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NcompasSing Communities NcompasS is a cross-border initiative arising from a partnership between the British Council, the Youth Council for Northern Ireland (YCNI) and Léargas. The initiative received funding of €500,000 for the period March 2006 to April 2008, under the extension to the European Union Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the border region of Ireland.
It was an extension of NcompasS I which operated from 2003 to 2006. This new publication presents an overview of the findings in two documents, the Evaluation of the NcompasS II Programme, and North South Co-operation in Education: what’s the point?, a summary of the final NcompasS discussion event. It documents the key findings from the evaluation, the conclusions of the discussions at the final event and it supports them with practical examples and comments from participants. Knowledge gained from this work can guide future North/South activities and will help provide a picture of how to sustain this work. North South Education Work 2006-2008

Sharing Peace - young people from Israel and Northern Ireland learning together
The South Eastern Education and Library Board recently hosted a unique programme this summer to support young people from Israel and Northern Ireland to share and explore the paths taken in both countries to achieve peace and acceptance. Young people from both countries are used to living in communities divided by religion, politics and conflict. From 17th to 26th July 2008 twelve young people from the SEELB (6 Protestant and 6 Catholic) hosted a group of twelve young Israelis (6 from the Muslim/Arab community and 6 from the Jewish community). Together they worked on building trust and exploring their experiences of conflict. This involved developing an understanding of each others perspectives and a recognition of the importance of learning to live together by recognising and accepting one another's differences. SEELB Assistant Advisory Officer - Community Relations, Matt Milliken commented, "All of these young people have already shown leadership potential within their communities. They have been demonstrating that if we are to live together in peace we need to acknowledge and appreciate each others cultures, traditions and aspirations; we need to work together if we are to ensure a future free from violent political conflict".