Latest news with #BettyCarlisle
Euronews
03-03-2025
- General
- Euronews
'Women could not speak, now we have a voice': A cross-community centre for and by women in Belfast
Words, acknowledgement of others' pain and the simple sharing of experiences and courses foster resilience. Betty Carlisle, co-founder and director of the centre, explains that it first saw the light of day in 1987, when it "grew out of a poem that was written about the hummingbird" and its ability to fly. "Women are usually told they can't do things. So we said, come to the hummingbird and you can do things. The activities, she adds, are free of charge: "Everything is free, but we ask for a registration fee of 10 pounds (11.87 euros) per year to contribute to administration costs. This new centre allows women to meet other women. And it is easier to access from both sides of the community. The importance of speech Another feature of the centre is the importance of women's voices. The vast majority of the centre's staff and visitors are women from the different communities in the neighbourhood. Isabel Gibson, a Catholic, was involved in the crisis at Holy Cross School. "I had to move house because I received death threats from the paramilitaries," she confesses. Then she lost her daughter and her world fell apart. Through conversations with other women and acting classes she got back on her feet. "We can do as many courses as we want (...). We performed in a play and we had to act, we are a cross-community group and we talked about the Shankill women and how they felt dominated by their husbands, the paramilitaries. And it was the same in Ardoyne, where I live. Women could not speak, everything was said by men; whereas now we have a voice, we can speak. So it's much, much better" Betty Tompson is a Protestant. For a time she lived away from Belfast because her ex-partner was in prison for several years. She explains that he became involved with organisations and crime: "I didn't want my children to be like their father, who grew up with a criminal record (...). I understand Catholics and Protestants who have someone who was killed, and they hold that grudge, I understand that. Nothing like that happened to me, so I guess it was easier for me to move on. But not everyone can. Some people have it harder than others, I don't know. I didn't think I needed to go on holiday abroad until I came back here and now I've started to go on more holidays, holidays with friends". Betty announces that she and Isabel are preparing a trip together with their grandchildren to Spain.
Euronews
03-03-2025
- General
- Euronews
Northern Ireland: a cross-community women's centre promotes reconciliation
By Published on Northern Ireland launches a space for peace. The Shankill Shared Women's Centre in Belfast is a training and drop-in centre for women and children. Many are still suffering the aftermath of the religious conflict that caused thousands of deaths in the most divided corner of the UK. The Shankill Shared Women's Centre is located in Larnak Way, one of the most conflict-ridden areas during the fighting between those who defended their membership of the United Kingdom, mainly Protestants, and those who claimed to be part of the Republic of Ireland, mainly Catholics. A peace treaty was signed in 1998. The thirty years of conflict resulted in more than 3,500 dead, nearly 37,000 wounded and great suffering on both sides. "The centre is located on Larnak Way, which separates the Protestant community from the Catholic community in West Belfast. So we are situated on the so-called peace lines that run between those two communities". Betty Carlisle Executive director of the Shankill Shared Women's Centre The so-called peace lines are the barriers that separate Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods. They were erected to limit inter-community clashes. Although they are rare nowadays, the barriers do still work. The Shankill's metal door closes every night. A place with space and time for resilience The building has a nursery and several rooms where workshops, courses, conferences, etc. are offered. One of the project's objectives is to reduce inter-community tensions caused by the paramilitary conflict. The former partner and father of Betty Tompson's children, a Protestant, spent several years in prison. Isabel Gibson, a Catholic, received several death threats. Coming from two previously opposing sides, they are now friends. "The first time I came here I was very nervous. But it's good that we are all together because just five years ago I wouldn't have sat next to a Catholic. I sat down and started talking to her and that was it. I just thought: the past is the past, isn't it? You cannot live in the past. You have to move on. And forgive". Betty Tompson Beneficiary of the Shankill Shared Women's Centre The two go together two or three times a week to different workshops and activities. Isabel Gibson defines the experience as follows: "We don't come in here and say: Protestant, Catholic, Protestant; it's not like that, none of that. We are who we are, and that's it. This place is the best that has been opened in an inter-community area". The centre is fully funded by the European PEACE IV programme The renovation and construction of the Shankill Shared Women's Centre was planned years ago, but construction was delayed and the centre only opened last summer. The building, budgeted at 9.1 million euros, was entirely financed by European funds from the European Union's cohesion policy PEACE IV programme, a cross-border initiative designed to support peace in Northern Ireland. Betty Carlisle, executive director of the centre, explains that now the UK is "outside the European Union; but in 2016, when we got this money, we were in the Union. We provide education for women, from the most basic training to university entrance. All are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their age, religion, etc."
