko and surrounding area) and Bosnia (Kostajnica, Prijedor, Kozara and surrounding areas). Participants also visited Jasenovac and Gradina Death Camp, met the Irish and British Ambassadors to Croatia, spoke to victims and combatants and, while in Prijedor, they also visited a Mosque, Catholic and Orthodox churches.
The group participated in workshops and other learning activity and used the week to build relationships amongst themselves which will continue when they return to their own communities in Northern Ireland. Themes explored during the study visit included conflict and peace building, legacy issues / dealing with the past, commemoration / celebration, memorialisation and remembrance, the use of symbols, extremism, religion and identity, the role of civil society and building a community after conflict.
The programme was organised by the Building Communities Resource Centre in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland and involved participants from its Community Integration and Key Institutions Programmes. The project was funded by Peace IV through the Special European Union Programmes Body in Northern Ireland.
The Study Visit was facilitated by Sean Feenan (ALDA Ambassador for Ireland and Northern Ireland) and Nina Ficur Feenan (Balkans ireland Project). The Study Visit was organised by ALDA with direct support from ALDA staff in Vicenza Italy, LDA Skopje (Republic of Macedonia) and LDA Prijedor (Bosnia).
Photo shows Sean Feenan (ALDA Ambassador for Ireland and Northern Ireland) with H.E. Olive Hempenstall, Irish Ambassador to Croatia and H.E. Andrew Dalgleish, British Ambassador to Croatia.
Almost 40 Activists from opposing sides of the community in Northern Ireland have undertaken a very successful week long Study Visit to Croatia and Bosnia to look at conflict resolution and peace building.
The Study Visit lasted from March 10th to 16th and visited various sites in Croatia (Sisak, Petrinja, Glina, Topusko and surrounding area) and Bosnia (Kostajnica, Prijedor, Kozara and surrounding areas). Participants also visited Jasenovac and Gradina Death Camp, met the Irish and British Ambassadors to Croatia, spoke to victims and combatants and, while in Prijedor, they also visited a Mosque, Catholic and Orthodox churches.
The group participated in workshops and other learning activity and used the week to build relationships amongst themselves which will continue when they return to their own communities in Northern Ireland. Themes explored during the study visit included conflict and peace building, legacy issues / dealing with the past, commemoration / celebration, memorialisation and remembrance, the use of symbols, extremism, religion and identity, the role of civil society and building a community after conflict.
The programme was organised by the Building Communities Resource Centre in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland and involved participants from its Community Integration and Key Institutions Programmes. The project was funded by Peace IV through the Special European Union Programmes Body in Northern Ireland.
The Study Visit was facilitated by Sean Feenan (ALDA Ambassador for Ireland and Northern Ireland) and Nina Ficur Feenan (Balkans ireland Project). The Study Visit was organised by ALDA with direct support from ALDA staff in Vicenza Italy, LDA Skopje (Republic of Macedonia) and LDA Prijedor (Bosnia).
Photo shows Sean Feenan (ALDA Ambassador for Ireland and Northern Ireland) with H.E. Olive Hempenstall, Irish Ambassador to Croatia and H.E. Andrew Dalgleish, British Ambassador to Croatia.