Ciara Henderson

• BA Hons Politics
• The Role of Non-Profit Organizations in Bridging Ethnic Divides Through Integrated Education: Northern Ireland

This research project will examine the effectiveness of non-governmental organizations in creating and sustaining integrated primary and post-primary education in Northern Ireland as a means of bridging communal divides between the Protestant majority and Catholic minority. To this end, the project will examine the role of Northern Ireland’s education system—a system which is effectively divided along communal lines—in sustaining social and political divisions. NGOs such as the Northern Irish Council for Integrated Education have played a crucial role in navigating religious education in integrated schools, facilitating a schools’ transformation into integrated status and the growth of existing integrated schools. It will then consider how these challenges, put forth by opposing governmental and religious bodies, impede the growth of the integrated education sector which attempts to foster peaceful interaction and social renewal. Finally, it will examine how NGOs can continue to further integrated education in a divided Northern Ireland.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Supervisor: Dr Ian O’Flynn