Ulster Project Delaware

1976:
Charles and Josephine Robinson, with help of Canon Kerry Waterstone of The Church of Ireland in Tullymore, Ireland, found Ulster Project Delaware after Canon Waterstone's previous year's success with the first chapter of The Ulster Project based in Connecticut.
 
The 30 pioneering Northern Irish teens from Portadown travel to Delaware to meet with their host families marking the first year in the longest current Ulster Project in America.

1978:
UPD coordinates the program with a clergy committee in Portadown, facilitating a year-long program of activities for the Northern Irish teens rather than just the month-long stay in The United States.

1984:
Ulster Project Delaware relocates its Northern Irish roots to Banbridge. The group size, which was not set until now, stabilizes at 18.

1989:
Ulster Project Delaware welcomes Coleraine as the latest Northern Irish town to the program. The teens are now selected through public and parochial school selections.

1995:
The decision is made to rotate the project through the 3 towns it has used in the past. Now, Portadown, Banbridge, and Coleraine all are featured for two years before the next town in the cycle.

2005:
The Ulster Project celebrates its 30th Anniversary.

To Date:
642 Northern Irish teenagers & 132 Northern Irish adult leaders have participated in Ulster Project Delaware from the cities of Portadown, Banbridge, and Coleraine.

The Reverand Kerry Waterstone, a canon for The Church of Ireland in Tullamore, County Offaly, took part in a pastoral exchange program in the early 1970s, staying in Manchester, Connecticut. He was amazed by the openness and ability to exchange opposing viewpoints in peace, so, upon his return to Northern Ireland, he found a group of teenagers willing to join in this far-reaching experiment. In 1975, the very first Ulster Project was founded in the state of Connecticut.

The next year, in 1976 - America's Bicentennial, Charles and Josephine Robinson worked with Canon Watersone to bring The Ulster Project Delaware. That first year, the Northern Irish teens came from Portadown, and this marked the first year of Ulster Project Delaware.

Since 1975, Reverand Kerry Waterstone's brainchild has expanded all over the United States, and, in 2006 alone, 256 teens visited America through the various programs. 17 states and 29 cities host various teens from 11 cities in Northern Ireland; while Delaware is only one of those 17 states, it is the oldest, continuously running program in Ulster Project International.