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Promoting a Culture of Peace (Nicaragua)
an article by Leyla Jarquín, El Nuevo Diario, Nicaragua
Although Nicaragua is considered one of the safest
countries in Central America, the Zacarías Guerra
House, HZG, and the Youth Council of Nicaragua, CJN,
have come up with an initiative to create a true
culture of peace among Nicaraguans.
click on photo to enlarge
The initiative, which was developed two years ago,
recently took shape through the Education
Reference Center, CRE, which will operate on the
premises of the Central Normal School in Managua,
and intends to be a space to promote the culture
of peace among teachers, youth and community
leaders through training.
Elvis Gómez, president of the CJN, explained that
this center will host different training processes
for preventing violence and promoting the culture
of peace, where teachers will be the key to pass
on their knowledge to children and adolescents,
and these, in turn, to their homes and
communities.
Both HZG and CJN consider that schools have "the
responsibility to train individuals capable of
interacting freely in conflict resolution and the
contribution to a peaceful coexistence."
Therefore, the meetings will focus on youth
leadership training and community mediation and
family teaching, opening spaces for dialogue,
cultural activities, etc..
The CRE will open through the auspices of the
Foundation for Action Against Drugs FAD, of Spain,
and the Spanish Cooperation Agency, AECID.
The regional coordinator of the FAD, Lucia
Rodriguez, said that the CRE is a complement to
the work they have been doing in 32 schools in
Managua to consolidate them as "educational units
for the development of our children with skills
for life and the establishment of equitable and
egalitarian relationships. "
For his part, the Director of Primary Education of
the Ministry of Education, Guillermo López López,
welcomed the opening of the CRE, saying that it
contributes to the effort of building a culture of
peace through the school counseling.
López López indicated that they should make a "plan
for the teachers of Managua to participate in a
systematic and consistent way in these trainings and
multiply the knowledge to other departments."
(Click here for a Spanish version of this article)
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
What is the best way to teach peace to children?,
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LATEST READER COMMENT:
Maria Montessori believed that peace was innate within children. Her timeless educational philosophy was developed around this basic understanding. Perhaps all we need to do as teachers is to provide stimulating learning environments that validate this knowing and understanding and nurture it. We may not have to actually teach it, Sharing peace-building stories gently attends to this. Strong, creative and imaginative peace-building characters who focus upon win-win and have faith in peace being possible are at the centre of the story plots. In Hassaun Ali-Jones Bey's (Boundless Gratitude http://boundlessgratitude.com/products.html ) unique and mesmerising story, Black Ink is such a character who bravely crosses the universe seeking validation of what he knows in his heart. The magical character also models all the important peace-building values, understandings and actions needed for peace-building. I believe also that peace-building must be modelled and the whole teaching-learning environment should reflect similar values, understandings and actions...as is the primary focus of the Save the Children Australia UN Global Peace School Program upon which I am presently fortunate to be working. . ...more.
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