Northern Ireland has its history of the IRA and ‘the troubles’, which covers many years of violence, anger and hate.  Although in the last few years the situation has settled down, there is still an uneasy truce with many people, and a great deal of resentment is bubbling away just under the surface between the Catholics and the Protestants, in spite of all the talks of the matters being resolved.  On the whole though, the majority of people just wish to live side by side and in peace.

It was only by exploring Second Life that I came across a charity that I had never heard of before; it’s called Project Children, which is an American-Northern Ireland partnership.  The idea is for Catholic and Protestant youngsters to be treated to a holiday in America together, so they can get to know each other and realise that they really do have a lot in common.  The project poster says “In the end, it is not the politicians but the people who must secure a new future for Northern Ireland, through its work with Protestant and Catholic youth, Project Children is helping to bridge the divide between the two communities.”  The children stay with ‘host’ American families for 6 weeks and are included in all the usual family activities.

The SL location is called ‘The West of Ireland’ and it supports programs of the South Texas Celtic Music Association (STCMA), a recognized 501©3 non-profit organization in the United States.  Its mission is to promote Irish and Celtic culture within SL, as well as supporting Project Children.

The West of Ireland sim is a really nice place to visit, it has a traditional village setting with a pub and a dance club and I found the people there very welcoming.  If you wish to trace your Irish roots there is the Genealogy Source group that you can join for free.  There is a lovely gallery with some really great pieces of art which you can buy, the money from this goes towards the charity, so it’s all in a good cause.

Project Children was founded by Denis Mulcahy, a New York City Police Officer, who believes that “universal peace begins with one child at a time.”  The website states “The program started in 1975 with six children from Belfast, three from one community and three from the other.  The kids spent that summer in America, getting to know each other in a small New York town.”  The Project now places more than 600 Northern Ireland children a year with host families throughout America.

I think this is a lovely idea and Mr Mulcahy is doing what the polititians could never do, bringing people together!

The sim is lovely and worth visiting, plus you can show your support of this wonderful charity while you are there.

The West of Ireland
http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/128/128/30

Project Children    http://www.projectchildrenni.com/welcome.htm