Launch of Story Seeds – Island Story Makers!

Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Ray McAdam with 4th class students from Paradise Place ETNS

Launch of Story Seeds – Island Story Makers!

New project bringing together young writers from Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Cyprus to co-create a shared tale of peace, creativity, and connection.

On Friday, 8 May, we were thrilled to welcome Lord Mayor of Dulbin, Cllr. Ray McAdam, to officially launch Story Seeds – Island Story Makers!

This exciting initiative will unite four communities to write four chapters and create one unified story, weaving together their cultures, landmarks and imaginations into a collaborative adventure, while having fun. Because democracy isn’t just learned in classrooms - it’s lived through stories.

Uniting Four Communities

This exciting initiative will unite four communities to write four chapters and create one unified story, weaving together their cultures, landmarks and imaginations into a collaborative adventure, while having fun. Because democracy isn’t just learned in classrooms - it’s lived through stories.

This project is a partnership between Fighting Words, Fighting Words NI and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), empowering young people to explore their identities, celebrate their cultures and build bridges across communities, one chapter at a time.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam, emphasized the project’s alignment with the values of democracy and inclusivity:

“This project captures exactly what the Lord Mayor’s Initiative on Democracy is about. It gives young people the space to listen, to imagine, to create, and to understand one another across borders, cultures, and communities. Story Seeds shows us that democracy is learned through conversation, creativity, respect, and the simple but powerful act of sharing stories.”

Other speakers included Executive Director Colm Ó Cuanacháin, and Aoife McCarrick, class teacher at Paradise Place ETNS. A special shout out to the 4th-class students who joined us, as well as our Word Warriors, Ella and Beatrice, who shared their incredible creative work with guests.

Project Inspiration

The initiative draws inspiration from the United Nations’ Youth, Peace and Security agenda (Resolution 2250), which recognises the vital role of young people in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. Aleem Siddique, UNFICYP Spokesperson, highlighted the importance of youth engagement in fostering trust and stability:

“In Cyprus, UNFICYP’s role is to create conditions for a settlement by preventing tensions, maintaining stability across the buffer zone, and building trust among communities. Our commitment to the Youth, Peace and Security agenda recognizes the indispensable role of young people as drivers of sustainable peace on the island and around the world.”