For ten days in August, the Corrymeela Peace and Reconciliation Center in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland was turned into one big energy-radiating camp hosting 60 young people from 11 different countries, brought together for Public Achievement’s International Youth Camp – Youth as Evaluators. Representatives from Northern Ireland, Aland/Finland, the Netherlands, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, South Africa, Croatia, Serbia, and the US spent ten amazing intense days of breaking down barriers, opening their minds, learning and sharing and immersing themselves in a unique experience.

All the young participants were actively involved in youth programs and action projects in their countries and communities. Throughout the camp, they presented the most important youth issues in their countries, and explained the programs they worked with. Interactive workshops and activities aimed to build up evaluation skills and empower youth to be evaluators of their different projects. Participants took ownership of this camp by working in six different committees to be directly involved in running different aspects of this event; Program, Evaluation, Celebration, Activities, Media, and Future Direction.

The camp by no means ended upon the departure of each… the last days were spent figuring out where we go from here and what goals this experience inspired us to set. The network that started at Corrymeela is continuing to grow strong, and we hope that the coming year will reveal great outcomes of our experience together – capitalizing on what we’ve learned and the new insights we’ve gained, transforming the beautiful synergy and motivation we give each other into a real difference in our communities and our world.