"When you have a lot of children, you just find a place for whomever comes into your home, whether it's a child from the neighborhood, your church, the soccer team, or another country." Angela Zale talked about her family hosting Eamonn, a 14-year-old boy from Belfast, Northern Island, who has been here for about half of his 30-day visit. He is one of about 24 Catholic and Protestant boys and girls between 10 and 14-years-old who come to the Rochester area from Belfast each summer as part of the Irish Children's Program (ICP). This is the second consecutive summer that Eamonn has visited the Zales. The Zale family in Brockport's Sweden Village includes: Sammy, 9; Christian, 14; Amanda, a recent high school graduate and Mike in his early 20s who is home each summer. An older daughter, Alyssa, visits frequently from Spencerport. Lary Zale is their father. "Over here it is more quiet, bigger, and more space," Eamonn said of American life in Brockport. "The towns are bigger and the streets are wider than back home." His favorite thing is being in the sun in a tee shirt and bare feet, which is not possible in Belfast's colder and overcast climate. He liked his visit to Darien Lake and loves playing soccer and basketball here. With this July's weather imitating Belfast, there has been a lot of indoor activity like playing baseball on the X-box®, watching Nickelodeon and professional baseball on TV. Amanda says she likes being "big sister" to Eamonn. "We enjoy joking around together," she said. "He is a well-mannered kid and a great influence on my brothers. He's fun to hang around with." "I like to make new friends in the program and make friends in a different country," Eamonn said, describing the highlights of his experience. The child's sentiment of making new friends sounds like the Irish Children's Program is succeeding in its guiding principle of peace through understanding. Since its creation in 1982, the program has sponsored the visitation of an equal number of Catholic and Protestant children from Belfast to the greater Rochester area for a four to six week period each summer. The U.S. experience is intended as a respite from politically unsettled Northern Ireland. Catholic children stay in Protestant homes and vice versa. The ICP youth also enjoy organized Catholic-Protestant mixed activity in their own country and during their stay in the U.S. "In Brockport there is freedom to get on a bike and just go," Angela said. "In Belfast, it is not so easy. The communities pretty much stay in their own setting. Things are much better since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Until more details are worked out in the agreement," she added, "parents prefer that their kids stay in their own communities unless there is something organized for them across communities." "I have never been a person interested in history or politics at all," Angela said. "I think this country just grabbed my heart from a young age." Her concern for peace in Northern Ireland began when she was about 12 years old. She was aware of the two countries in conflict. She happened to see a television drama, based on a true story about a Catholic woman and a Protestant woman who had worked together on a peace process. Her conscious concern for that country continued through the 1980s and then waned. Soon after the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy, Angela saw a TV news report on the status of the conflict in Northern Ireland. With renewed concern for "what and why this is going on," she perused the internet and library material, thinking there should be something people could do to help out. Two years ago, she and Lary learned of the Irish Children's Program through a newspaper article. Angela has kept regular e-mail contact, almost weekly, with Eamonn's mother for over a year. Much like the Catholic woman and Protestant woman Angela admired as a girl, the communication between her and Eamonn's mother always has an underlying hope for peace. "We joke about everyday things about being mothers, but really very much at the core we have a passion for seeing things change there in a peaceful sensible way," Angela said. "Both communities want the best for the next generation." Eamonn's experience in the ICP shows promise for his generation. Of the first contact with the ICP's cross-community orientation, he said, "I figured they would be a little different; they might not have the same interests as me but I may as well try and get along with them since I am going to be with them for a while," Eamonn said. "It worked out." When asked if he saw any differences in the mixed group after two years in the program, he said, "No, there is no difference. We are just there to have good fun. Everyone joins in." As future citizens and leaders in Northern Ireland, Angela hopes all the ICP children share Eamonn's positive perspective: "If they can make it work on the soccer field together, in the future they can make it work around the table at city hall." For information on being a host family in the Irish Children's Program see the web site www.irishchildrensprogram.com. Or contact the local president of ICP, Betsy Prince, by e-mail bprince1@frontiernet.net or by phone (585) 621-7835. |
