New book sharing stories of hope is launched

The series of short stories are written by local people across the generations sharing their experiences of the conflict in Northern Ireland. This account of personal stories follows the publication of ‘Conflict to Peace – Our Community Transformation’ which documented the twenty-five-year journey travelled by this community. Both books are important to record the experiences of people from our communities, including their contribution to peacebuilding while also demonstrating how people and projects positively influenced community regeneration.

‘Stories of Hope’ was developed as part of a Lisburn People’s Support Project (PSP) Good Relations project, supported by The Executive Office’s Central Good Relations Fund.

Philip Dean, Chair of Resurgam stated, “I am delighted to capture people’s transformational stories and I am aware of the difference these experiences had in the overall journey of community. This will leave a legacy for future generations.”

First Minister Paul Givan MLA commented, “As someone who has witnessed first-hand the incredible journey of the Resurgam Trust, I was a privileged to be a guest speaker at the Launch of the “Story of Hope” book which documents a series of short stories of a community that has transformed over the years. I commend all the volunteers from the Resurgam Trust, who have shared their stories of a community moving from conflict to peace.”

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP said: “We often forget that the transformation that has occurred in Northern Ireland over the past 20 years is not just about politics, but it is also about people and their impact on communities. Our peace is far from perfect but the journey we have been on is marked by thousands of footsteps of people who have sought to move this place forward and away from the dark days of the past.”