Emory University’s YTI Belfast Program Recently Updated

An ecumenical travel seminar to Belfast that explores “the Troubles” of Northern Ireland and how the people of Belfast have worked toward peace and reconciliation. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear directly from former combatants as well as survivors of this violent period in their region's history. We will learn what their lives were like then and why, since that time, they have chosen to use the political process to manage their conflicts. 

YTI's Journeys of Faith & Reconciliation: Belfast is a 10-day travel seminar to Belfast exploring “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland and how the people of Belfast have worked for peace and reconciliation. This seminar is framed in terms of how we might apply the lessons of Belfast to the conflicts we are experiencing in the US today. Open to high school students who will be 18-years-old by June 4, 2023.

The trip is led by Dr. Jillinda Weaver, the director of the Youth Theological Initiative, and Rev. Dr. Gary Mason, a world-renowned expert on the Northern Irish Peace Process. Rev. Dr. Mason played a key role advising Protestant ex-combatants during the peace process that continues today. 

The Youth Theological Initiative (YTI) is a 30-year program at Emory University. During YTI programs, teens explore their own questions about faith, justice, and their place in the world. While our expertise is rooted in Christian traditions, teens of any faith are welcomed and valued for the perspectives they bring. YTI provides scholarly tools teens can use to make sense of their own faith.