Helen Henderson is a Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC), combined with a long history of community education in Derry/Londonderry.

We explored Helen's work on peacebuilding and non-violence. For instance, how do you build peace between communities that have been in conflict for decades? Two things: spaces to discover common humanity; and growing critical literacy.

My reflection is that I've not had to worry about security. But that's a privilege others haven't had. And how important that work is, because so much else relies on feeling secure.

Links

Educating the Heart programme from Children in Crossfire, aims to "nurture compassion and emotional literacy alongside critical thinking and critical literacy".

Ethical and Shared Remembering at The Junction. "Ethical remembering will mean asking critical and ethical questions about violence, change, justice and peace in the context of the present and desired shared future. One hundred years on there will be no ethical remembering without remembering the future, and without an ethical and concrete commitment to building it together."

Timings

0:50 - Q1 What are you doing now? And how did you get there?

3:23 - BONUS QUESTION. Can you give us some examples of the peace-building work you have been involved with?

7:15 - BONUS QUESTION. How do you build peace between people whose families and communities have been in conflict for literally decades?

15:15 - BONUS QUESTION. What does a trauma-informed approach mean?

18:31 - Q2. What is the future you are trying to create, and why?

21:35 - Q3. What are your priorities for the next few years, and why?

24:59 - Q4. If someone was inspired to follow those priorities, what should they do next?

29:30 - Q5. If your younger self was starting their career now, what advice would you give them?

31:45 Q6. Who would you nominate to answer these questions, because you admire their approach?

33:55 Q7. Is there anything else important you feel you have to say?

Themes and quotes

- The role of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is to hold the state to account or duty bearers to count on who they are, they uphold the human rights of people in Northern Ireland.

-Future trying to create: 

• "I am recommitting myself to peace and non violence at this time, not just because of Northern Ireland and Ireland, but what's going on the world. Feeling that sort of the simplicity and language and binary kind of stuff going on around wars is very much alive."
• Also, amplifying some of the hidden voices that haven't been heard. It's also time to facilitate the people with the voices that are silent, especially from the woman sector. It has been the woman have been on the ground and in the communities holding the fort. But generally, I've heard that voice in an official or political level.

More here

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Thank you for listening! -- David