Ripples of Peace: A Stroll Down Broadway is the latest impact case study in the Ripples of Peace series by Community Relations In Schools (CRIS).
The case study is not only a story of the organisation’s work with schools but also a thank you to the schools and their communities for the stellar work they have been doing during some challenging circumstances.
The two primary schools involved – Fane Street and St Paul's - are among the most diverse in Northern Ireland. With over 50 languages spoken between them, CRIS learned so much from the practice of these schools, their staff and pupils on how to nurture an ethos of welcome, diversity and active compassion.
In these schools, emerging from the pandemic, CRIS began to understand how Community and Good Relations were changing, especially in urban working-class areas. The organisation began to see the true impact of austerity, amplified by a pandemic, on school communities. Most importantly, CRIS realised that they had to offer the school leaders, teachers and their wonderful children a platform to share their fantastic story.
“We’re all teachers – that’s what actually defines us rather than the fact we’re Protestant or Catholic – we’re teachers together and we’re dealing with the same sort of issues. Poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, it doesn’t matter what background you’re talking about – it’s the same issues that are being seen across every school … and I think CRIS is realistic about that," said Gordon, P7 teacher at Fane Street Primary School.
Read more and access the full case study here: https://www.crisni.org/post/ripples-of-peace-a-stroll-down-broadway