Almost 50 young people from diverse backgrounds are participating in an intercultural summer camp in Donegal this week.
Student show racism the red card
The camp, organised annually by the anti-racism charity Show Racism the Red Card, aims to promote integration amongst 11 to 16-year-olds.
Based at the West Donegal Adventure Centre in Glencolmcille, it began last Sunday (18th August) and will run until this coming Saturday, 24th August.
There is a strong cross-border and inter-faith dimension to the camp this year, with 24 participants hailing from the Newtownabbey, Rathcoole, Ballyduff and Glengormley areas of Belfast.
Other participants include young people of African and Eastern European origin, as well as from a range of different counties, including Carlow, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon and Sligo.
Fifteen volunteers from diverse cultural backgrounds – including Spanish, Russian, Somali, English and Irish volunteers – are assisting Show Racism the Red Card staff in running the camp.
Those attending are exposed to various languages, with lessons in Slovenian, Russian, Spanish and Irish.
There are daily presentations on the home countries and cultures of participants and volunteers, with traditional dances, songs and stories from India, Russia and Slovenia included in the programme for the week.
There is a heavy emphasis on sports and outdoors activities, and participants are also invited to perform plays and concerts for the local community.
Commenting today Garrett Mullan, Coordinator of Show Racism the Red Card, said: “Unfortunately, racism exists in Ireland and, quite often, it is perpetuated because young people hear their parents expressing racist views. The purpose of our summer camps – and, indeed, all our work – is to equip young people with the skills to think independently, to understand what causes racism and how to challenge it, and to promote integration and interculturalism.
“At the camp, cultural barriers are broken down: young people from very diverse religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds are encouraged and facilitated to work, learn and play alongside each other.”
Further information on the Show Racism the Red Card summer camp is available at: www.theredcard.ie/camp.php.