Ulster Project Milwaukee was established in 1979 to help promote trust, tolerance and understanding among potential leaders from the two Christian traditions in Northern Ireland. Through this project hundreds of Milwaukee area families have played a role in resolving issues that have divided the peoples of Northern Ireland.
For four weeks each summer, Northern Ireland teens are guests in homes in the Milwaukee area. Belfast area Protestant and Catholic 14 to 16 year-old boys and girls live with host families and get to know youth of a different faith tradition. Hosts have been families from Milwaukee and surrounding suburbs.
Belfast participants are selected based on their interest in the program and their leadership potential as perceived by the selection panel in Belfast. The month-long stay includes a series of educational, recreational and ecumenical activities. The object is for the Northern Ireland teens to be taken out of the stressful “we vs. them” atmosphere and brought into a neutral zone where Catholic and Protestant teens can explore conflict resolution and other issues in a thoughtful manner. Other goals include learning, making new friends and having lots of fun.