HFB in Northern Ireland 2023

               John gathered us in a circle in the main hall of St. Columb’s House today. He shared his introduction to Hands for a Bridge and we shared how the program has been meaningful to us.               John has already explained why he doesn’t plan ahead, because plans go afoul whereas, if you go with the flow, things tend to work out.               In 2006, in October, John received an email from Doug, a mental health worker at Roosevelt. He read it poorly but saw Seattle, students, February visit, and wrote back Yes, of course. Had he actually read the message and seen that Roosevelt was asking to visit for over a week and needed places to stay, John would surely have said, Sorry, there’s no way. In the next few months, Doug would call the school, but John would never make himself available. By Janua...

Today was the day for a long slow morning. And it was a beautiful sunny day. But that did not stop our hard-working Roosevelt students from doing their homework. Yes, they sat down together and did their homework! And some of us had some lovely strolls through the park, and took a closer look at the statue of St. Columb, the patron saint of Derry.  Later in the afternoon, our host John came to our house and led us (with his Oak Grove students as well) in a series of circles and sharing and song.  And then we set off for an amazing historic walk around the historic wall of the city. Built between 1613-1618, this wall remains standing as a well-preserved piece of early history, a symbol of the historic siege of Derry (between the forces of King James, local Protestants and, later, William of Orange), and a tremendous vantage point over the city landmarks. In the late afternoon and golden hour sun, John led us along and told rich stories at each important viewpoint. For detail, y...

Bright beautiful morning here at St. Columb's Park House. We ate a late breakfast and headed off to town for a morning stroll and shopping trip. Met at noon for a trip to Omagh, the site of the August 1998 bombing, that shocked the city and the world as it came right after the Good Friday Agreement.  We journeyed across bright beautiful green countryside into the center of Omagh city -- a relatively small community -- where there was a memorial built to honor the 31 who died. Our Oak Grove host John Harkin had prepared a program that included selected poetry, ribbons to honor the name of each one who died, and a daffodil that each student then placed near the honored people.  John Harkin began our remembrance by telling everyone about the day of the bombing, and the impact it had immediately on the community. Owen read the Auden poem 'Stop All the Clocks' aloud...beautifully. Steffy read the poem 'All you who Sleep Tonight' by Vikram Seth, Eddie read the Robert Fros...

               When  Jon McCourt  left the main hall here where we’re staying in the St. Columb’s Park House last night at nine, our kids were thronging him. They didn’t know nor did I the quality and experience of the man John Harken had brought to us.                He’s flown throughout the world to share his story, which is that of a children’s home and the high profile campaign he led to end their abuses, and no less the arc of murderous violence to peace—what he names as the argument of force to the force of argument. What follows is my record of his talk.               When I stood on the street with a machine gun in my hand at 17 or 18, there was no other option. I turned 70 in December. The last 54 years of my life have been dedicated by the years before that. I grew up on the west side of the River Foyle. And since then, I’v...

  Hallie leads: Now everyone get into a big circle. Chloe and Genevieve ask kids to share stories about their school. Abbey, Maddie and Shreya ask students to talk about challenges facing their community. Or their favorite ice cream flavor. Karen, Kaitlyn and Sayre ask more pressing questions. Two Year-10 Oak Grove boys take the game seriously and celebrate their victory in a game with these fascinating American kids.

              Roosevelt students didn’t know that they’d be leading two lessons when they arrived today. They had one hour to figure it out.               Sixth graders were first, those cuties, and because John Harkin was insistent our workshop occur in the foyer of the school, we were soon blasting the premises with noise, our students building rock-paper-scissor trains and shouting names. A couple scouts were sent from upstairs to find out what in Heavens’ name was going on and returned with word that, Oh, it’s the Americans. I would have tried to tamp it down, but if John wanted us there in the foyer, right in the heart of the entrances and exits of the school, I figured he knew what he was getting. And indeed he did, smiling to see us so boisterous and joyful and bringing Oakgrove along, future HFBers, leaders, and healers.           ...

We think this is what John Harkin told his students this morning. Because after a morning of Seattle-led interactive workshops with 6th graders and 9th graders, we had quite a crowd of uniformed Oak Grove students joining us in the bus. Where are we going? What are we doing? Unimportant. Just wear something you can get muddy.  So. We landed at a stretch of undeveloped land above Ness Country Park with a grand horizon of green in all directions and old farm buildings, stone fences, and the sight of herds of sheep here and there.  We had 26 Oak Grove students, 16 of ours, and 7 adults. We were quite a sight. First, We met with Robert, a project leader with the Woodland Trust who explained the need for re-planting a large expanse of hillside with native trees. Why? The habitat supports spawning salmon and will do better with more trees, the entire Island has lost too much of its ancient forest. We need to extend the natural forest here and plant Scots Pine, Hazelwood, Oak and Ash...