In June, a team of twenty Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) students and faculty members traveled to Northern Ireland as part of a unique ten-day field study course, Global Healing in Action and Policy. Presented by the Center for Justice Reform, this class was designed with the goal of providing students with an immersive experience learning how other countries have moved through politicized violence and divisiveness toward peace.
Place-based learning and field study opportunities run deep at VLGS. We believe that experiential education empowers students to advance their classroom experiences, enhancing cultural competence and diversifying the learning experience through exposure to different landscapes and perspectives.
Tensions have existed for centuries in the area called “Northern Ireland,” which borders the Republic of Ireland but is currently part of the United Kingdom.
Between the 1960s and 1998, “The Troubles,” known also as the Northern Ireland Conflict, occurred between Catholic nationalists (who sought a united, independent Ireland), and Protestant unionists (who wished to remain part of the United Kingdom).
Over the course of this violent period colored by differences in political, socioeconomic, religious, cultural, and geographic identity, 3,500 lives were lost. Some 30,000 more were injured. In 1998, a settlement was reached with the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), which included both the British and Irish governments, as well as eight Northern Irish political parties.
With this context in mind, the field study course focused on both policies, including the GFA, and restorative practices, such as community dialogues, that have helped Northern Ireland move toward peace. Students were asked to reflect on presentations from policymakers and practitioners, and immerse themselves in the region’s rich memory and culture.
The student cohort bridged multiple degree programs and departments, both residential and online, creating a singular opportunity for connection among the VLGS community. Individuals pursuing the online Master of Arts in Restorative Justice (MARJ), Graduate Certificate in Restorative Justice (GCRJ), residential joint JD/MARJ, residential JD and Online Hybrid JD (OHJD), and Master of Public Policy (MPP) took part in the trip.
The group began in Dublin, Ireland, proceeding across the border to visit Belfast, Ballycastle, and Londonderry (Derry), finally heading back to Dublin to fly home.
Healing in Progress: Policy and Practice
Dr. Hedley Abernethy, a renowned restorative justice leader in Northern Ireland who has spent significant time in the United States, helped VLGS organize its speaker series.
To engage with policy, the group met with David Ford, former Minister of Justice, and Richard Good, advisor to Minister of Justice, who both held office in Northern Ireland during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations.
Students also spoke with Lesley Carroll of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, an organization continuing investigations into crimes committed during the Troubles and working through acts of acknowledgment and reparation; the Police Service of Northern Ireland; Dr. Kieran McEvoy, chair of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security, and Justice at Queens University; and Dr. Duncan Morrow, an expert in Northern Ireland’s conflict at Ulster University.
“There were so many layers to the trip. On both a personal level and an educational level—it was life changing,” student Latisha Rossi JD’27 shared. “I came home and told my husband there is no going back—there is only before Northern Ireland or after. I feel like I have a purpose.”
To gain understanding of the practices used, students met with restorative justice organizations: Alternatives Restorative Justice, which works primarily with Protestant communities, and Community Restorative Justice Ireland, which works primarily with Catholic communities. Students also engaged with two organizations that used storytelling and advocacy by victims of political violence, including the Belfast-based WAVE Trauma Center and the Londonderry (Derry) based Theatre of Witness. Additionally, students spent time with members of the Turnaround Project, which specializes in community building, as well as 174 Trust/Circles of Change, a community dialogue program. The group also spent a portion of the trip at Corrymeela, Northern Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation center, learning firsthand about its work.
Other highlights included a meeting with Reverend Shona Bell, who spoke about the concept of civic courage; Tony Macaulay, a memoirist and fiction writer who specializes in the Troubles; and Jon McCourt, a former IRA member and Bloody Sunday survivor who is now a peacebuilder.
Students took “Black Taxi Tours” to view Belfast’s murals and peace walls, and walking tours of Londonderry (Derry). They also received a tour of Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“Through seeing the devastating impacts of politicized violence, students came to understand both Northern Ireland and divisiveness in other countries with fresh eyes,” said Center for Justice Reform director and course professor Dr. Quixada Moore-Vissing.
“Together, we found hope in the perseverance toward peace that everyday people in Northern Ireland kept pushing for, and the resiliency of the human spirit to see that nonviolence was the only way forward.”