Volunteering Story

I was going to Northern Ireland for a year as a volunteer at the Corrymeela Community residential site. Corrymeela works in the field of Peace and Reconciliation. A question I received often was “why don’t you get a job and start earning here in Nepal.” It was hard for me to explain my feelings. However, I was sure that this experience was something that was good for me.

With many questions, excitement, and anxiety, I arrived at Corrymeela. After rigorous training for a month I was assigned to work with a group of young people from mixed backgrounds who were there with a program called SEED. Northern Ireland has a long history of conflict and violence. Catholic and Protestants have been (and continue to be) divided, which frequently brings tensions and violence. Even after an agreement between the conflicting parties, violent activities can still be seen.

With the troubles of Northern Ireland on my mind I was a bit nervous to work with the group. However, I did overcome my nervousness and welcomed them on the site. The group arrived and right away I could easily see how uncomfortable the group members were around one another. There could be two reasons for that, one because they didn’t know each other and next because of the religious barriers that they have been going through. It was a residential program and the group was there for two days and two nights. With some ice breakers, the first day was over. As a volunteer I also participated with the group activities. I was quiet all of the time. I would smile when they would smile or laugh; not because I was feeling shy (well perhaps a little), but mainly because it was hard for me to understand their English. Trust me, Irish English is a tough one to understand, and it is harder when you are listening to a young person speak. I felt so uneasy with the language barrier that I went to my volunteer coordinator and requested for her to not have me work with any more youth groups. Despite feeling nervous, I continued to work with the group for the weekend. During this time we shared life stories, went coasteering, and participated in workshops; at times situations would be tense, but they would quickly transition into being fun.

 At the end of the weekend I was so glad to be part of the group. The participants who were so uncomfortable with one another when they first arrived were now emotional to leave the group. Individuals and groups were hugging each other. They exchanged Facebook accounts and even created a Facebook group so that they could continue to build on their new relationships. For most, this was the first time the participants had interacted with or befriended others from the “other” side (in terms of religious sectarianism). Experiencing this amount of change in just a single weekend allowed me to see how important and vital small programs like this can be.