07685
October 23, 2007

Traversing ‘the Troubles’

PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer helps Irish youth see a better future

by Libby Hunter
former PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer

Libby Hunter (top row, third from right) with one of her youth groups in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

CHAPEL HILL, NC — When I began college, I thought I would graduate, get married, and go straight to graduate school. Early in my senior year I discovered God had a different plan.

After graduating in May 2006, I left my family and friends in Chapel Hill to serve for a year in Belfast, Northern Ireland through the PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer (YAV)  Program. The year was full of laughter, challenges, and amazing friendships.
   
During that year, I worked at Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church as the youth director and with the Partnership in Community Transformation, an organization that seeks to promote cross-community and restorative justice work within the schools.

One of my first responsibilities with the Partnership, just three weeks after arriving in Belfast, was to help run an after school cross-community event for primary school children. My job was to lead one of the groups through a treasure hunt.

We intentionally paired a Catholic child with a Protestant child.  Pairing up my group was easy, until I got down to the final two boys. Curtis, an 8 year old, looked me straight in the face and said “I am not going to be his partner.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I fumbled for a response. I pointed out that all the other kids were paired up and ready to go, but Curtis repeated his refusal, adding “he is a Catholic.”

Of course, the other boy replied “I’m not being with him either.”

Searching for a quick solution, I told them they would be my partners and we were going to start. That afternoon, I was hit in the face with the depth of the conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, referred to as “the Troubles.”

Libby Hunter on a field trip with the “Boys Brigade,” one of her children’s groups in Northern Ireland. Photo by Anne Hunter

I also witnessed the exclusion that comes from inbred hostility.  My coworkers had told me it would go smoothly and they assured me all the kids had been to their cross-community events before. I wasn’t prepared for what happened.
   
After witnessing sectarianism in the primary-age students, I was curious to see what some of the older youth that I worked with were thinking.  I got my answer from Chris, the oldest of the youth at Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian, who turned 17 during my time in Belfast.

After a lazy afternoon spent with Chris’ family, we were sitting around chatting about my holiday to Egypt. Chris openly admitted to me that he “wasn’t a fan of Arabs.” We talked about how you learn from interactions and if you haven’t ever had experiences with people from a different culture then there is an element of the unknown.

Later, the family and I got into an intense conversation about American Politics, particularly foreign policy. While I don’t claim to be a huge political buff, I do have my opinions. Chris told me “I thought all Americans were the same: they love Bush, they fully support the war, and are really conservative. But when we started having American volunteers at church, I learned that Americans have different views.” 

His comments gave me the opportunity to get him to see the parallel to our discussion about his opinion of Arab people, and the value of interaction for developing open-mindedness.

Our conversations could have just as easily been about the Troubles of Northern Ireland.
   
That night, when Chris drove me home, I forced him out of his comfort zone.  I asked him to take a different route up the main Catholic Street in north Belfast, the New Lodge Road. As soon he realized what road he was on, he nearly shouted “why did you make me drive up here?? Do you know where we are??”

I told him I did and asked him why it was so awful to be driving up this road. “Well, I don’t really know actually, I guess its not” was all he had to say.  Chris’ reaction left me wondering what the other youth I worked with were thinking.
   
Shortly after that drive home with Chris, one of our programs at youth group focused on conflict, specifically the conflict in Belfast. I was anxious to hear what the youth thought about the Troubles and what their experiences with them had been. 

When I posed the question “How are you daily effected by the Troubles?” they looked at me blankly.  They finally responded that the conflict and its effects are not things they face day in and day out.

However, it was very easy for me to list off ways they were affected.

I asked them to tell me where they went to school, and was bombarded with name after name of Protestant schools. I asked them which sports they played, and heard the predominantly Protestants sports rugby and hockey, but not hurling and kimogey, which are played exclusively at Catholic schools.

Then I asked them which football team they support, and while none of them said the highly Protestant-supported Rangers, none of them dared say the Catholic followed Celtic either.

As the questioning continued, they finally began to see the sectarian world they live in and to realize they all are effected daily by the troubles.
   
Sometimes it takes an outside eye to help people see their reality, like the reality of the exclusion that exists within Belfast society. While the city is peaceful, there is division between Catholics and Protestants. Until they realize the extent of the division in their society, it can not be addressed.

I hope that I helped the youth to see a little glimpse of how they can be part of the changes that Belfast needs. I often wondered what I was accomplishing but I learned to stop looking for results and to trust that God was working through me in ways I didn’t even realize.