10 April 2023 saw the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the deal enabling peace over conflict as a way of dealing with decades of differences in Northern Ireland. To mark this important anniversary, Co-operation Ireland and the British Council have brought together 25 25-year-olds from across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the UK to share their reflections on the impact the signing of the agreement has had on their lives to date, and to hear their goals and hopes for the next 25 years. Their voices and sentiments are collected in the #Film25 project, which Margaret Lucey, Programme Manager Co-operation Ireland, explains below.
‘For me as an Irish Citizen, the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement is a source of pride and a symbol of new beginnings […] In 1998, we came together with the loudest voice we as citizens could have. We used our vote and voted overwhelming “YES” – it was a yes that we wanted to work together for the greater good of all.
As the #Film25 project facilitator, what stood out for me was how the recent challenges of COVID-19 and Brexit have focused young people on the need to maintain peace on the Island. Although all they knew was a life of peace, they still had a real sense of division and conflict among different communities on the Island and across the Islands.
Although the bombing and shootings have gone, there is still so much distrust and prejudice. The trauma and hurt of those horrific years have still been recounted and remain substantially unhealed. For everyone involved, regardless of our generation, there was a shared awareness of the fragility of the existing peace and the need to protect it moving forward for the next 25 years.
Co-operation Ireland and the British Council have identified the urgent need to work with communities, particularly young people, to rebuild trust by creating opportunities for engagement and dialogue. We work directly with new generations to help them gain the skills, confidence, and connections to transform their lives and contribute positively to a shared society.
We need to continue working with these young voices to capture their commitment to engaging in these peace-sharing initiatives. Their message was simple: they wanted more and to engage with their younger peers to keep building a peaceful future for Ireland/Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the whole world.’