Forthspring
Rafiki and I were assigned to Forthspring for our five-day Work Attachment Plan (WAP). They’re an organization that’s unique for being based in the only community building that straddles an interface in Belfast. These Berlin wall-like interfaces are scattered throughout the city in the most deprived areas. Here are some interface walls in this area.
The two neighborhoods that Forthspring serves are Springfield Road (Catholics) and Woodvale (Protestants). Both are in the top ten most deprived electoral wards in Northern Ireland. This interface has witnessed many bombings, murders and violent incidents during the recent troubles. Rafiki and I were lucky that it was calm while we were there, since battles took place regularly in January and February.
Both neighborhoods are filled with well-kept rows of homes that look almost identical, yet people rarely come into contact with those of the opposite religion. Forthspring has separate entrances for both groups and provides a safe environment for the kids. But when we asked if the staff could bring together the Protestant teens with the Catholic youth so we could do some conflict resolution exercises, we were told that it would be impossible to get them in the same room. It would take the staff months to prepare the kids and they would get very few youth to participate.
I’ve divided my experiences at Forthspring into three sections: Part 1 focuses on the after-school program with younger children; Part II highlights the center-based activities with kids ages 8-15, and Part III features the Detached Youth Program with older kids. Here’s a photo of Rafiki with some of the Forthspring staff:
