By Karen Sharpe
In the United States, religious tolerance is considered a given. But in Northern Ireland and Jerusalem, children are brought up with generations’ worth of ingrained hatred, fear and mistrust of those of other faiths.
That’s where Friends Forever comes in. For 20 years, Friends Forever, based in Portsmouth, N.H., has been working to bridge the chasm of religious divide by bringing together Catholic and Protestant teens from Northern Ireland for an intensive, two-week cultural immersion program in the United States—followed by a yearlong commitment to forging friendships and promoting tolerance back in their hometowns. For the last 10 years, the non-profit organization has also run a similar program for Muslim and Jewish youth from Jerusalem.
Stephen Martineau ’97, who became executive director of Friends Forever last fall, traces his introduction to social justice and social service to a spring break trip with Habitat for Humanity during his final year at the College. What followed were stints as an AmeriCorps volunteer and various jobs working with teens.
For Martineau, the mission of Friends Forever was one he could support wholeheartedly.
“I have an Irish ancestry, so the organization’s work in Northern Ireland has always held an interest for me,” he says, “but what also struck me was the opportunity to be able to be a leader, to be the decision-maker. I think one of the greatest things I got out of Holy Cross was the ability to lead with conviction. And the approach of Friends Forever being in the business of world peace—it’s not just a feel-good thing. It offers a serious solution.”
Teens interested in the program are recruited through youth organizations like the YMCA. Hosted by community groups upon arrival in the United States, they live together like family—immersed in both social and learning programs: Protestants and Catholics cooking dinner side by side; Jews and Muslims organizing and presenting dialogue sessions.
Serious work is being done alongside the social activities, Martineau says, with each interaction providing an opportunity for the teens to drop their misconceptions about each other and to relate to one another as human beings. They also have a chance to interact with American teens—which is often an eye-opening experience.
“In America, people don’t view themselves through the lens of religion, but for these teens, they are always a Protestant or Catholic, a Jew or Muslim first,” Martineau says. “They are blown away when some American kids don’t even know what denomination they are.”
That is just the beginning of what Friends Forever does. Once the teens return home, they must commit to monthly meetings and activities where they have the opportunity to draw in family members and friends, spreading the knowledge and freedom tolerance brings to the neighborhoods beyond their homes. The program has been so successful during its 20-year existence, some neighborhoods in Northern Ireland are known as “Friends Forever-ized,” Martineau says, noting that there are areas where sectarian divisions have almost completely disappeared.
Many Friends Forever alumni have gone on to establish their own social service programs in Northern Ireland, aimed at promoting tolerance and multiculturalism among youth and families. Those kinds of programs just did not exist there 20 years ago, Martineau says.
Until now, Friends Forever has brought teen groups only to the New England states, but Martineau’s goal is to expand the program into a nationwide endeavor. He has already begun discussions with a former Holy Cross classmate who lives in Alaska about the possibility of taking a group there for a two-week intensive immersion program.
“You don’t need an advanced degree or a major in peace studies to become part of the peace process,” Martineau says. “These kids make the decision, consciously or unconsciously, to get over generations of learned mistrust and to see themselves as future generations of peace.”
|
