American students pay visit to the Fountain

A GROUP of American visitors came to Londonderry's Fountain estate last week to participate in a range of exchange programmes.

The twelve students, from Ohio visited the Cathedral Youth club under the supervision of Professor Susan Oldrieve, head of the English Department at Baldwin-Wallace College.

The programmes, set out by manager at the Cathedral Youth Club, Jeanette Warke included participation in creative writing classes in tandem with a group of women in the Inner City Activity community house. And, the students stories are to be included in a book currently being compiled for community relations week in the city.

Jeanette Warke said: "It will be good to get the views of these young people from Ohio on their vision for our city."

Other students amongst the group took part in The Allotments Project which has just commenced in the Fountain. This project, which has just begun, sees the Cathedral Youth Club link up with Co-operation Ireland, who have funded the project and will involve revamping a piece of waste ground in the area to be turned into a place for the community and young people to grow their own vegetables, herbs and flowers.

This particular project is being facilitated by Conservation Volunteers and is sure to have a positive impact on the area and will encourage people to get active and eat more healthily.

The students from Ohio presented the young people of the Youth Club with their college banner and bumble bee mascot and are now looking forward to working in partnership next year in a youth exchange programme which would look at bringing young people from the Fountain to the USA to experience their culture.

The cosmopolitan nature of the Cathedral Youth Club has also been emphasised by the arrival of a Slovenian student who is completing a work placement there.

Mateja Poniz is currently training with the North West Academy of English at Northland Road. Jeanette Warke said: "We are delighted to welcome her to our community, she has already made friends and I hope she will enjoy her time at the Cathedral Youth Club.

"I feel it is positive that young people living in the Fountain are experiencing different cultures which will allow them to widen their own views and perceptions of other young people."