Peace and Conflict Studies - Spring 2014

Peace and Conflict Studies Volume 21, Number 1 42 The young people are aware of the citizens paradox- that it is difficult to agree on notions of citizenship when we can’t agree what we are citizens of- but their practical sense of active citizenship means that notions of national identity take a back seat. (p. 348) More research is needed into the implications of this approach for long term social cohesion and democratic values. However, it is clear that one important impact of the programme is that it has allowed young people to meet and work with individuals from other communities and gain greater awareness of the multiples sides to understanding truth. Conclusion This analysis has highlighted important linkages between education and conflict with implications for peacebuilding programming. The literature, however, has largely neglected the role of non-formal youth programming, despite its importance in contexts of conflict. This paper has provided an analysis of three youth programmes that have contributed to social, economic and political transformations in post-accord Northern Ireland. One important distinction to emerge relates to the inclusion of multiple youth perspectives and backgrounds in each of these programmes. Fifteen years after the peace agreement people in Northern Ireland “still live, work and learn in a largely segregated society” (International Fund for Ireland, 2010, p. 3). There are currently 59 peace walls dividing communities across Northern Ireland, nine of which have been erected since the signing of the peace agreement in 1998, and data from the 2011 census shows that 37% of electoral wards are single identity (as defined by having 80% or more from one communal background). In particular, the education sector is an important mechanism in the reproduction of this structural segregation. The establishment of 62 integrated “common” schools serving 7% of the school population is a considerable achievement in the midst of conflict and within a divided society (Smith, 2013). However, recent figures show that almost half of Northern Ireland’s school children are still being taught in schools where 95% or more of the pupils are of the same religion (Hansson et al., 2013, p. 47). Given the context of segregation and the current limitations of the formal education sector as a mechanism for transformation, the inclusion of multiples youth perspectives in non-formal youth programmes is an important contribution. A common criticism of intercultural programmes is that they tend to attract young people who already hold positive attitudes towards intergroup mixing and who have parents who also support intergroup mixing. From a peacebuilding perspective this raises a critical question regarding the politics