Our program today makes its great transition to the island of Ireland! Our students have been already involved in an intensive two week, seven hour a day, pre-departure course at Walsh Jesuit. Our faculty consist of Ms. Duarte, Mrs. Varnish, Mr. Bizga, Mr. McLenaghan, SJ, and Mr. Brennan of St. Ignatius. In addition, we are joined by Our Program Coordinator, Mr. Raymond Lennon, has been hard at work assisting us in creating a program that would bring our curriculum to life and help our students become "citizen ambassadors" to learn from the lessons of the Irish Peace Process.
On May 13, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at NYU’s commencement about the power of this generation to change the world. She said in part:
The biggest challenges we face today will be solved by the 60 percent of the world’s population under the age of 30. And already, young people, like all of you, are using their talents and ingenuity to help fashion their own brand of service and diplomacy….
....Be the special envoys of your ideals; use the communication tools at your disposal to advance the interests of our nation and humanity everywhere; be citizen ambassadors using your personal and professional lives to forge global partnerships, build on a common commitment to solving our planet’s common problems. By creating your own networks, you can extend the power of governments to meet the needs of this and future generations.You can help lay the groundwork for the kind of global cooperation that is essential if we wish, in our time, to end hunger and defeat disease, to combat climate change, and to give every child the chance to live up to his or her God-given potential.
Our "citizen ambassadors" arrived today in Belfast. It is exciting to see how they will apply the knowledge they have gained and be able to glean lessons from the architects of the Irish Peace Process. We hope that you join with us and follow their experience. You are able to comment on the blog and we hope you will share it with your family and friends.
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