ABOUT WIDER HORIZONS
The Wider Horizons Story
As part of their commitment to education for mutual understanding St. Mary’s University College and Stranmillis University College in Belfast, along with St. Patrick’s College and The Church of Ireland College in Dublin, have collaborated with a range of educational establishments in Massachusetts, USA, to provide a course of study and practice in multicultural education for 3rd year student teachers.
The programme, now entering its 17th year, has been unique in so far as it has provided an opportunity for Catholic and Protestant student teachers from Northern Ireland and from the Republic of Ireland to live and work together.
Originating at the time of the Anglo Irish Agreement this project has developed and matured through to the signing of the Good Friday Belfast Peace Accord in 1998 and the current context of suspension of The N. Ireland Assembly at Stormont.
Wider Horizons Sponsors:
For the first three years, the project was funded by the International Fund for Ireland. The Wider Horizons Programme is currently an extra curricular project and as such does not obtain funding from College core budgets. The Department of Education in the North of Ireland provides some funding through their Diversity and Mutual Understanding scheme and this is matched by the Department of Education in the Irish Republic.
We still depend upon and are very grateful for the continued support and sponsorship offered by Middlesex Community College, The University of Massachusetts, The Lowell Public Schools, The Lowell Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Ross and Fran Hanson and their friends in Vermont.
Other sponsors have included
- Washington Public Welfare Foundation
- Co-operation Ireland
- The Ford Foundation
- Aerlingus
- Irish National Teachers Organisation
- Enterprise Car Hire
- The European Commision
- British Telecom
- Union of Students in Ireland
The objectives
i) to facilitate students from the North and South of Ireland to live and work together in schools in U.S.A;
ii) to provide students with the experience of teaching in programmes addressing the educational problems of young people at risk and in areas of urban disadvantage;
iii) to introduce students to issues relative to multicultural education and to strategies relevant to education for diversity;
iv) to encourage students to examine their own assumptions, attitudes and values in relation to other cultures and the viewpoints of other students ;
v) to widen student knowledge and experience of community based learning strategies;
and
vi) to increase student confidence and develop student skills in working with children around issues of conflict and conflict resolution;
These original objectives are as relevant today as they were 17years ago. In addition to issues of tolerance within and understanding of the Northern Ireland situation, the last few years have seen the emergence of issues relating to immigrant populations within the European Community. Education is central to these issues and it is important that our students gain confidence in addressing them. Indeed students, North and South, in their recent evaluations of programme highlight the current pressing need for experience in this aspect of education.
Institutional Patrnerships
The Wider Horizons Programme has lead to further partnership between the various participating institutions.
- 1994-1995. Funding from The European Community Higher Education Collaboration Awards allowed for a link with Noordelljke Hogeschool, Leeuwarden, Holland. This lead to placement of students from Holland and Germany in the Wider Horizons Programmes during the summer of 1994 and 1995.
- 1995 Participation in the International Conference, "Accommodating Difference" held at Stranmillis College
- 1999 Facilitators to the Wider Horizons Programme, Dr.Molly Sheehy Dean at Middlesex Community College,Lowell, former Massachusetts Senator, Paul Sheehy and Dr.Casaer McDowell from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, participated in the Omagh Conference 'Omagh Renewal and Beyond' dealing with regeneration after the terrorist bombing of Omagh. In the aftermath of the terrible bomb atrocity of August 1998, representatives of the business sector, community sector, District Council and statutory bodies came together to form the initiative 'Omagh Renewal and Beyond'. The reconstruction of the Town Centre and thus its buildings was actioned as one of the key tasks for the initiative. (Article)
- 2000 March 27th -March 30th Middlesex Community College, University of Ulster and Stranmillis College colaborated in arrangments for a fact finding tour of Lowell - Lowell-The North West of Ireland Partnering for Civic Rebirth culminating in a Lowell Symposium on Urban Regeneration intitled "Lowell: 2000 and Beyond" held in the Doubletree Hotel, Lowell. A delication of 33 representatives for Northern Ireland and Donegal attended. These delegates were a cross-section of the community from Local Councils, police, tourism, commerce, museums and the arts, as well as education.
- 2002 Organisation of a delegation of PSNI police officers visit to Lowell to study community policing.
- 2000 to date Establishment of an accredited course for police officers " Working with Schools", involving police in video conference discussion between Stranmillis University College, Belfast and Middlesex Community College, Lowell.
- 2000 to date Establishment by Middlesex Community College in partnership with St. Patrick's College, Dublin and Stranmillis Univerity College, Belfast of an accredited Irish Studies Course, "Today and Yesterday in Ireland" (article)
In July 2003, The Secretary of State for N.Ireland visited the staff and students in Lowell to help them celebrate 15 years of the Wider Horizons Programme. The event was hosted by Dr. Carole Cowan, The President of Middlesex Community, College in Nesmith House, Andover Street, Lowell,Mass.. (article)
