Yesterday I was in Stroke City for the day leading a Field Trip for a group of Protestant youth leaders whom I’ve been training to deliver the Preparing Youth to be Peacemakers programme. It was absolutely BALTIC! I haven’t been as cold as that for ages. The temperature gauge in the minibus registered 5.7 degrees when we got to Derry but it definitely felt colder with the wind chill. We did two walking tours, one with a guide coming from a Protestant perspective and the other with a guide from a Republican perspective. The guides were excellent and knew their facts and their city well. For dinner we ate together at the City Hotel in the company of a couple of Catholic youth workers who allowed the group to ask loads of questions about their faith perspective. The group really enjoyed the day and it’s probably been the best Field Trip I’ve been a part of in terms of the input of the guides and engagement of the group. Stories were exchanged and I think there is something powerful in that. At another meeting I was at this week a group of us were discussing how when two people share their stories with each other they go away from that encounter changed at some level for having heard each other’s stories. I really like Derry, it’s just not your average city and has got a lot of character to it and fascinating history. If you’re ever in that neck of the woods definitely take the chance to get to know the place a little better through the eyes of qualified guides who will maybe push your buttons and challenge your conceptions but definitely open your eyes.

(Photo courtesy of CAIN)