A NEW report capturing insights into the lives of young people who grew up living beside Belfast’s longest peace barrier in Cupar Street has revealed the challenges and hopes of a generation living with a legacy of division.
Peace Walls: An Impact Report Capturing Youth Voices, was launched as part of the Wall2Wall Project by Springboard Opportunities Ltd, funded by the International Fund for Irelands Personal Youth Development Programme (PYDP).
Wall2Wall is a cross-community initiative, working with young people aged between 16-20 years who live on either side of the Cupar Way peace line, helping them build understanding between the two communities.
The report depicts experiences of the young participants and how living near an interface has impacted their lives and the lives of their community.
Participants got the opportunity to take part in an overseas visit to Cyprus, to learn and share with their young Greek and Turkish counterparts enabling them to engage with peers living in a divided society in the shadow of peace barriers.
The trip consisted of historical tours, workshops, peer to peer learning and group reflection sessions in order to help the participants gain an insight into the impact of division but more importantly the importance of peacebuilding and effective cross community work.
One participant outlined the impact of Wall2Wall saying, “Joining the ‘Wall2Wall’ group wasn’t something I had planned to do but I am glad I did.
"We talked about the wall and division and for the first time I understood so many different perspectives on this place we called home. I started to create my own beliefs on things rather than just taking on what other people had told me.”
Another participant outlined the impact the project has had on their wider family circle.
“The project has brought different perspectives to my family. They always worried about me spending time on the other side of the wall, but ‘Wall2Wall’ changed that. I have seen their perspective shift. Now I move more freely through the city and my family now have the belief that there’s hope for interface violence to stop.”
