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The Newsletter of Northern Ireland Children's Enterprise

       This year we have seen a milestone in the NICE program, and in the lives of two people who are the very foundation of NICE. It was 25 years ago that Don and Mary Jo Murphy began hosting children from Northern Ireland, an experience that changed their lives as well as many lives in Northern Ireland. The Murphys were happy to provide a break for these children from the violence that was the streets of Belfast in the early days of “The Troubles”. They thoroughly enjoyed the visits from the young children and they believed that promoting friendships between Catholic and Protestant children made perfect sense as a start to a more peaceful society. But they saw how it all changed when the children returned home, for it was simply too dangerous to go to the other neighborhood and meet up with their new-found friends.
       They began a residential center in Ballycastle, now known as The Donal J. Murphy Centre, a place where children could get away from the city for the weekend and just play with each other. Shortly thereafter structured programs dealing with segregation and reconciliation were introduced. Don convinced Carmel McCavana to join the organization on a full-time basis, and that brought the program to another level.
       At the seventh annual NICE golf outing in Naples, FL., Don and Mary Jo were presented with a memento of our appreciation for their many years of service. It was just a little thank you for starting it all, and for keeping all of us on track - every day.

Host Family Visits Northern Ireland

       “We had a wonderful family vacation in Ireland, once we learned to drive on the left. The highlight of our trip was our stay at the Ballycastle house. I was unprepared for the gripping beauty of the Antrim coast. The kids had fun together and one night Jacqueline Elliott made them Irish Stew so that she and her husband and John and I could go out to dinner. They shared stories about their lives in Belfast that really helped us understand what it was like living there in the seventies. They also took us around their neighborhood in Belfast. We had the pleasure of seeing their home and meeting Jacqueline's father.

       “We visited Australia house and met some staff and Carmel graciously drove our family to the train station. It was a trip full of memories.”

Belfast Basketball Tournament
in Memory of
FDNY Lt. Vincent G. Halloran

       Carmel McCavana, the Executive Director of NICE in Belfast, presented the Cup to the victorious St. Malachy's College “Lakers” captain Paul Dick. Because my family has been a part of NICE for all of my 21 years, Paul and Carmel kindly invited me to represent the organization's American side and to make the Shield presentation to John Meighan, captain of the St. Malachy's College “Hornets”.
      Last summer, a framed collage of pictures that I took on the day of the tournament was presented to Vince's fellow firefighters of Ladder 8.
       The tournament is a wonderful celebration of the life of Vince Halloran and is an extraordinary way for continued happiness to be brought to the lives of children of Belfast in his name.
Thanks to Meaghan for sending in this article, and for her pictures. Here is an update from this year's event.
       The second annual tournament took place on Saturday, April 24, 2004 with 15 teams participating. The teams came from all over Northern Ireland (Armagh, Dungannon, and ten teams from Belfast) as well as a team from Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan. In the competition for the Halloran Shield, St Patrick's Academy from Dungannon beat Our Lady's and St Patrick's Knock. St Malachy's College, Belfast, retained the Halloran Cup in an excellent final against Aquinas Grammar school.
       Special thanks to St Malachy's Press officer Andy O'Hare for sending over the photos from this year's outing, and to Marie Halloran for sponsoring tee shirts for all the tournament participants.

News about our Northern Ireland Programs NICE has received many accolades over the years for our work in Northern Ireland. Our staff has developed several programs dealing with reconciliation between segregated and diverse groups, and has been asked to bring them to other countries. Here are updates about two programs, sent from Jonny Baxter in our Belfast office.

Basque
       Last summer saw one of our youth volunteers, Sian O'Neill, spread her wings and become involved with other organizations. She was asked to participate in a yearly trip organised by Corrymeela to the Basque country in Northern Spain. The Basque country has been seeking independence from Spain for many years and, in some ways, certain groups see similarities with the Basque and Northern Ireland as both have experienced conflict throughout the years. Sian was given the chance to take part in an exchange with a group of young people from a small village outside the city of Bilbao. This involved welcoming this group to Northern Ireland at Easter, showing the tourist attractions and basically show them a taste of the famous Northern Irish hospitality! She then traveled over to Bilbao in July and had the opportunity of visiting the major political parties there, meeting the president of the Basque country and visiting all the usual and not so usual tourist attractions.
       We at NICE feel it is a great compliment to us that our volunteers are trained to such a degree that other organisations want their services-just as long as they all remember that we are nicer than all the rest!

Belgium
       Following the Belgian experience last summer, in August a group of our volunteers set off to Brussels to complete the second half of the exchange. Expectations were varied but one thing was certain, none of us expected the heat that we were to encounter! Belgium had the hottest summer in decades!
       To add a new dimension to the exchange, this year a group of young people from Kosovo were also involved. This provided a unique element to the group and although some were apprehensive at first, looking back, the exchange would not have been complete without this element.
       The main concept of bringing these groups together was to compare and contrast the conflicts of the three countries. This was a major learning opportunity for all involved, not only to learn more about the culture of the Flemish but also of the Albanians and Serbians.
       For a lot of people from Northern Ireland, it was the first time they had ever come into contact with those from the Balkan conflict zone and so was the first chance they have had to dispel and modify the stereotypes of these people.
       For some it was an incredible opportunity, for all it was a memorable experience.

       I joined NICE in April of 2002 during my lower sixth year at St. Malachy's College. My decision to join came as a result of performing cross community work out in Romania in February of the same year.
       The beginning of my training with NICE was quite an eye opener as it helped me to raise the key issues surrounding working with children and the numbers of areas that need to be taken into account. As an individual coming from an “interface” area, I found it easy to apply some of the training to everyday situations in my community.
       After training the work began and it involved summer schemes throughout both July and August. These summer schemes involved working with any number of moderately sized groups of children and it was an excellent chance to put all the theory and training into practice. But what I also noticed was that after the training, the teaching didn't end. I found that I could learn so much more from the children themselves. Each child has a unique outlook on life and it was amazing to hear their opinions on all areas of life rather than only the conflict within Northern Ireland. The summer schemes enabled me to develop both as a youth volunteer and as an individual in general.
       Following the summer work, I became involved in a drama workshop with Angela and Catherine. We devised an excellent program to teach the children about the process of acting and performance whilst at the same time enabling the children to tackle some key issues within their lives.
       In August I was given the opportunity to travel to Belgium with other volunteers to participate in a cross cultural program tackling conflict within different countries. The experience was amazing!
       Overall my work with NICE has enabled me to develop as a person and to grasp the situation here in NI and to do something practical about it. I feel that the work of NICE prepares the new generation with afresh outlook on life, free from bigotry and fuelled by respect for all cultures.

Did you know that you can support our program by providing us with gifts that could be used in an auction or raffle at one of our upcoming golf tournaments? Here are some of the items that have been successful in the past: Tickets to major sporting events Tickets to Broadway shows, concerts or other theatrical experiences Gift certificates for meals at restaurants Various kinds of artwork or jewelry Weekend get-a-ways in vacation settings or area hotels Round of golf Sports memorabilia Airline tickets Golf equipment As always, gifts are tax-deductible in accordance with I.R.S. guidelines. If you would like to donate an item or request additional information, contact Kate Cunningham at (914) 271-1040 or email kate@nicekids.org.

Schedule of Upcoming NICE Events

Thursday, June 10	Sixteenth Annual NICE Golf Outing at Mount Kisco Country Club, NY with David Feherty clinic
Thursday, July 1	The children arrive from Belfast
Monday, July 19	Twelfth Annual NICE Boston Golf Outing at Wollaston Country Club in Milton, MA
Thursday, July 29	The children return to Belfast
Monday, August 2	Thirteenth Annual NICE Golf Outing at Mahopac Golf Club, NY
Monday, Sept. 27	Sixth NICE Philadelphia Outing at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club in Lafayette Hill, PA
Monday, Oct. 18	Third Annual NICE Golf Outing at Olde Oaks Country Club in Haughton, LA with Hal Sutton

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