Youth Work Ireland North Connaught have been working on a Peace IV Project – Same Difference.

The Project involved 3 artists working with three groups of young people from across County Leitrim.

PEACE IV Project “Same Difference” Celebrates Event

This celebration event takes place on Tuesday December 11^th at 7pm in the Glens Centre, Manorhamilton and is the culmination of a PEACE IV ‘Diversity through Arts Project’s  work with 45 children aged 9 to 12 years old in Manorhamilton, Drumshanbo and Carrick on Shannon. This  diverse project  was a partnership between Youth Work Ireland North Connaught and Artists Kate Wilson, Róisín Loughrey and Devon MacGillivary in collaboration with the children.

This project was funded by EU’s Peace IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body and  provided opportunities for the children aged 9 -12 years old to share experiences and increase acceptance of diversity.

The groups worked over the past months through the medium of film, music and dance to learn about each other’s culture and appreciate difference and similarities, thus being able to express themselves in a safe way and understand the importance of continued peace building.

It explored the theme of divergence and congruence through the media of dance, film and sound, drawing directly from the participants own experiences and perceptions. Working together in a fun and inclusive environment the groups were supported through games and explorations to develop their trust in each other, the facilitators and processes. Discussions and explorations took the shape of individual and group work, inviting participants on a journey to question and deepen their understanding of ‘difference’ as well as to discover pathways for both common ground and incompatibility.

This is explored both as the theme as well as an investigation between the art forms. The group also had a trip to Derry to further explore the theme through fun and games. On the Celebrates event the three group will be performing.