Peace Heroines: Spotlight on Stormont

Peace Heroines: Spotlight on Stormont by Allan LEONARD 21 September 2022 The Herstory project, established in 2016 to elevate the stories of women in national histories, launched an art exhibition at the Long Gallery in Parliament Buildings, Belfast. “Peace Heroines” features nine vibrant, largescale individual portrait paintings by artist FRIZ — women who have made an indelible mark … Continue reading Peace Heroines: Spotlight on Stormont

Center for Global Peace Journalism 10th anniversary symposium

Center for Global Peace Journalism 10th anniversary symposium by Allan LEONARD 14 March 2022 The Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University recently held an online symposium to mark its 10th anniversary. The agenda was to look back on the Center’s accomplishments and forward to the future of peace journalism. Leading experts from around … Continue reading Center for Global Peace Journalism 10th anniversary symposium

Musicking for peacebuilding

Musicking for peacebuilding Sounding Conflict: From Resistance to Reconciliation by Allan LEONARD 28 November 2019 The state-of-the-art acoustic facility, the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) at Queen’s University Belfast, was a most appropriate meeting place for a two-day symposium that explored the roles of music, from activist resistance to a hopeful tool for reconciliation from … Continue reading Musicking for peacebuilding

Lost Lives: Beauty from sorrow

Lost Lives: Beauty from sorrow by Allan LEONARD 1 October 2019 At Queen’s Film Theatre, Dermot Lavery and Michael Hewitt welcomed guests to a preview screening of Lost Lives, inspired by the acclaimed book of the same name, one which Lavery described as a monumental achievement: “Lost Lives was always at my side when I … Continue reading Lost Lives: Beauty from sorrow

Is ethical journalism possible in a contested place?

Is ethical journalism possible in a contested place? by Allan LEONARD 27 May 2019 At a public lecture event hosted by the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, at Queen’s University, Professor Steven Youngblood (Director, Center for Global Peace Journalism, Park University, Missouri) discussed the ethics of journalism in a … Continue reading Is ethical journalism possible in a contested place?

“Understanding irrationality to save the human race”: Lord John ALDERDICE

Understanding irrationality to save the human race: Lord John Alderdice by Allan LEONARD 15 May 2019 The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast hosted a spring conference in honour of the 10th anniversary of the awarding of an honorary degree to President Daisaku Ikeda (President, Soka … Continue reading “Understanding irrationality to save the human race”: Lord John ALDERDICE

Doing our part: Dealing with bonfires

Doing our part: Dealing with bonfires by Allan LEONARD 9 May 2019 Greater Shankill Alternatives, which is part of a co-ordinating initiative on restorative justice across Northern Ireland, hosted a workshop session that explored various aspects of the tradition of bonfires and the organisation’s approaches of engagement with groups who construct these structures for annual … Continue reading Doing our part: Dealing with bonfires

Art in Trouble: Expressing Shankill’s story through creative participation

Art in Trouble: Expressing Shankill’s story through creative participation by Allan LEONARD 28 March 2019 Billed as part of the Imagine! Festival, the Spectrum Centre hosted a European Arts Education Platform session, “Art in Trouble”, on how the people of the Shankill neighbourhood of Belfast have told their stories more recently, through a variety of … Continue reading Art in Trouble: Expressing Shankill’s story through creative participation

Book review — Don’t Mention the War (Vicky Cosstick)

Book review — Don’t Mention the War (Vicky Cosstick) by Allan LEONARD 5 March 2019 Don’t Mention the War is an e-book by Vicky Cosstick, published by ChangeAware in association with Northern Slant, that aims to explore aspects of legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in a set of five chapters covering the peace process, … Continue reading Book review — Don’t Mention the War (Vicky Cosstick)

Bear witness for peace: International Peace Day 2018

Bear witness for peace: International Peace Day 2018 by Allan LEONARD 21 September 2018 In support for International Peace Day and in conjunction with Good Relations Week and Culture Night Belfast, Belfast City Council hosted an event that featured a keynote speech by Rev. Trevor Williams, addresses by Councillor Tim Attwood, Susan Picken, Jennifer Skillen, … Continue reading Bear witness for peace: International Peace Day 2018

Another fine edition of our human books: Living Library

Another fine edition of our human books: Living Library by Allan LEONARD 17 September 2018 As part of Good Relations Week 2018, Belfast City Council hosted its seventh annual Living Library event, where public visitors come in to borrow a “human book” -- a person who sits across from you in a one-to-one storytelling session. … Continue reading Another fine edition of our human books: Living Library

Sustaining hope for peace: Global Conflict 2018

Sustaining hope for peace: Global Conflict 2018 by Allan LEONARD 23 August 2018 In partnership with the University of Chicago and its Pearson Institute, Queen’s University Belfast hosted a two-day conference, “Global Conflict: The Human Impact”. This report recounts the first day’s events, which focussed on sharing learning from the peace processes in Northern Ireland … Continue reading Sustaining hope for peace: Global Conflict 2018