Places still available on conflict transformation course

The 10-week project, Future Resolutions and The Conflicts of Interests initiative, is being co-ordinated by Coalisland photographer, Oliver Corr, and has been funded by the European Union under the special Peace III Programme.

Among those who will be speaking over the next number of weeks are Dr Stephen Baker (Media Studies University of Ulster); Roy Garland (Former Ulster Unionist columnist Irish News); Laurence McKeown (Former Republican Prisoner); Dr Brian Feeney (Head of History St Mary’s College Belfast); Alex Kane (Political Commentator Columnist News Letter); and Gareth Mackle (Educationalist).

The course, which got underway yesterday, Wednesday, at Gortalowry House in Cookstown, deals with the following issues: Media in Conflict; Origins of Conflicts; Interpretations of Conflict; Class Conflict; Sectarian and Racial Conflict; Reconciliation and Change; Human Rights; Analyzing History; Negotiating and Dialogue; and Student presentations. The course aims to assist participants to gain a broader understanding of the causes of conflict and to look at the possibility for conflict transformation.

Participants will examine the complexities of conflict with particular emphasis on the Northern Irish conflict of the past half-century but also with reference to conflict in the wider European context.

Each module comprises facilitated workshops on a wide range of topics on various aspects of the conflict as well as presentations by guest speakers drawn from a wide spectrum of opinion and expertise.

The course is free to all participants and is accredited by Queen’s University Belfast via their lifelong learning programme.

This event is being run at Gortalowry House under the auspices of the Good Relations Office of Cookstown Council.

If you are interested in taking part please contact Oliver Corr at [email protected] or 00353 (0)7803729290 or 00 353 (47) 72 182 or contact Sean McElhatton Good Relations Officer Cookstown 02886764714.