One Week to Go!

Dear Upper Sixth


You are no doubt as relieved as the staff that there is now only one week to go before the Belfast exam, one week is not long, and today's post is a reminder that that this week really needs a final push, you need to keep your interest up and stay on top of the key tips for doing well, so as a written reminder, here is a summary of what you need to be doing:


1) Keep reading the AIB - I know it has been three months, some of you have almost learnt it by heart, but you need to get to the point at which you know it well enough not to have to search for information during the exam to refer to it too much

2) Get on top on the stats tests - you have all done the basics, there are more worked examples coming your way soon, using actual data rather than some made up numbers, you must make sure you question me endlessly until you understand these!

3) Prepare for the questions we know might be coming - the fieldwork (EQA), the most effective part of the regeneration scheme to date, what will have the most significant lasting impact, what are the suggestions for the future (Thank you to the student blog for some "outside the box" thinking on this one!)

4) What are your thoughts - prepare some, they could be almost anything - we have discussed lessening the divide through art, sports, possibly music, media (remember the film) come up with something original and practical that takes into account the history/culture of the region.

5) Remember your words - Geographerise - there are some terms we have used in the sessions on the AIB and the mock that need to form part of your language if you are looking for a top grade - see the brief glossary below - it is by no means exhaustive.

6) Remember that although this is one of the last exams, and I know you are all probably reaching the limit of your motivation to revise and your ability to keep researching, but this is the exam you don't want to retake (it will be an entirely new topic) and with suitable preparation you can do very well in this paper.

Soon we will be back to tectonics, and kicking back of with some comparative volcanic case studies from the last year, Iceland and Merapi, and for earthquakes Haiti and Chile.

So, Statistics....

The ones you need to be able to do
1) Spearmans Rank
2) Mann Whitney U
3) Chi Squared
4) Standard Deviation
5) Inter Quartile Range
6) Averages (Mean, Median and Mode)

You can look at the data and work out what kind of test the data you have lends itself to. You have the websites to get more data, if you have a hypothesis, test it, we will be working on a few in class.

Lastly - the words you need to work into your vocabulary for the next week:

Index of Multiple Deprivation
Sectarian
Inter-Generational Deprivation
Enclave
Peace Walls
Murals
Urban Regeration
De-Industrialization
The Multiplier Effect
The De-Multiplier Effect

My final word for tonight, is an article I stumbled across on segregated cities, truly excellent and a really good read for a summary on the issues in Belfast. I will attempt to condense it tomorrow, but in the meantime do some research!

Hope this helps, and get your stats heads on for the next few days!

Millie

Re-Imaging Communities Programme in Belfast

Dear All

This afternoon while the AS groups were in their exam, I did some research into initiatives having some success in Belfast with reducing the amount of division in the most deprived communities. I came across a scheme I feel are well worth discussing with reference to 4B - the Re-Imaging Communities Programme, set up by the Arts Council.




This programme started in 2006 and was created with a view to address the problems faced by Belfast in terms of the sectarian symbolism, from both sides that is clearly evident across Belfast today. Indeed we have discussed on many occasions in class that having such a vivid and public display or loyalty to one cause or another, or a mural designed to commemorate specific events from the Troubles, could lead to further feelings of segregation and separation within neighbourhoods. However, the murals are an important part of Belfast's past, and many do not want them simply white washed and removed from the streets. Furthermore, as the Student blog so accurately points out, progress cannot be made by simply eradicating culture and tradition, or the history of an area, no matter what that history is.

It can easily be argued however, that many of the murals were antagonistic, and could be viewed as aggressive or oppressive in nature, and in a community struggling to overcome its troubled past, many of these murals could be redesigned to portray a more positive and inclusive side to the city.

 This Shankill region Mural was redesigned with artist Ed Reynolds, who worked with Lower Shankill Community Association’s human rights group to create a mural that has contemporary relevance to all


Enter the Arts Council, they have now provided £3.5 million in funding for what has now become a collection of 123 new murals. The project has been community based from the start,  and is designed to make it accessible to all backgrounds and groups within Belfast. There are a number of organisations involved, including the  DFSD, NI Housing Executive, The Police and the Arts Council. The grants have been awarded to projects proposed that address the issue of community relations in some way, encourage cross-community or multiracial interactions and this has led to a number of new relationships being formed. 63% of the projects have been community managed, and have involved 6,893, with a further possible 2000 artists, consultants and volunteers.

The Executive summary of the review of the work can be found in the summary through this link

Here are some other examples taken from the review of the project in the Guardian

Before: a common paramilitary image of two silhouetted gunmen commemorates the Scottish Brigade of the loyalist UDA force

After: the new image by Tim McCarthy represents an event in July 1969 in Christopher Street when children digging in the rubble of the then demolished ‘Scotch Flats’ discovered a hoard of gold sovereigns

This is an excellent example of the new message that communities are trying to spread to the current generation, peace and co-operation over fear and segregation.

An excellent description of the project from the New Zealand Herald can be found here

The murals are also now a major tourist attraction in Belfast, see this website for a link to tours of the walls and some examples of the murals. This companies website has lots of photos of murals and outlines the arguments for not getting rid of them.

And finally a show uploaded to YouTube discussing the differing views on marching season and a tour of the walls

Part 1

We will watch part of this show in class next week if we have time, it is worth noting that this was part of a series called "Walls of Shame" and Belfast is by no means the only divided city. Check out some of the other episodes to look for parallels we can draw and other solutions. Remember there is no right or wrong answer, its all about justification!

We have now come up with two mediums to unite communities, the sports and the arts hold great power by making a public symbol of unity, as do organisations like NICIE. You need some suggestions for solutions, this would be a good start!

Happy reading and only 10 days left to go!

Millie