The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh

The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh promotes peace, mutual understanding, and reconciliation between the Catholic and Protestant traditions of Ireland, North and South; and encourages economic development, cultural exchange, and partnership between Ireland and Pittsburgh. The Institute fulfills its mission by providing programs which incorporate training, personal empowerment, reconciliation, professional development, enterprise, trade, investment, and cultural exchange.

The Ireland Institute brings groups of unemployed youth from Ireland and Northern Ireland to Pittsburgh for a two-month training program and internship experience as part of the International Fund for Ireland Wider Horizons Program. The participants receive on-the-job training, personal development, exposure to American culture, and new insights into the "Troubles" of Northern Ireland through conflict resolution. Upon completion of the Pittsburgh program, participants return to Ireland, hopeful of securing employment and living in peace. To date over 600 employers have opened their doors to help these young people understand the American work environment and gain the skills necessary to rejoin the workforce at home. The internships are non-paid and take place from Monday - Thursday. Fridays are spent at Duquesne University where participants engage in conflict resolution classes. Students live with host families who provide them with room and board as well as a support system an