Co-operation Ireland in partnership with the Nerve Centre, Derry will lead and facilitate a project exploring Brexit with college students. Colleges located in areas close to the border will explore and research topics such as freedom of movement, employability, education, health and friendships.
Students recruited from a range of courses will explore North/South relationships through the use of a variety of artistic or communicative media including video, photography and journalism. Due to the locations of the colleges and the estimated 2471 students from the Republic enrolled in Northern Ireland’s FE Colleges, it is envisaged that the students involved will be drawn from both sides of the Border.
The project will offer interactive exchanges for staff and students between the campuses involved, cross-border travel, personal and skills development, media training and much more.
The project will provide students and the colleges with a deeper understanding of the views and concerns of other communities across their respective regions for the future of relationships after Brexit and, by addressing misperceptions and encouraging greater empathy for other positions, will contribute to maintaining and strengthening relationships.
The project will also create opportunities for students to explore and discuss their vision for future relationships across these islands and provide them with a platform to present their aspirations and priorities to policy makers. By providing participants with wider information and the creative skills and inspiration to develop their own voice around one of the defining issues of our time and place, this project will create a more rounded perspective on Brexit.
The voices of young people will be used here to provide light, rather than heat, around the feelings of these critical stakeholders.