Can the Differences be Healed?

A scheme invented by Dave Wood and hosted by The Cnocnafeola Residential and Activity Centre, Atticall, Kilkeel, is already yielding creative and positive results.

The collaboration of Dave Wood (community arts worker from Nottingham) and Mairead White MBE and the local community, recently received financial support from the Community Relations Council for this innovative approach.

It is a scheme designed specifically to help communities deal with the conflict and the process of reconciliation and to encourage people to take opportuinities arising from the peace process. These ideas were much to the fore at the conference for Diversity and Peace Building recently held in Newry.

Dave, who has no political or religious affiliations, says, Creativity is a great building block for the healing process. It enables an ease of discussion; participants feeling able to express themselves about thorny subjects through the more abstract and metaphoric image...creating poems as groups can also initiate fertilisation of cross cultural activity.

Since arrival in Atticall, Dave has been very busy working with a variety of groups from all backgrounds and ages. He has helped people in Kilkeel and Atticall to create poems, he's sat in shops and interviewed them, worked with local youth, a U3A group and chatted with visitors in Kilkeel Library. He also popped in for a barbecue with Mourne Stiimulus. Oh, then there was the conversation with the bus driver…

Mairead says

The results of the process will be displayed in the Cnocnafeola Centre when Dave returns in September. See you all there.

Anyone interested in the project should email Dave Wood; davewrite2002@yahoo.com.