Alternatives gives offenders opportunities to make reparation to victims and the community and to set positive goals for change in their lives. Part of this process involves humanizing victims in the eyes of the offenders. This has led to cross-community and even cross-border projects so that programme participants learn about other people and their situations.

One such programme is called RECOVERY (Rejecting Existing Cultures of Violence and Empowering Responsible Youth). This six-month programme teaches young people about different types of violence, including racial and political violence. In November 2003, nine Protestant programme participants travelled to South Africa to work with a Southern Irish Catholic Priest building houses for the very poor. They were moved by the reality in which South Africans live. Billy Drummond, manager of Alternatives, provides a description of this trip below.

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The man who welcomed us to Imizamo Yethu and thanked us for coming held a child of two or three years in his arms. The boy was covered with the lesions that manifest in a body that is being destroyed by AIDS.  He is not the only one; iover a quarter of the 16,000 residents of Imizamo Yethu have AIDS.  As we were guided around the township, made up of thousands of flimsy shacks, many of which are without electricity and proper drainage, we were not just hit by the pungent smell but overcome emotionally by the conditions that these people live in. 

Our group came to the township to help with a building project initiated by Niall Mellon, a Dublin Property Developer who has donated £1 million of his own money to the scheme. The project provides brick homes to those living in shacks.  Our group spent two days on the project and although we made only a very small contribution we were humbled by the local people’s attitude toward life and by their appreciation for our involvement.   

Our two week study visit was facilitated by a South African Youth Worker name Paul LeGrange.  We participated in an inter-cultural workshop with local young people, visited a number of community projects, and toured many of the townships.  We met with many people, ranging from ANC activists to members of the Afrikaans Police services. We were inspired by the willingness of South Africans to put the past behind them and to focus on building a better future.  

South Africa offers visitors a wealth of activities. In addition to the township visits, we spent three days enjoying the varied landscapes and challenges that South Africa offers: participating in a big game drive, exploring cave routes, riding on the back of an Ostrich, and plunging off the biggest bungee jump in the world. 

The trip to South Africa was a great success.  All of the participants felt that it had made a major impact on them. As one young person stated, “we think we have problems at home but when you see how little these people have… I will never take anything for granted again”.   

The trip was the culmination of six months of hard work developing an awareness of community issues.  The participants had been part of Alternatives' RECOVERY project, which aims to develop young people's skills and confidence. The goal is to engage them in positive community activity as opposed to violent or anti-social behaviour. The group had made a video on violence, attended conferences, delivered workshops, received Youth Work and team building training, and organized a family fun day.   

A number of groups and individuals support the RECOVERY Project, such as Unltd, CRC, Niall Mellon, TEF and the Glencree Centre. In the end, however, its success is due to the hard work and commitment of the young people who have been great ambassadors for the Shankill. They are part of the effort to create a Shankill that is at ease with itself and its neighbours.  They are helping our community recover from the violence and difficulties of the past to build a vibrant, proud and confident future.

August 2004