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Border Directions ?arts together? was initiated by Kaleidoscope Arts in Portadown, explains Lorien Gichuke.

The project began as a cross-community, cross-border arts initiative for young people from Portadown, Northern Ireland and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. The pilot project, The Other Side, started in February 1998 and involved a group from each target area in structured activity over six months. It was core-funded by Co-operation Ireland under the European Union Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, and involved twenty-five young people in photography, creative writing and poetry. This was the first contact between young people within their own locality and from either side of the border.

The successes of the pilot in committing regular numbers of young people to arts activity brought further funding from Co-operation Ireland for a second phase of projects, with the initial scope broadened to include cross-generation and women?s groups. Local artists led four projects for twenty-three groups over an eighteen month period, involving 300 participants from Portadown and Monaghan took part, with representation from Belfast and Dublin:

? ThreadBARE was a project for six women?s groups who used textile and creative crafts to express the varied role of woman as ?homemaker?.

? WebMAP involved young people in self-expression and activity from pottery and textiles to painting and making videos. ? Soundings was a development of the pilot project. Using photography, two youth groups gave a wonderfully humorous and imaginative exploration of their lives, providing a privileged insight into what excites, troubles and challenges them daily.

? MillenniumMAP, was a drama residential held at the Share Centre in County Fermanagh with sixty 12-18 year olds. It involved different forms of performance art, and culminated in mini-performances, with a video trailer shot in Portadown.

Some groups in Portadown declined to take part in the project, reluctant due to the general local atmosphere. This lessened to some extent the impact the project had on the situation within Portadown and on developing further cross-border contact. But while Border Directions can find reasons for failing in some instances to integrate people within two polarised communities, it was successful in maintaining involvement from those communities and, equally importantly, from across the border. Interest in the project grew from initial wariness to appreciation of the opportunity to develop skills and abilities, increase self-confidence and meet new people while exploring personal creativity and expression within a safe space. The project can be applauded for its use of the arts as a non-threatening catalyst for cross-community interaction, respect and understanding; the positive effects of involvement in arts projects remain tangible long after the funding has ended. Funding for Border Directions ended in May 2001, but an application will be made for Peace II funding when this new tranche for Northern Ireland is finalised later in the year.


Lorien Gichuke was Arts Development Officer at Border Directions ?arts together?. She is now Project Co-ordinator with Taking P@rt at Reading Borough Council e: lgichuke@hotmail.com