The return- Sian

So, it is all over. The exhaustion and jet lag have well and truly set in. But on a positive note, I have my suitcase unpacked, laundry done and am currently munching on an imported mint Oreo ;)

The two weeks that the group spent in America were the most amazing and packed two weeks of my year! I say this over and over again, and I mean it every time but Friends Forever truly is a highlight of my working year. Usually on programmes I work on, we build up to a big trip- I might be working with young people for months before they get a chance to have an overnight or a residential or a trip away. Friends Forever is so different in that respect. We only met four times before we left for America! The group are thrown into an intense situation, away from home where they don't really know the group of people they are with. This leaves them with no other choice than to rely on one another and to seek the support of the group.

The change in the young people I could visably see was astounding in such a short period of time. The friendships and bonds that were formed are stronger than some I have seen that have spanned the duration of school years! The confidence in these young people is multiplying and growing with such touching speed. They truly are a wonderful bunch of young people to have the pleasure of working with!

Thank you to each and every person  who made their trip one to remember! It is thanks to each of you that a lasting change may be seen in these amazing ten young people. A change that is only beginning and a change that will ripple through their families, peer groups and schools.

But most importantly thank you to Bryony, Chelsea, David, Eimear, John, Patrick, Reece, Ryan, Samantha and Tiarna. You grasped every opportunity with a smile and a maturity that does fit your age. You rarely complained and always thanked those you met. You are a credit to Belfast YMCA, to Friends Forever, to your families and to your communities.

Thank you x

Dinner with the Conners - Ryan

On the last night of the trip all 13 of us went and visited the Connors.

First, we were shown to their friend's farm who ran a Rehab centre for animals. They had a home more less in their barn, which was amazing!! We got to see wild geese, swans, quails, goats and chickens that they had rescued and were looking after. It was really impressive.

After that, we went back to the Connors house and were amazed. They had a downstairs basement fully kitted out to the best of stuff. They had a big screen TV, ping pong table, gym and a steamroom. The place was awesome as they allowed us to chill out downstairs. 

Suzie Conner served us a fantastic thanksgiving type dinner along with Steve (the main person in Friends Forever). Once we finished our food, we all sat together on the sofas and introduced ourselves and where we cme from and why we wanted to be on the programme. We got to hear Patrick give a brilliant speech and then we had dessert. We took some group photos and went home.

It was an amazing night and such a great way to round off an unforgettable 2 weeks!!!

Ryan :)

The Gala - John

Coming to the gala I was extremely nervous because I had to give my speech but when I came I felt much better because we were the first ones there and as usual the last to leave.

The gala went really well and it's a great way to give recognition to the people who fund the programme, it just shows the dedication of these people and how much the believe in young people, like me. I had a great table where I had conversations about many random topics, I thought the food was great and I got a good response to my speech.

Other than my speech, the highlight of the night was definitely having a dance off with my group and fist-pumping as everyone left. What a wonderful night!

Portsmouth Rotary - Tiarna

One afternoon we attended Portsmouth Rotary meeting for lunch. The rotary is a club of people who fund different programmes and volunteer in their community. The people of the rotary were so welcoming and seemed to be very interested in our lives. 

Samantha and I paired up to sit at a table together at the rotary and ate lunch –which was delicious- with members of the rotary who seemed to be very interested in our background and where we came from. They asked a lot of questions about our culture and the conflict in the North of Ireland and we, in turn, asked them questions about their lives in America. 

We then played a really fun game which was in the style of a game show quiz hosted by Neill, the president of Friends Forever, where we were asked to answer different questions about ourselves.

After everyone had eaten, Eimear, Chelsea and I, gave speeches to the rotary about what our lives had been like growing up in Northern Ireland and how we felt about the conflict. Having to write a speech and then deliver it to a room full of adults wasn’t the easiest thing to do but it was something which helped me to gain a new perspective on the segregation in The North of Ireland, the idea of explaining things as simple as the division between Catholics and Protestants was at first a strange concept to me as it was something I had grew up with. It did however force me to think more about the society I had grown up in and helped me realise the impact it had on my life. 

Overall, going to the Portsmouth rotary turned out to be a really good experience, we were welcomed by all the members and all of our speeches were received very well. It gave us the chance to talk about our lives at home and also learn a bit about American culture.

Tiarna (:

Portsmouth Rotary Club- Chelsea

On Thursday 3rd of November the Belfast YMCA Friends Forever group visited hampton rotary club. When we got there we were warmly welcomed by every member that taken part in making Friends Forever what it has become today after 25years of hard work.

We had some lunch and a lovely chat with a good few members which opened our minds to what really happens in our lives for example- as teenagers dont need to fight over religion as everybody is the same but with different opions in life.

Me (Chelsea), Tiarna Adams and Eimear Downey then gave a speech to the Rotary about our perspective of living in Northern Ireland and the way that we live as a Protestant or Catholic. It was a lovely day as everyone listened to what we had to say and they also asked questions about what they thought of Northern Ireland and the sectarianism that is still visible. I want to say a great big thanks to Portsmouth rotary for inviting us over to join them and taking their time to help Friends Forever enjoy their 2week stay. Thanks again.

Chelsea Spence

Our day in Boston - Tiarna

Our day in Boston was one of my favourite days in the USA. We got to experience a lot of American culture and learn a bit about American history. It was also one of the most relaxed days where we were able to hang out together and have fun. We got to spend time with one of the really cool rotary members named Craig. 

We followed the red freedom trail around the centre of Boston which told the story of some of Boston’s history. We then visited the holocaust memorial; 6 glass towers built in memory of the 6 million Jewish people killed in the Second World War. This one of the more intense parts of the day where we got a real sense of history.

We then went to eat in a ‘food court’ in Boston which had every kind of food imaginable, from Thai to Ice cream parlours, it was one of the most huge food places I had ever seen and the food was delicious. We then did a bit of shopping and went and got coffee and chill out in the beautiful park in Boston before we done some more sightseeing. It was a tiring but really enjoyable day and the whole group had so much fun

Tiarna (:

Our day in Boston - Samantha

Our day in boston was hosted by Criag Kellaher, a Hampton Rotary member who wanted to do something for our group! It was a very interesting day as we lernt alot about the history of the city. We also got to see the Holocaust memorial! It was a very heart touching experience, as it was 6 glass towers which had the numbers of the 6 million Jews that where killed in the second world war. 

For lunch we went to a hugh food court, i have never seen so many different foods in one place. After we had lunch we done some more sightseeing and then we went to Newbury street, it was a street full of alot of different, fancy shops. For me the subway we went on was a new experience because I had never been on a train before, especially not one that went below the ground! It was a great day!

Samantha!:)

The Blonski's - John

Staying with the blonskis was great because the family were so welcoming and amazing, we entered their home as strangers and came out as friends.

I think the entire group had a lot of fun in the house , I really enjoyed watching transformers on the 3-d tv and the food we got was amazing. Unfortunately because of the snow we had no electricity to do anything on Sunday however the family went to another house and made us a meal for us coming back from chapel, overall it was an amazing experience and I definitely recommend it!

Winnacunnet High School - John

In my opinion, the high school was great. I loved the experience of actually going and getting an understanding of school in the USA.We went to the school at 7am which was a big difference from our school time! After we met our partners from the high school, we got a tour of the school which was really big and different to my school. After the tour, we went to Sociology class and we were asked a lot of questions by both the students and teacher.
I enjoyed meeting new people there and I love how everyone is so fascinated by people from other countries. I almost felt famous because of the attention we got! I think this was a vital experience for the group because of the buddy system Sian and Jonny asked us to do. We were encouraged to partner up with people who we haven't socialised as much with and everyone gave great feedback off their partners.
We all thought the experience was great and I could definitely recommend that people on this programme keep visiting this high school because of the warm welcoming we got!

Winnacunnet football rules!

Teen Empowerment Group (Somerville, Boston) - Patrick

After attending Winnacunnet High School and spending the day there, we traveled down towards Boston to visit the Teen Empowerment centre. It's purpose is to meet together and discuss issues that affect their community.
Since we arrived, everyone has talked about how great America was regarding integrating religions in society. Teen Enpowerment showed all of us how similar we are to the Americans however it is race that divides their society and not religion.
After some games to get know each other names we talked about the big issues of both of our communities. We had a lot of similar problems like drugs, racism, poverty and teen pregnancy.
For dinner, we went to an All American diner place called Applebees. I had steak and chips and it was beautiful. It was my first time and I really hope I will be going back again.
Overall, the day was brilliant as we finally saw the reason for being in America, sharing that 'yes, America is good with dealing with different religion but race is a big problem'. Applebees for dinner topped off one of my most favourite days in the USA.

Edgewood Retirement Home - Reece

"Deep in the heart of Edgewood"

Our group of ten young people, two youth workers and one awesome American Chaperone experienced a life changing trip to the most lively retirement home in the world.
As we arrived many of the residents were in the main lounge enjoying some music and dance. They were preparing for their Christmas show so they sang some of their songs for us along with their weekly exercise and musical session. Some of us joined in with them whilst two of our members went to do arts and crafts in the Dementia unit and while another two went to the sensory unit.
After the dancing and singing, I and two other group members went to meet the most amazing eldery woman ever called Beatrice or Bea for short. She had an amazing attitude and her personality shone through the first time we saw her. She was wearing some pretty cool shades and when we got talking to her, she began to tell us about all the amazing things she had done in her life- such as being in the navy.
Shortly after, we sat down to lunch with another vibrant character called Madeline who we found out was a painter. We later got to see a picture she had painted of the sea crashing on to the shore, which was displayed in the centre's art corridor.
Then it was time to say goodbye so to finish off I decided to present Bea with my favourite pair of sunglasses as she had many pairs due to being blind and loving colourful sunglasses. As we got on the minibus to leave, a staff member ran out on behalf of Bea to give me a pair of her sunglasses. This touched my heart completely as someone who I had only spent a short amount of time with, wanted me to have one of her most prized personal possessions.
All in all, it was an amazing experience and I would really love to go back and meet Bea again.

Reece

Spaulding High School - Samantha

We got to Spaulding about 11.30am and we got introduced to our tour guides- Gabe, Jess and Michael. We then went straight to lunch with in their canteen which was our first view of a real life American canteen!
After lunch, we got a tour of their school. This was so great because I had a lot of preconceptions about American schools from the movies I have watched. They even had a bank in their school which I thought was pretty cool!
After the tour, we got to hear the school's chorus which was kind of like a really, really big Glee club. They were so good! We got asked a lot of questions about Northern Ireland like how much it costs to get our driving licenses and what the conflict is like at the minute.
It was the school's anti-drug day which they call the Red Ribbon day. We joined them in making a ribbon formation on their football pitches all dressed in red. They had a plane fly overhead while a firetruck's ladder took our picture as well.
I loved the few hours we spent at Spaulding, it really showed Catholics and Protestants can get along and it changed my views on American High Schools.

Mel Flanaghans for diner! - Tiarna

After a long day of touring a high school and the police station we made our way to an Irish bar called 'Mel Flanaghans'. As soon as we arrived we were welcomed by large hugs and even larger plates of steaming spaghetti and meatballs. The food was lovely and we sat and compared our lives with teenagers we had met that day in Spaulding High School.

After our filling meal, we made our way into a different room. The whole group were together, which included the mayor of the town as well. We all explained how the divide in Northern Ireland affected us and the impact the Troubles have had on our lives. I was nervous but when it was my turn to speak, I immediately felt at ease because the audience was so interested and attentive.

After the speeches, a small folk bank played music from home like 'I'll tell me ma' and 'Fields of Athenry'. It brought back a real taste o home for me because those are songs I hear. We also had a small jig!

Overall it was a brilliant experience and I would, if I had the chance, return to Mel's in the future!!

Browne Centre for Ropes Course - Bryony

When we were told that we would be going to the Browne centre high ropes course a lot of us (the majority of us) were afraid of heights and some refused point blank that they would not be doing it. But we all went and on arrival, we realised that our rpeconceptions that we would just be flung up a tree, were wrong.
We started off with loads of games (with our feet firmly on the ground) which kick started the team building. I would say it was the first activity that brought the team together and really bonded us because we all supported each other throughout each activity and came together to help each other overcome their fears.
The people who were scared of heights were able to overcome these and achieve more than they thought possible because the group encouraged each and every single person. People who were too scared to even climb a ladder ended up going on a high sling-shot type activity, over-coming their fears.
So, most of us went in dreading it and came out wanting to stay longer and everyone agreed it was an amazing day. I thought it was a significant point for the group that brought us all together and was a great way for us to start our two weeks together.

Leader profile: Sian O'Neill

Hi!

I am Sian, I am in my third year working for Belfast YMCA as a Youth Project Worker and have been the co-ordinator of Friends Forever for the last two years. This will be my second trip to New Hampshire with the progromme and I am so excited to be given the opportunity to join these wonderful young people on their journey!

Other than Friends Forever, I also co-ordinate the Belfast YMCA's political education programme called Youth in Government and I deliver some community relations programmes in Primary Schools across Belfast.

I got involved in Youth Work through volunteering for Northern Ireland Children's Enterprise as a Youth Volunteer. I was 16 when I joined and I have been on exchange projects to Romania, Serbia and Belgium through the charity. I still do some work with them and I am now also on their Management Committee.

In addition to this, I am currently back at university studying for a Post Graduate Diploma in Community Youth Work and I volunteer for the Oh Yeah Music Centre in my spare time!

The first meeting.

The first meeting of a new group is always a little nerve-wracking. During tonight's session, however, the ice was broken in the most unusual of ways- by a plastic lifelike baby doll. One of our young people was placed in full charge of a realistic plastic 'baby' that she had to care for over 24 hours. This meant that during our introductions and initial exercises to get to know the group, we had real life baby wails and nappies to be changed! It certainly made for an unusual session!

We developed our working contract which will underpin the way that we will work together as a group, how we will achieve our goals and aims and the expectations of both group and leader.

Myself and my coworker Jonny are really excited by the group and being given the opportunity to watch as they start on this amazing learning opportunity.

Sian

The beginning...

After an intensive recruitment process and several long days of conducting interviews- the Friends Forever 2011-2012 group from Belfast YMCA has been selected. The young people are from a multitude of backgrounds with diverse religious, social, economic and gender breakdowns.

The group will be visiting New Hampshire at the end of October for two weeks visiting many different organisations, performing a range of community service and interacting with a variety of different people. The experience is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity to experience the American culture whilst learning from one another about the culture of their own country.

The learning does not just end when the group return from America! They will meet weekly to go through a training accreditation looking at leadership, communication, conflict resolution and global awareness. At the end of six months, the participants will attain a qualification which can be included on UCAS forms or CVs.

This blog will follow the progress of the group as they spent time in America and as they continue their journey in the months that follow.