Children from several Northern Ireland schools have taken part in a series of shared education activities designed to build friendships and develop new skills across community backgrounds.

Pupils from Richmond Primary School, St Malachy’s Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School in Ballygawley collaborated on a combined digital literacy and storytelling project. They worked with author Declan Carville to write original stories, then, with support from the AmmA Centre, turned the stories into digital productions.

The Ballygawley initiative also included sports and Scottish country dancing, complementing the classroom-based sessions.

In a separate partnership, Orchard County Primary School and St Patrick’s Primary School held an outdoor learning day at Parkanaur Forest. Organised with the Speedwell Trust, the pupils took part in a bug hunt and team games.

A parallel event brought together post-primary students from St Joseph’s College, Devenish College and Erne Integrated College for an end-of-term celebration featuring sports challenges and inflatable activities.

All projects were delivered through PEACEPLUS ASPIRE (Advancing Shared Partnerships through Inclusive Relationships in Education), a programme led by the Education Authority alongside partners Léargas, Early Years, the National Childhood Network and the Fermanagh Trust. It is funded via the PEACEPLUS programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body, with the goal of fostering sustained, direct contact between children and young people from all backgrounds.