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The Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) spectacularly introduced this year’s packed programme for the celebration of Integrated Education Week with an original kite launch at Parliament Buildings, Stormont on Monday 1st March 2010.

The Stormont event hosted a variety of staff and pupils from local integrated primary schools and colleges in the Members’ Dining Room before the official kite launch.  Trevor Lunn MLA highlighted the positivism of the event as a sign of “…how far integrated education has come over the past three decades…” adding “It´s very important that people consider integrated education for their children. Integration delivers improved community relations and it also delivers better value for money for everyone…we need to look at creating a genuinely shared society instead of maintaining costly divisions."

NICIE Chief Executive Officer, Noreen Campbell followed with equally positive words, highlighting the impressive achievements of the Integrated Education movement and dedicated work of parents, staff and supporters in establishing 61 integrated schools explaining, “There are 21,000 young people benefiting from being educated together, learning with each other, learning from each other and learning about each other.  Our integrated schools provide a first class education for their students. That is important.  Most importantly they challenge the segregation which prevents young people meeting and mixing and forming the friendships necessary if we are to build a shared future…In our schools, difference and diversity is celebrated, not feared.” 

Ms. Campbell added; “This week across the province our schools are coming together as you have come together here this morning to fly a kite for integration.  Kites represent hope, they invite us to lift up our eyes, to look for a future free from fear and violence.  They represent creativity and freedom and playfulness, characteristics we look for in our schools.”

Integrated Education Week is an annual event which celebrates the ethos and successes of all integrated schools across while providing the opportunity for schools to draw upon what makes an integrated school different.  Difference and diversity are positively encouraged as Integrated Education continues to contribute to the peace and reconciliation process in today.