Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
STUDENTS PUT ULSTER SCHOOLS ON THE MAP
US trip to showcase peace plan
STUDENTS from three schools in the same town have made history with a cross-community mapping project designed to promote peace.
The trio were the first from outside the US to present their work to 19,000 people at the world’s largest Geographic Information Systems conference in San Diego.
The project, developed through a shared education programme, involved Lurgan College, St Ronan’s College and Lurgan Junior High School.
It brought together Catholic and Protestant children to explore sectarian divisions in the Co Armagh town and work together to enable positive change.
Lurgan College head of geography Alistair Hamill said: “It is an incredible honour to have been chosen by Esri to travel to the US and present in front of such an engaged and global audience.
“The students are an inspiration and this has been a life-changing experience for them.
“As well as presenting at this prestigious event, through the project they have increased their understanding of their town and each other – forming lifelong bonds with new friends.
“They have also shown the power of collaboration and demonstrated the possibility of a more peaceful and inclusive future.”
Students visited different parts of Lurgan, rating how safe they felt on Esri’s mobile apps.
They then used an online mapping platform from the geographic software developer to analyse the data, finding that become powerful agents for positive social change in their community.”
Esri founder and president Jack Dangermond describe the students’ efforts as “truly inspiring”.
He said: “They are the next generation of decision-makers and they show us new ways of thinking about old problems by demonstrating the capability of technology, geography and innovation to solve future challenges.”
A student and teacher from each of the three schools involved in the Lurgan Shared Education Project travelled to San Diego last month with a PSNI officer to present their project at the week-long conference.
A Department of Education spokesperson added: “The number of pupils involved in shared education continues to grow and the benefits of children from different community backgrounds being educated together cannot be overstated.”