Background to the Research

• Forty percent of the NI population is under 25 years old and the conflict has profoundly affected the lives of thousands of these young people, yet they seldom have had an opportunity to share their experiences or to make a contribution to the peace process.
• This report summaries the issues raised at the conference 'Building the Future: Young People and the Troubles' organised by Save the Children, CCIC and young people which took place in June 2000 with the aim of giving young people an opportunity to focus on the key issues affecting their lives. International delegates from South Africa, South America and the Balkans were invited to speak at the conference.
  

Research Approach

• The delegates visited 7 sites that have had direct experience of the Troubles in urban/rural, Catholic/Nationalist/Republican and Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist areas in order to meet local young people. A week after the Conference, site visitors completed a questionnaire about their visits. The conference itself consisted of keynote speeches and 2 workshop sessions covering an array of topics.
  

Main Findings

The Visits (Tullyally, Creggan, Orangefield, Garvaghy Rd, Shankill Rd, Poleglass & Twinbrook, New Lodge)

Delegates reported being surprised:

• At how obvious the divisions between communities were, especially in Belfast.
• At how 'nationalistic' areas were, with flags and emblems on display everywhere. One delegate noted that in England using the Union Jack, or being proud to be British, was thought of as racism and xenophobic.
• That Catholics did not believe the Protestant community is suffering as well, despite have the same kinds of economic and social inequality and injustice.
• That young people view their lives within conflict as normal, because they know nothing else.
• At how bad the economic situation and unemployment are in NI and that tribalism and territorialism appeared not only be embraced but indulged and celebrated and that this contributed to the amazing community spirit in some communities.

Olara Otunnu (UN Secretary General for Children & Armed Conflict)

• The Troubles in NI are very different to other regions that I have visited where there have been many children displaced by war, used as soldiers and where children are deeply traumatised. Nevertheless, the Troubles have had a significant impact on children and young people in NI.
• Children in NI cannot play together and be children because of the nature of violence, the threat of violence and the length of time that violence has continued. Children have also been exposed to the prejudices of adults and indoctrinated about the other side and the society they live in polarised.
• Because of the Troubles, economic and social development - which is key to the future of young people - has received less attention.
• Experience in other parts of the world shows that young people should be involved in conflict resolution not just as victims but as participants, who will be listened to and given responsibility for shaping their own destiny.
• In order to ensure that conflict has ended, links need to be made between divided communities, parents need to teach their young people about accepting others and the churches should begin to emphasise the things that unite the different faiths.
• Paramilitaries need to stop recruiting and using children to participate in violence, because once violence becomes normalised it is difficult to wean children from it.
• Much of the important work in breaking down prejudice is done at local community level among ordinary people; this has been the case in Burundi and Rwanda.
• One of the most important requirements in the aftermath of conflict is a framework that can help focus attention on the needs of children. In some regions of the world, this has taken the form of a commission for children. Some sort of initiative or arrangement may be appropriate in the context of NI.

Kerry Gioson (Child Guidance Clinic, University of Cape Town, South Africa)

• It is very difficult to measure the effects of political violence, statistics rarely capture the human experience of violence and its impact across generations.
• In my country, the conflict is between blacks and whites and has been going on for a number of generations. In the clinic almost every child we see for any kind of problem has a long history of all kinds of political difficulties in the past. Many of these children carry the visible wounds of war through torture or being shot but for many the wounds are invisible - they carry the weight of years of oppression and violence.
• Dealing with children who have experienced political violence is difficult because it is hard to identify the problem as political violence which is part of child's whole experience of the world and people are reluctant to trust others and talk about conflict and resolution.
• In our experience it is not enough to talk about the big things that happened but we must talk about the little things that happened to each individual and acknowledge the pain of the past. We must create an atmosphere of tolerance, create a whole new way of being and bring about visible changes in the social and economic conditions of those living in poverty and deprivation.

Yvette Geyer (Centre for the Study of Violence & Reconciliation, Johannesburg)

• Some schools in South Africa have high levels of violence, children come to school with guns, there is a high incidence of rape in the schools and of child abuse in the homes.
• The level of violence in schools is directly related to the trauma and violence experienced by young people in society, violence is very deeply entrenched. We developed a video and magazine to address the many issues of violence within schools. The young people initiated a peer counselling project and teachers became involved in violence prevention work. Parents are the most difficult group to engage. At present we are evaluating whether crime and violence prevention programmes are having an impact on the schools themselves.
• Crime and violence prevention work needs to happen with younger and younger children. A mutli-level intervention approach is needed, for example working with juvenile offenders, using drama and television and other forms of media to illustrate problems, encourage dialogue and find possible solutions.

Dina Alo (Policy & Strategy Addvisor for Latin America & the Caribbean, Save the Children)

• The conflict in Colombia has been going on for 50 years. Colombia accounts for one in every ten murders in the world and since 1985 over 1.7 million people have been displaced within Colombia itself.
• There has been a huge loss of childhood in Colombia, children have witnessed violence and fear and people who have been displaced have lost everything. Many of the experiences of Colombian and Northern Irish children are similar in relation to displacement and fear of violence.
• In workshops that we have held with children's reactions to violence and fear - withdrawal and/or aggression - were normal within the context of a violent society. Young children have acted as informants and child-soldiers, they were paid in money, clothes and food. Children did not like to labelled as 'emotionally disturbed' or 'displaced', but wanted to be understood as individuals with unique experiences.
• Children became heads of households at a very young age, some girls aged 12 or 13 were responsible for siblings and running the household. Despite the violence and fear, children want resolution so that they can move on to a future with jobs and a home. Teachers are being trained to deal with aggression and emotional turmoil and school-children have created a movement for peace.
• In Colombia, children need a real role in conflict resolution, NGOs and civil societies need to know how to work with young people so their voices are heard.

Agenda for Action from the Young People

• Youth services should work together for common goals.
• Young people should be involved in the way schools are run and the curriculum decided.
• Health services should be more accessible, friendly and non-judgemental.
• The segregation of young people in schools, communities and homes should be challenged.
• The police service should be more representative of the local community and young people should feel free to join it.
• Communities should be strong and safe enough not to need paramilitaries and vigilantes.
• Research should be carried out into the best way for young people to be represented politically.
• The freedom to be friends with whoever you want.
• Services that are friendly and listen and help young people to heal.