Open AccessThe Role of Youth in Post Accord Transformation in Northern Ireland
Author(s) -
Christine Smith Ellison
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
peace and conflict studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.116
H-Index - 6
ISSN - 1082-7307
DOI - 10.46743/1082-7307/2014.1001
Subject(s) - peacebuilding , politics , inclusion (mineral) , context (archaeology) , neglect , political science , representation (politics) , northern ireland , sociology , political economy , economic growth , public administration , gender studies , psychology , law , economics , geography , archaeology , psychiatry , ethnology
Despite increased international interest in the contribution of education to peacebuilding, there has been a neglect of the role that non-formal youth programming can play in this process. This article examines three such youth programmes in post-accord Northern Ireland through the theoretical lens of their contribution to social, economic and political transformations. Given the sustained context of segregation and limitations of the formal education sector as a mechanism for transformation, the paper argues that the non-formal sector has played an important role in ensuring inclusion of multiple youth perspectives in a divided society. It also raises a number of critical questions regarding the politics of multiple youth representation and the strength of genuine commitment to peacebuilding in terms of conflict transformation.