Confronting the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland Classrooms

The Northern Ireland Department of Education has recognized that investigating the history and consequences of the "troubles" (the period of conflict in 1969-1994 between the Catholics and Protestants) is necessary to teach young people about the historic fragility of civic life, and the potential for violence when it is disrupted.

"Words matter in Northern Ireland. They can cause terrible hurt," a journalist recently wrote describing a meeting of Catholics and Protestants who convened to discuss the decommissioning of the IRA. The meeting ended with harsh words, dragging up old hurts that have not been able to heal.

Although the violence has declined in Northern Ireland, there is still a need to confront the past and find ways for people to move forward in peace and reconciliation. The Department of Education has recognized that investigating the history and consequences of the "troubles" (the period 1969-1994 of conflict between the Catholics and Protestants) is necessary to teach young people about the historic fragility of civic life, and the potential for violence when it is disrupted.

Currently, most young people attend schools that are almost entirely Catholic or almost entirely Protestant. "That means that in most classrooms, there is an absent voice, and that has been a real difficulty in the past," says Tony Gallagher, Professor and Head of School, School of Education Queen's University Belfast, and one of Facing History's partners in the region.

Young people need a safe space to hear different perspectives and have constructive dialogue about how and why their community has been and is divided. Facing History and Ourselves has been working with non-sectarian partners such as Healing Through Remembering to provide just that model of engagement to teachers and others who work with youth.

One model program where youth have come together is at the WAVE Trauma Centre in Belfast, one of five in Northern Ireland. The WAVE Centre works with Catholic and Protestant youth, most of whom have suffered a loss in their families as a result of the troubles. It offers young people a place to talk with trained adults, and with their peers from the "other side," who would normally be enemies; instead they help each other recover.

In fall 2004, Alan McBride of WAVE and Grainne McKenna of NICE (Northern Ireland Children's Enterprise) piloted a ten-week Facing History course. Mcbride's own wife was murdered as part of the conflict. The two young people who murdered her were just 19 years old.

"Whilst they are responsible for the murder-- and I am not trying to imply anything different-- the reality is, if they had grown up in another part of the U.K. , (one with no history of sectarian conflict) they probably would not have committed the murder," says McBride.

"If sectarianism is to be defeated in our society, then we have to develop a shared understanding of history--the kinds of hurts that we have inflicted on each other, the role of bystanders and how various parties used propaganda to spread distrust and fear. Facing History and Ourselves tackles all of these issues," he adds.

The program used Facing History methodology and content, including the case study of the Holocaust. Exploring bystander behavior and apathy was central to the course, and students began by looking at examples outside their own lives and history. With this new lens, they then made connections to the troubles in Northern Ireland.

One of the most moving experiences was at the end of the course when the youth created memorials. According to McBride, this activity made them think about other points of view and feelings. "They were thinking: ‘I lost my father in the conflict and I would put my memorial here. But how will other families react to that? Can they access it? Where is the shared space? " he explains.

McBride says the students were impressed with what they learned in the Facing History program and came away feeling they had come together as a community. They felt they were learning history from a personal perspective and realized that in fact, they are a part of history. McBride believes the program got the youth thinking about their responsibilities, "You have a choice to be empowered."
A new history curriculum will be introduced in 2007, which will require all students in Northern Ireland schools to investigate the consequences of the troubles. This is a transformational time, and examples such as the WAVE program offer hope. Facing History and Ourselves will offer its first teacher institute in Northern Ireland in June 2006.