Duke Engage in Belfast
Students touring Bogside murals in "Stroke City" (Londonderry/Derry)
“The Legacy of “The Troubles”
Nine Duke students are working with Belfast-based NGOs that focus on human rights and the legacy of “The Troubles,” the period from the late 1960s until 1998 when Northern Ireland was riven by violent conflict between the majority Protestant and minority Catholic populations. Together, these groups represent efforts to foster a human rights culture, lessen sectarian division, implement stronger human rights reporting and protections and work at the grassroots level to address how the violent past can be acknowledged and used as a way to construct a more peaceful future.
Through DukeEngage in Belfast, Duke students are making a positive contribution to human rights and peace work in Northern Ireland. Their work allows these under-staffed and under-funded groups to complete research, hold events or expand work with grassroots organizations. As importantly, by living in West Belfast, where sectarian divisions remain stark, Duke students are contributing to an opening to the outside that encourages this community to think beyond the walls that still divide them from their neighbors.
Several students are blogging their experience in 2010: Courtney Douglas, Lindsay Voorhees and the joint DukeEngage in Belfast site. Photos are available at the Duke Human Rights Center’s Flikr site.
To find out more, please contact us at rights@duke.edu.