YOUNG PEOPLE OF OMAGH AND NEW YORK SHARE EXPERIENCES
Young people of Omagh and New York share experiences
YOUNG people from Omagh linked up recently with students from two schools in the Ground Zero area of New York to share experiences of trauma.
The video conferencing link-up was organised by the Western Education and Library Board in collaboration with Virtual Presence International, USA, as part of its education and youth outreach to the USA.
The aim was to help the American students cope with the post traumatic stress many were experiencing following the tragic events of September 11.
Students from the two schools, Stuyvesant High School and Borough of Manhattan Community College, which are situated only two blocks away from the Twin Towers, had witnessed the atrocity as it was occurring.
The Borough of Manhattan Schools was badly damaged. The students were evacuated for several months and have only just returned.
The Omagh panel was composed of members of the Omagh Youth Centre and some university students who had been caught up in the Omagh
bomb. Two of the latter had been injured in the explosion.
Clinton support
The conference began with a message of support from Senator Hillary Clinton. She expressed her delight that the young people from New York and Omagh had come together via video conference to share their painful experiences and to look to the future. She hoped that they would be stronger as a result and that, through their youthful resilience, they could point the way to "a bright and shining future".
The young people form Omagh who took part in the video conference included Kelley Fox, David Eccles and Brendan Kelly, (Omagh Youth Centre), as well as Claire Gallagher, Lee-Ann Drumm and Conor Keyes (university students).
The video conference lasted two hours. The young people discussed the impact of the trauma on their personal lives and on their communities.
Two young people from Omagh Youth Centre outlined their project "Who Cares?", which they had devised to help their peers deal with depression or other emotional stress which can manifest itself at any stage following a traumatic experience. This idea of youth playing a part in the healing process was very well received by the US students.
Conference organiser, the Western Education and Library Board's international officer, Marie Martin, commented: "I am very happy with this
video conference. It is the second of its kind we have done since September 11.
After the first one, we were told that we had helped the young Americans to begin the process of "mending their spirits". This process was continued in our virtual meeting with the Ground Zero students. The video conference was an outstanding example of technology, enabling young people, separated by great distance, to reach out to one another in real time and to support one another by sharing their stories and coping strategies."
Mrs. Martin continued: "Although the topic was sensitive and challenging, the Omagh panel rose to the occasion, as they were all motivated by a genuine desire to reach out to their American peers and found it easy to empathise with the stories they heard."
YOUNG people from Omagh linked up recently with students from two schools in the Ground Zero area of New York to share experiences of trauma.
The video conferencing link-up was organised by the Western Education and Library Board in collaboration with Virtual Presence International, USA, as part of its education and youth outreach to the USA.
The aim was to help the American students cope with the post traumatic stress many were experiencing following the tragic events of September 11.
Students from the two schools, Stuyvesant High School and Borough of Manhattan Community College, which are situated only two blocks away from the Twin Towers, had witnessed the atrocity as it was occurring.
The Borough of Manhattan Schools was badly damaged. The students were evacuated for several months and have only just returned.
The Omagh panel was composed of members of the Omagh Youth Centre and some university students who had been caught up in the Omagh
bomb. Two of the latter had been injured in the explosion.
Clinton support
The conference began with a message of support from Senator Hillary Clinton. She expressed her delight that the young people from New York and Omagh had come together via video conference to share their painful experiences and to look to the future. She hoped that they would be stronger as a result and that, through their youthful resilience, they could point the way to "a bright and shining future".
The young people form Omagh who took part in the video conference included Kelley Fox, David Eccles and Brendan Kelly, (Omagh Youth Centre), as well as Claire Gallagher, Lee-Ann Drumm and Conor Keyes (university students).
The video conference lasted two hours. The young people discussed the impact of the trauma on their personal lives and on their communities.
Two young people from Omagh Youth Centre outlined their project "Who Cares?", which they had devised to help their peers deal with depression or other emotional stress which can manifest itself at any stage following a traumatic experience. This idea of youth playing a part in the healing process was very well received by the US students.
Conference organiser, the Western Education and Library Board's international officer, Marie Martin, commented: "I am very happy with this
video conference. It is the second of its kind we have done since September 11.
After the first one, we were told that we had helped the young Americans to begin the process of "mending their spirits". This process was continued in our virtual meeting with the Ground Zero students. The video conference was an outstanding example of technology, enabling young people, separated by great distance, to reach out to one another in real time and to support one another by sharing their stories and coping strategies."
Mrs. Martin continued: "Although the topic was sensitive and challenging, the Omagh panel rose to the occasion, as they were all motivated by a genuine desire to reach out to their American peers and found it easy to empathise with the stories they heard."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1050
Published Date: 16-May-02
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