Pupils perform Sharing Education Programme showcase

Pupils from three local schools will stage a unique drama performance on Thursday 18 June to showcase the positive impact of the Sharing Education Programme (SEP).

Created in 2007 to encourage schools to make inter-community collaboration an integral part of their everyday life, 3,500 school pupils in Northern Ireland have benefited from the £3.7m project. The programme is funded by the International Fund for Ireland and Atlantic Philanthropies and administered by Queen’s.

Tonight, pupils from St Louise’s Specialist Comprehensive College in Belfast will perform with pupils from Victoria College, Belfast and Ballyclare High School at the Youth Action venue in Belfast. 

Both of tonight’s performances have been written and produced by pupils studying for a GCSE in Drama. The performance addresses issues facing teenagers in Northern Ireland today, as well as looking at how society has changed in recent years. The pupils used this experience as a way to express their feelings about culture, community and reconciliation, while also having the opportunity to develop friendships with people they would not have met otherwise.
Speaking ahead of the performances, Professor Tony Gallagher, Head of the School of Education at Queen’s said: “Within the Sharing Education Programme our short term goals were to provide teachers and pupils with opportunities to engage with different traditions and learning cultures and to share access to academic excellence.

“Tonight at Youth Action, we will see performances which are tangible evidence of the positive impact Sharing Education is already having, thanks to the hard work of pupils, teachers and the support of parents.

“Long term, we will have created enhanced educational and personal development opportunities for everyone involved. In addition to the fostering of reconciliation and partnership, pupils are also having access to educational excellence, something of vital importance for their future and that of the wider community in Northern Ireland.”

Ita McVeigh, Project Leader for Specialism in Performing Arts at St Louise’s said: “In feedback we have received, pupils are telling us of how they have made many new friendships with other young people with whom they would otherwise have little or no contact.

“We  are a society still coming to terms with years of living apart but through the resources provided by SEP and the energies and commitment of our young people and their teachers, we have been begun the journey towards creating new links through educational partnerships. Our pupils, in this exciting collaboration, now have increased opportunities to play their role in developing a more stable society for all of us and of course enjoy their learning along the way.”

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