A group of 13 teenagers from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland spent a day in Marblehead on July 29 as part of a program with Friends Forever International.
FFI is a nonprofit that teaches teens from around the world how to “connect with themselves, with each other and with the earth,” according to its website.
“It’s about building confidence to go back to your community and inspire others,” said Shay, a 17-year-old from Northern Ireland.
The teens were in the United States for two weeks, based in New Hampshire. They traveled to Marblehead to meet with Rotarians, members of Marblehead Little Theatre, three Current interns (including this reporter) and the director of Sustainable Marblehead.\
The day began at Boston Yacht Club and a boat ride around Marblehead Harbor on the Elizabeth M, courtesy of Doug Mentuck and Patricia Sullivan. The water was rough and a light rain accompanied the group, but the teens were unphased by the weather as they’re used to the cloudy and rainy climate of Ireland.
In order to participate, individuals must be accepted to the program. The application process was tough, said Lauren, also from Northern Ireland. The questions were lengthy, in-depth and got deeply personal, requiring applicants to reflect on the hardest moments in their life.
The group met only once at an orientation prior to their trip. Lauren was unable to attend the orientation, however, and showed up to the airport knowing nobody and without her phone.
“Luckily, we went from strangers to family quickly,” she said.
The teens are not allowed to bring their phone on the two-week trip and must adhere to a vegan diet so that, no matter what dietary restrictions someone has, everyone at the table is eating the same thing.
They are also given daily goals based on personal characteristics they want to work on. Shay’s goal for the day was to think before he speaks by weighing the pros and cons of his words. Lauren’s goal was to build self confidence by working up the courage to ask for help with chores and not do the work by herself.
A community action project is the culmination of the program, according to Shay. Each individual chooses a topic to pursue. Shay wants to help make his community more sustainable. Lauren wants to encourage youth in Ireland to get involved in politics and vote. Another participant, Kathleen, wants to encourage women to pursue STEM.
“People think because I’m super girly, I’m also ditzy. I want to prove that women have a place in the field,” Kathleen said.
Another requirement is for each person to give a speech to the rest of the group at some point in the trip, speaking on how FFI’s values align with their own. These values include resilience, empathy, communication, achieving impact, encouraging playfulness and putting in effort.
CURRENT PHOTO / GREY COLLINS
Shay was nervous about his speech, which was going to occur later in the day. His speech focused on resilience, and how he had to stay strong despite growing up without a father present.
The rest of the day was filled with charades, a vegan lunch accompanied by a talk about plastic pollution, given by Elaine Leahy from Sustainable Marblehead, a clean-up project at Crocker Park and an improv activity at Marblehead Little Theatre.
The teenagers find out their next day’s schedule, including when they’ll give their speech, the day before, but find continuity in their evenings at the New Hampshire lake house.
“Our ideal evening activity after our community projects is to make each other vegan smoothies and sit back and watch the fireflies,” Shay said.
The group returned to Ireland on July 31. In order to stay in the FFI program as alumni, they must complete their community action project. They have the opportunity to accompany future groups on trips, perhaps one day returning to Marblehead.
