Murs-Murs ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ 

10th – 20th July 2011

CharterNI heard of the project MURS-MURS organised in 2010 by the Federation of MJC of Côtes d’Armor, during which 40 young people plus leaders from 4 countries Palestine, Germany, Bosnia Herzegovia and France exchange experiences and dialogne on the themes of walls and understanding.

Our organisation was invited to join the project and to host the second meeting.

In agreement with the aims of educating to the Human Rights and Intercultural Education, our project is also part of sustainable development and its crosscutting aims (spatial and temporal solidarity) :

•  encourage citizenship and involvement of youth in civil society on their territory,
•  encourage access to culture and to media,

•  encourage mutual understanding and the search to living together. This will be based on sharing experiences and life of the participants, meeting with people involved in non-violence, various organisations and methods of active cooperation (during workshops as well as in daily life). Exchanges and training (human and technical) will encourage a collective search of better living together in the world.

Debates, workshops, conferences will happen following the activites from last year.

In 1994, at the beginning of the first ceasefire, there were 26 peace barriers, that has now more than trebled to 80. CharterNI, in association with the young Ambassadors for Peace, are working on a strategy to help bring about an environment where people would feel safe enough for these walls to come down. The Ambassadors with the other youth participants from the partner European countries will compare and contrast policies and the organisations responsible for the delivery using a variety of youth led workshops, presentations, policy seminars, policy theatres and debates.

The core themes for the project have been selected as a result of both personal experiences that the Ambassadors have had but also have been selected by the young Ambassadors for Peace themselves, as being relevant to N. Ireland post conflict transformation processes.  The young people have also asked our Partners what they thought might be the most common issues within their communities/countries with regards the peace walls, and what is necessary to facilitate their removal.  This project will aim to provide a platform to learn, share experience and have a platform for vocal opinion, where the young people themselves can explore their commonality, as well as their diversity, in the hope they may lead to being able to bring about positive change back in their own countries.

In 2010 the project Murs-Murs  was started by 4 partners who had relationship for some years coordinated by MJC.  difficulties of the german partner at the borders. franco german history which passed from enemy to cooperation, work with Bosnia; tensions in the Balkan between people, problem of the Palestianians to live inside walls in a refugee camp.

After 10 days of intence and rich exchanges (cf.evaluation) the young people decide to continue  the exercice and to invite the Belfast group to join the project, knowing that their experience of peace walls it was felt this would be beneficial to all.  The young peole have kept in touch and have contacted the AFP.

A common point of our organisations is the need for debate to confront ideas and also creative expression. This is why we think it is necessary to implement cooperative models in peace education.

The project is being built collectively from everyone’s effort. It is permanently enriched, this dimension is only possible because of the 2010 experience.

The issue of youth expression on their way to live through their citizenship issues across their companies, their desire to live in peace and building peace through the “Culture” are values shared by all organizations. Thus, in each country has begun the preparation: collection testimonies, interviews, video, photos, writings, then elaborated to feed collective accomplishments.
The project aims to talk about complex geopolitical situations, but with the centre, the question of the role of youth in their society and their way of being and citizen Peace with combat racism, xenophobia. Therefore, the meeting will occur around the theme walls and borders.

 The objectives are manifold:

• To gain insight into other cultures affected by Walls.
• To establish a working link with other youth groups from around the world on the issues surrounding Walls.
• To create a platform where the youth can share experiences, with the view to learning from each other.
• To help raise awareness of sustainable development once the issue of Walls in society is resolved