Tyrone young people on first Ulster Project trip since pandemic

LOCAL teenagers are looking forward to a trip to the United States this summer thanks to the resumption of the Ulster Project.

Playing an important role in promoting strong positive links between communities in the Omagh area for many years, the Ulster Project was unable to function these past few years due to the Covid pandemic.

The cross-community initiative creates opportunities among young people for the development of friendships which wouldn’t otherwise exist, encouraging the celebration of diversity, and helping to cultivate new, positive attitudes in support of peace and a genuine shared future.

Each Project group is composed of equal numbers of Catholic and Protestant teens, under the guidance of two young adult leaders. The project involves regular group activities on a cross-community basis during the period from January to June, in preparation for a group visit to the United States in July.

Participants are hosted by American families, and experience an action-packed daily programme of activities of a recreational, social and educational nature which are designed to foster trust between the different cultures represented in the group.

In 2020, the 12 young people selected to participate in the Project that year had already started to meet and to get to know each other when the Covid lockdown brought their activities to an abrupt and devastating halt.

For three years, the Project has been at a standstill due to the pandemic, but, happily, in 2023, the group was able to re-establish the Omagh link with our partner centre in Salt Lake City in Utah, and plans are well advanced for an Ulster Project group of eight teens to travel from Omagh to Salt Lake City in July 2023.

“We are fortunate indeed to have a close bond with our loyal partners in Salt Lake City, who year after year have welcomed our young people to their beautiful city, and who share our belief in the value of shared experiences and broadened horizons,” said a spokesperson for Ulster Project.

As a fundraiser for this year’s Project, a table quiz will be held in the Silverbirch Hotel this evening (Thursday) at 8pm. This has always been an enjoyable fun event in the past, and we would encourage everyone in the local community to come along and support our young teens. Admission is £5 for adults, and £3 for children and senior citizens. There will be a raffle with some fabulous prizes, and a good night’s entertainment is guaranteed.