The future of this place needs to take young people’s voices into the conversation so we can create a new legacy.” Blue Andrews
Blue Andrews enthralled audiences at the 25th Anniversary Civic Reception of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement on 25 May 2023. The event was hosted by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris MP, and attended by Micheál Martin, Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence.
Blue is a participant on the Springboard Opps Our Lives, Our Legacy programme. The Community Relations Council supports the organisation through its Core Funding Scheme.
At the event, Blue shared the experiences of young people living in communities impacted by the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland:
“My experience so far has been a world of prejudice and one where mistrust runs deep … where peace is fragile and where the echoes of violence still lingers. The walls around us are not just physical, but mental and emotional, too.”
Blue went on to say: “It was only through having the opportunity to join an organisation like Springboard Opps and being exposed to people from different communities, as well as a safe space to talk about these things that I am now more understanding and recognise the impact of growing up in a post-conflict society.”
Through the Our Lives, Our Legacy project (funded by Spirit of 2012, Moments to Connect Fund) Blue and his peers have taken the lead in exploring the legacy of the conflict through their lived experience. At a newly planned event for Good Relations Week 2023 (which takes place September 18-24), they will showcase the hopes and aspirations of young people for the next 25 years.
Chris Heaton-Harris recognised the invaluable support of the local community and provided support with his social media post on Twitter: “As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, it was a privilege to meet community workers, charities & young people from across NI working towards community reconciliation.”
Read more about Springboard Opps
Blue Andrews’ Speech
Below is Blue Andrews’ speech in full, which was delivered at the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement 25th Anniversary Civic Reception.
Hi everyone, I’ve never spoken in front of this many people before so please bear with me.
My name is Blue and I am a 20-year-old who has grown up in an area of Belfast that was deeply affected by the Troubles … and still is to this day. As I stand here I do so as someone who has been on a journey but one which led me to now being involved in cross community programmes with a youth organisation: Springboard Opportunities.
As a young person who grew up living at an interface, surrounded by division all I knew was an attitude of us and them.
Born five years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement I knew very little about it or its impact. In fact, I actually thought it was something to do with King Billy and James Connolly.
My experience so far has been a world of prejudice and one where mistrust runs deep … where peace is fragile and where the echoes of violence still lingers. The walls around us are not just physical but mental and emotional too. My friends and the people I associated with were always aware of the differences we had with people from the other side… whether it was the flag we identified with or the cultures we celebrated so you can forgive me for not knowing what this peace agreement was.
I know the scars of the Troubles are still fresh in the minds of many but our struggles are very similar regardless of our background. These are the cards that young people like myself has been dealt and rather than seeing differences as barriers we need to see them more as bridges to understanding and connection.
It was only through having the opportunity to join an organisation like Springboard and being exposed to people from different communities, as well as a safe space to talk about these things that I am now more understanding and recognise the impact of growing up in a post conflict society.
The project I am currently involved in is called Our Lives Our Legacy which was built off this idea – to explore the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict through our own lived experiences and reflect on our hopes for the future.
As a group we are exploring what the Good Friday Agreement means to young people and the impact it has had. We are consulting with other young people about their thoughts/hopes for the future. We will share our learning by running an event as well as going into schools to do workshops, doing our own podcast and much more throughout the year to show the aspirations, dreams and struggles young people of the next generation have.
Through the programme I understand how fortunate I am in many ways of growing up in a time when the Good Friday Agreement has set in motion the wheels of change. It was a beacon of hope, a symbol that a new era was coming and that the path towards peace and reconciliation was being paved. It has allowed groups like the one I’m on to happen and if it wasn’t for this I would never have built relationships with peers from other communities with different backgrounds. It encourages us to overcome differences and find common ground by having challenging conversations. I now look for opportunities to connect with individuals from different backgrounds, to challenge the prejudices I had inherited and to learn from their stories and experiences. I know there is still a lot of work to be done, scars run deep and they can’t be removed overnight, it’s going to take time but it shouldn’t define us. The future of this place needs to take young people’s voices into the conversation so we can create a new legacy.
I stand here now as proof of the progress we have made.
As John Hume once said, “Difference is the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict.”