Diversity is the name of the game

The biting north wind was whipping through Bundoran, Co Donegal, last week but Irene Dowd and Eileen Patterson were not about to be deterred. They had locations to check out, walks and treasure hunts to plan, trekking and other outdoor activities to map, locations and accommodation details to pin down.

Organising a spring gathering of senior second-level students from schools from north and south is uppermost in their minds at the moment. The expected group of up to 400 will be "equally mixed" - socially, culturally and religiously - explains Dowd, southern liaison officer with Horizon, the organisation responsible for this cross-border gathering which is set to happen next March.

Apart from the spring gathering, Horizon is thinking ahead to a millennium celebration for students. "By that stage we will have a large group of people who will understand and know all our differences and celebrate that difference," says Dowd. "Diversity is the name of the game."

The organisation has grown and grown since the idea to plant a tree for peace at Uisneach, the Westmeath hill said to be the centre of Ireland, was first floated by Fran McKeagney in Alexandra College, Dublin, five years ago. With the backing of the school's principal, Gladys Ruddock, a group of students travelled by bus with some teachers on December 15th, 1993, to plant a rose tree.

"It was the day the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed," says Dowd. "We didn't know that until we got back onto the bus and heard it on the news. It was an auspicious start. It has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."

Next March students from schools in Belfast, Larne and Derry will enjoy four days of "shared experience" with students from Dublin, Killarney, Limerick and Kilkenny. The total cost - £35 per student covering food, accommodation and travel - has been kept to a minimum with the help of a subsidy from the EU Peace and Reconciliation Fund.

"I've never seen such an opening of experience, of facilitating meetings of trust and friendship, of dealing with young people," says Eileen Patterson, Horizon co-ordinator. "Most of what we are doing comes from the energy of the students."

If any teacher or parent wants to find out more, the executive council of Horizon will meet in Alexandra College on Saturday, November 14th, between midday and 5 p.m. Dowd explains that to register for the spring gathering, schools are advised to register before the end of the month.

For information, phone Horizon in Schull, Co Cork at 028 28875 or its Belfast office at 080 1232 434615.