Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108explains Bridgette, age 16. “It was really con- fusing for me to know what was actually the truth.” Bridgette and her friends Rachel and Saorlaoith are growing up in Belfast exploring the question of ‘truth’ and what it means to be a teenager in Northern Ireland today. They explain that the ingrained sectarianism is difficult. But thanks to Youth Initiatives, a program supported by The Ireland Funds, their generation is questioning much of what it has been taught and choosing to push the boundaries of friendships that for so long have been delineated by different identities. “We were always told, ‘stay away from people who aren’t like us, they’re bad, they’re going to be mean to you, they’ve done this or that to us,’ says Bridgette. “Well in the past that may have happened, but here no one is doing anything to me. The girls here are as much my friends as the girl who lives next-door.” Youth Initiatives began over 25 years ago as a church mission group. Around 20 teenagers would get together on Wednesday nights with a few youth workers. Today, close to 40 staff members and 100+ volunteers work across East Belfast, West Belfast, Downpatrick, Derry and Bam- bridge bringing hundreds of teenagers of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds together six nights a week. Responsibility, character building and accountability are all emphasized across their offerings. Through arts and drama programs, outreach and summer programs, Youth Initiatives explores identity, cultural diversity and community issues. Of course to the teens, it often just begins as something cool to do on a Friday night. For many, it’s their first time meeting people from another neighborhood. With the face of Northern Ireland changing through immigration, “cross-community” is no longer applicable to just religion, but ethnicity as well. “I think this is something that young people need, especially living in Belfast, says Saorlaoith Brady, age 18, who participates in a Youth Initiatives program called Crosslinks. “We fill in evalua- tions after participating and I always remember this one question: ‘if you hadn’t been a part of Crosslinks do you think you would have been as interactive with Protestants and people from the Polish community?’ I answered no I wouldn’t have at all. This is the only extra-circular way I can get to know people from those communities.” Ashley Holmes began as a participant with Youth Initiatives when she was a 12. Today she has chosen to remain and work with the program that nurtured her love for the arts. “I grew up in East Belfast in a working-class area. I came from a Protes- tant family. When I started coming to Youth Initiatives I was asked, ‘Why are you hanging about with Catho- lics on a Monday night?” I remained because I wanted to work in community rela- tions by using the arts as a tool. As a young person, Youth Initiatives gave me a place to explore dance and music through their programs. It didn’t cost anything which was good because my parents didn’t have any money to pay for it.” Six nights a week the Youth Initiatives center in West Belfast is humming with activity. In one room young people begin an arts project (accompanied with the expected amount of flying paint and teens shrieking that results from a dozen teenagers involved in an arts project). Down the hall, twenty or so teenagers do a drama exercise of what it means to be from different backgrounds, followed by conversation and dialogue around those differences. Thanks to the grant from The Ireland Funds, hundreds of young people have been able to participate in Youth Initiative’s programs. Young people are creating a more inclusive truth and contributing to reconciliation in their communities, one friendship at a time. connect 2017 • 23