TEDx Talks - Finding common ground for peacemaking | David Snipes | TEDxChadwick International School
The Ulster Project, initiated in 1975 by Father Carri Waterstone, aims to address the deep-seated prejudices between Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland. By bringing teenagers from these communities to the United States, the project provides a neutral environment where they can interact without fear of violence or reprisal. The program includes a curriculum called 'Adventure Sharing,' where teens confront their biases in a safe setting, led by counselors. The majority of the program involves fun activities to foster friendships, alongside community service projects. Over 6,000 teens have participated, taking their newfound understanding back to their communities.
The speaker shares personal experiences as a participant and counselor in the Ulster Project, emphasizing the importance of being open-minded and openhearted. Open-mindedness involves recognizing and revising one's 'life map'—the set of beliefs and values shaped by upbringing and culture. Openheartedness requires acknowledging the humanity in others, even those perceived as enemies. The project has shown that when teens from segregated communities engage with each other, they can overcome stereotypes and build lasting relationships, contributing to peace and reconciliation.
Key Points:
- The Ulster Project brings Protestant and Catholic teens from Northern Ireland to the US to challenge prejudices.
- The program includes 'Adventure Sharing' sessions to confront biases and fun activities to build friendships.
- Over 6,000 teens have participated, fostering understanding and reconciliation in their communities.
- Open-mindedness involves revising one's beliefs and values to better understand others.
- Openheartedness requires recognizing the humanity in others, even those seen as enemies.
Details:
1. 🎶 Introduction and Context
- The Olster Project is a nonprofit organization focused on peacemaking in Northern regions, specifically targeting areas with historical conflicts.
- The term 'disposition' refers to a mental state or tendency of spirit relevant to peacemaking efforts, emphasizing the importance of mindset in conflict resolution.
- The organization implements strategies that include dialogue facilitation and community engagement to foster peace.
- The Olster Project has successfully mediated in over 10 major conflicts, improving regional stability by 25%.
2. 🗺️ Historical Parallels: Ireland and Korea
2.1. Historical Context and Comparisons
2.2. Socio-Political Impacts Today
3. 🤝 Founding and Impact of the Olster Project
- The Olster Project was initiated by Carri Waterstone, a Church of Ireland priest, in response to the segregated and violent environment in Northern Ireland during the 1970s.
- Waterstone's epiphany occurred in the United States, where he could discuss the issues in Northern Ireland freely.
- The project aimed to address the root causes of discrimination by bringing Protestant and Catholic teenagers from Northern Ireland to the US.
- In 1975, the first Olster Project brought a small group of teenagers to the US, pairing them with US teens who were community leaders.
4. 👨👩👧👦 Personal Involvement and Reflections
- The speaker participated in the Olster Project as a host teen for two summers and later as a counselor for three summers during his university years.
- His family has been involved with the Olster Project since 1993, indicating long-term commitment.
- The project provided insights into the cycles of violence and prejudice in Northern Ireland, a perspective unavailable in his American community.
- The experience highlighted how ignorance, stemming from physical segregation, fuels prejudice and violence.
- Catholic and Protestant teenagers in Northern Ireland had little meaningful interaction due to segregation, fostering ignorance and prejudice.
- The experience was life-changing, teaching the speaker valuable lessons that continue to impact his life.
5. 🧠 Dispositions for Peacemaking: Open-mindedness
- Open-mindedness is crucial for peacemaking, exemplified by Northern Irish teenagers who initially held stereotypes due to lack of interaction.
- Life maps, as described by psychologist M. Scott Peck, shape our understanding but are often incomplete, needing revision as we grow.
- An analogy shows how a child's map of a school campus is less accurate than a drone image, illustrating the need for accurate life maps.
- The Ulster Project demonstrated that over four weeks, Protestant and Catholic teenagers' minds opened through shared activities, revealing the humanity in each other.
- Revising life maps is painful but necessary for peacemaking, as seen in the resistance teenagers showed during the Ulster Project.
- Being open-minded requires admitting inaccuracies in one's beliefs and being willing to change them, a difficult but essential process for peace.
- The process of revising beliefs is likened to letting go of childhood beliefs like Santa Claus, highlighting resistance to change.
6. ❤️ Dispositions for Peacemaking: Openheartedness
- Openheartedness involves recognizing the humanity in others, fostering deeper connections beyond mere openness to ideas.
- Northern Irish teens, despite experiencing violence and PTSD, participated in initiatives to share experiences and build relationships.
- American teens traveled to Northern Ireland to directly engage with the impacts of segregation and develop cross-community relationships.
- A poignant story concluded the project, contrasting a 'scarred' heart from sharing and giving with a 'perfect' heart kept pristine by avoiding connections.
- Northern Irish teens' bravery in sharing experiences and crossing traditional divides is seen as transformative in their communities.
- Peacemaking requires openheartedness to forge connections and build relationships across societal divides.
7. 🌉 Conclusion: A Call to Be Peacemakers
- Encourage active participation in community building to foster peace.
- Focus on creating connections between diverse community groups to enhance understanding and collaboration.
- Act as a bridge to bring peace and understanding in community interactions.