Short Film: Conflict Textiles

A new short film commissioned by the The Hume O’Neill Chair and Conflict Textiles about artist Eileen Harrisson. The film discusses her work with Conflict Textiles over the years and focuses on an exhibition on the Derry-Londonderry campus of Ulster University featuring her work on the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Victim Mobilisation Paper

Professor Hamber delivered a paper entitled “Victim Mobilisation: An antidote to denialism, a route to new relationships?” at the Conference on Intergroup Relations After Violent Conflict: Insights from Research and Practice. The conference was held at The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University on 5-6 October 2023. The paper can be downloaded here.

Harvard University, Boston

Peace Summit 2023

The John and Pat Hume Foundation and Community Dialogue, in partnership with the Glencree Centre for Peace & Reconciliation, Youth Action NI, Holywell Trust, Ulster University and Integrated Education Fund today launched the Peace Summit 2023. Twenty-five years on from the Good Friday Agreement the summit has took stock of the status of the peace process. The Chair played an integral role in working with the partners in drafting the Consultation Report launched on 3 March 2023. The partners are keen to hear your views on the peace process in Northern Ireland 25 years on. Read the document and reply to b.hamber@ulster.ac.uk.

Magee Summer School

The Chair is delighted to announce a new Summer School on the Magee Campus of Ulster University on 8-18 July 2022. Applications open.

The Peacebuilding, Public Order and Conflict Management Summer School run by The Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security and Global Governance at the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, (UMASS) in partnership with Ulster University’s INCORE and the John Hume and Tip O’Neill Chair in Peace and community-based charity International Peace Education Resources (IPER) invite applications for the 2022 Summer Institute on Peacebuilding, Public Order and Conflict Management. This unique programme is back in a new location in person after two years of pandemic shut down.


Described by one former participant as ‘life-changing’, this exciting course is led by Professor Marie Breen-Smyth. It is delivered by UMASS and Ulster University professors from INCORE and the Hume O’Neill Chair, Rural Community Network, Holywell Trust, Bloody Sunday Trust, the Newgate Centre, as well as high profile activists and politicians from across the spectrum in Northern Ireland.

This year, we will be based in person on Ulster University’s Magee Campus, in Derry Londonderry. The programme includes classroom-based work, a film screening and panel discussions alongside study visits to sites and events in Armagh, Portadown, Derry Londonderry and Belfast where you will meet local community organisations who participate in the design and delivery of the programme.

The Summer School is also an international experience. Sitting with diverse classmates from around the globe, participants will draw comparisons between the local situation and other societies such as South Africa, Nigeria and Israel / Palestine.

Application Form, Bursary Information and Summer School Flyer

If you want to find out more about costs, logistics and bursaries, click here.

Partners

Youth and Psychosocial Support

Brandon Hamber; Denis Martinez; Marlies Stappers; David Taylor; and Thomas Unger have published “Youth, Peace and Security:  Psychosocial Support and Societal Transformation“.

This paper explores the key issue of mental health and psycho-social services (MHPSS), from a youth-specific perspective. Drawing on the assertions and recommendations of the YPS Progress Study, and coupled with the increasing attention to MHPSS within the sustaining peace agenda, this policy brief pays special attention to the role of youth-specific psycho-social services as a vital dimension of transformative youth resilience, essential to both addressing the consequences and prevention of violent conflict.

This is a report commissioned by Interpeace for their Outside the Box: Amplifying youth voices and views on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) policy and practice series.


Watch a Video Summary of the Report


Download the Report

Youth Visions for Peace

On 29 March 2022, the Chair – with partners The John and Pat Hume Foundation, International Fund for Ireland (IFI), and Interpeace – hosted “Visions for Peace – Perspectives on Local and Global Youth Practice”.

Speakers addressed the questions: How do we engage young people in peacebuilding? What vision do our young people hold for a peaceful society? How does that influence what we prioritize when doing this work?

The event was Chaired by Professor Hamber with the following speakers:

Andy Hamilton is currently a Research Associate at Ulster University. He recently completed his PhD study titled Theorising Youth Sector Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland.

Eliška Jelínková is a Co-Director at the United Network of Young Peacebuilders and a co-chair of the Global Coalition on Youth Peace and Security.

Ali Altiok is a doctoral student in Peace Studies and Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. His research examines political inclusion and securitization of young people in the context of peacebuilding processes.

The seminar series is a partnership between Ulster University (INCORE, the Centre for Youth Research and Dialogue & TJI), The John and Pat Hume Foundation, John Hume and Thomas P. O’Neill Chair in Peace, International Fund for Ireland (IFI), and Interpeace.

Masculinities in Northern Ireland

Voices from the Margins: Young men and post-conflict masculinities in Northern Ireland” by Brandon Hamber and Conor Murray is now available online.

The report points to the gap (noted in the YPS Progress Study’s recommendations) on masculinity and masculine identities as part of the gendered approach to implementing the YPS agenda. This policy brief focuses attention on supporting the development of alternative and positive masculine identities. While the paper draws on lived experiences in Northern Ireland, it derives lessons and recommendations, captures stories, and offers a narrative with wider relevance for other contexts.

The report was commissioned by Interpeace for their Outside the Box: Amplifying youth voices and views on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) policy and practice series


Watch a Video Summary of the Report


Download the Report