Watch: Belfast actor Ciarán Hinds lends his voice to new Integrated Education Fund film

The Game of Thrones, Munich and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy actor narrated ‘Our Peace, Our Future,’ which tells the story of Integrated Education following the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement. The animation was produced by multi award-winning local agency White Noise and was funded by the International Fund for Ireland (IFI).

Peter Osborne, IEF Chair, welcomed guests, donors, supporters and young people to the iconic Strand Cinema in east Belfast just before it closes for period of renovation. Peter told the audience how the IEF is proud to have supported the development of 28 Integrated schools since 1998, helping to provide an additional 16,000 Integrated school places. He stated that demand was at its highest ever level following 27 positive parental ballots in support of schools transforming to Integration status in just the past five years.

Chairman of the IFI, Paddy Harte, introduced the animation, and commented on both the film and the launch event.

“This animation has been funded through the IFI’s ‘Our Peace Our Future’ initiative, which highlights the huge contribution that ordinary people have made to help deliver peace within communities, between communities and across the border in the last 25 years. We also want to look forward to the next 25 years, by exploring how communities can work together to foster peace and reconciliation in a meaningful way.

"This partnership with IEF examines the key role that integrated education plays in society as well as how it creates inclusion and diversity, which is the very core of what a shared future could look like across the island of Ireland.”

The event included an academic presentation on the progress of Integrated Education by Dr Matt Milliken, one of the co-authors of the ‘Transforming Education’ paper series by Ulster University. There was also a panel discussion hosted by reporter and presenter Jim Fitzpatrick which included Cecil Linehan, a founding member of ‘All Children Together’, journalist Mark Bain and Grace Boyle a member of the Integrated AlumNI.

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In the panel discussion Grace looked to the positive benefits of Integrated Education for the future of Northern Ireland.

“Some in Northern Ireland will perceive that integration simply means mixing across our traditional religious divide. But Integrated Education is so much more than that, it’s about setting people up for diverse life patterns and relationships; it’s about enhancing accessibility and breaking down barriers to education; it’s about embracing our pluralist identities and striving for a more peaceful society. Integrated Education is the one of the biggest community projects in Northern Ireland, so let’s make it work for everyone,” she said.

The launch event finished with the voice of integrated pupils sharing their stories of how they supported their schools and local communities, as recipients of the Baroness May Blood Award. The Baroness May Blood Award for Community Activism is presented annually to a particular Integrated pupil, or group of pupils, to acknowledge their contribution and commitment to community activism.