Ulster Project Utah
2500 E. 3900 S.
Salt Lake City, Utah 84117
A Volunteer, 501c(3) Non-Profit Organization - Established 1984


THE PROBLEM

We have been trapped in history," says Reverend Canon Kerry Waterstone, The founder of the Ulster Project. Eight hundred years of historic Irish conflict has created a country at war with itself. Although the two sides are labeled "Protestant" and "Catholic," the conflict is not about religion. The people of Northern Ireland are divided by historic, cultural, and socio-economic factors. These divisions have been widened by disparate political aspirations and exacerbated by militant radicals, resulting in a country divided against itself.

For the most part, Northern Ireland is, by mutual choice, a severely segregated society. Catholics and Protestants not only go to different churches, but they go to separate schools, live in separate neighborhoods, play different sports, and participate in different cultural activities. Since 1969, an entire generation of Northern Irish has grown to maturity under martial law.

SEEDS OF PEACE...

The Ulster Project was founded by Reverend Waterstone in 1974 as a means of bridging the gulf between the two Northern Irish communities. The simple plan was to provide a place away from peers and society where Northern Irish teens can come together to know one another as individuals. Thirty American cities have hosted Ulster projects. Since 1986, Salt Lake City has annually hosted twelve teens from the town of Omagh, County Tyrone, N.I.

Irish teens and their Utah host teens participate in a variety of activities, including ecumenical religious services, discussion sessions, field trips, camp-outs, and community service projects.

The intensive program is designed to open and encourage channels of communication between Northern Irish teens. It is the firm belief of the project that such communication will lead to mutual understanding, tolerance, trust, and reconciliation. In this environment of friendship, the seeds of long-term change are planted, offering the hope of peace and a shared vision of the future.

...SIGNS OF HOPE

While the Ulster Project has not brought an end to what the Irish call "The Troubles," it has shown that 800 years of violent history can indeed be set aside. Teachers in Northern Ireland have reported that returning teens are more accepting, slower to judge, and more willing to consider other points of view. In addition, many enduring friendships have been formed. Northern Irish Protestant and Catholic teens have continued to hold reunions and meet with each other after their return from Utah.

But the Northern Irish are not the sole beneficiaries of the project; their American hosts benefit as well. Not only are they given an understanding of another culture, but they also gain a greater appreciation of the freedoms they enjoy as American citizens. It's also a lot of fun. Utah host teens have repeatedly told project organizers that their month in the Ulster Project was the greatest time they ever had in their lives.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

  • The Ulster Project is an ecumenical peace project that has shown that 800 years of violent history can be set aside

  • The Ulster Project Utah is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization

  • The project is endorsed by Protestant and Catholic leaders and supported by religious leaders in both the United States and Ireland

  • Many host families, volunteers and participants have no Irish ancestry

  • The Ulster Project Utah program has been working for peace in Northern Ireland since 1986

  • The Ulster Project Utah program has brought more than 100 Catholic and Protestant teenagers to Salt Lake City from Omagh, Northern Ireland

  • The Ulster Project Utah program provides an intensive program during the month of July for the Northern Irish teens, their American host teens and families

  • The Ulster Project Utah program is supported by grants and donations from foundations, religious groups, businesses, and individuals.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

The Ulster Project Utah is a volunteer organization. It is funded entirely through charitable donations. Each year the project must raise over $20,000 for air fare, insurance, and program costs. All moneys collected go into paying for these expenses. While we have so far been successful in raising this money year to year, we are trying to establish a long-term endowment fund to insure the projects future. Your donation to either the endowment fund or yearly project funding will help us continue this worthwhile endeavor. Your tax deductible contribution is deeply appreciated.

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Last Update: 19-Nov-97 Copyright © 1997
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