French
Spanish
GLOBAL MOVEMENT FOR A CULTURE OF PEACE

On the left below please find an article from CPNN, and on the right its discussion.
Please note that links to the discussion no longer work directly.
Instead, Use the following address http://cpnn-world.org/discussion/xxx.htm
where xxx is the topic number in the failed address obtained when you click on the discussion.
If this doesn't work, click here.

Learn Write Read Home About Us Discuss Search Subscribe Contact
by program area
by region
by category
by recency
United Nations and Culture of Peace
Global Movement for a Culture of Peace
Values, Attitudes, Actions
Rules of the Game
Submit an Article
Become a CPNN Reporter


PAG 7th International Youth Summer School underway (The Gambia)
an article by Fatoumatta K Saidykhan. Daily Observer, The Gambia (abridged)

The Peace Ambassadors-the Gambia (PAG) on Friday began its 7th annual International Youth Summer School (IYSS) at SEN in Bansang, Central River Region on the theme “In the search of peace for Africa’.



click on photo to enlarge

The international youth summer school on peace is an annual event organized by the Peace Ambassadors – the Gambia. The camp brings together young people in order to empower them with knowledge and skills needed to develop an aptitude for peace building, discuss issues affecting them and map out strategies of resolving them.

The PAG is aimed at promoting the culture of peace, tolerance and international friendship geared towards making the world a better place for human survival.

The event according to officials has been inspired by the success of the International Youth Summer Camp funded by Concern Universal held in 2004. PAG in partnership with interested organizations and individuals, has over the past years developed the event into a citadel of training on all issues affecting human rights, development, peace and security.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the chairperson of the organizing community Bubacarr Sambou said generally, lack of peace and its effect are not given in depth study and analysis resulting to ignorance and limited collective global action to create a sustainable peaceful environment for humanity.

This he said he is a major issue for peace Ambassadors-the Gambia. “The organization focuses on the development of the human mind, indeed experience has shown that organizations like PAG working in the field of peace can be a lever in lifting societies out of their troubled and violent past and help them secure and sustain a future with peace and development are at the centre,” Sambou stated.

The chairperson of the organizing community added that the international camp also referred to as international youth summer school was designed for youths to acquire knowledge and skills needed to develop an aptitude for peace building, to discuss issues affecting them and map out strategies of resolving them.

Sambou went on to explain that they would have eight days academic lectures, presentations and discussions on ten (10) proposed thematic areas divided into two phases. He said the first phase would cover the following; human rights, peace and conflict management and governance and accountability amongst others.

The second phase, he added, would be a three-day conference focusing on all the thematic areas dealt with during the summer school and will be held in Cassamance (Senegal) in a village call Sinjang . . .

Fabakary Kalleh, the executive secretary of PAG, said the organisation is committed to sustaining itself as a vibrant institution of hope and to spur serious dedication in peace work in and beyond the country in order to achieve its mission statement, aims and objectives. . . .

DISCUSSION

Question(s) related to this article:


How do we promote a human rights, peace based education?,

* * * * *

Latest reader comment:

Question: what is the relation between peace and education?
http://cpnn-world.org/new/?p=4780

We teach the science of war on an even and equal basis with the 3Rs and we maintain it with more resources than any other school. Further, we have done this consistently for a couple of thousand years, long before education was institutionalized for all children. And we have never questioned the wisdom of teaching millions of civilians how to kill while never giving the same credence, or any for that matter, to the science of peace, the study of anti-war, of reconciliation. With this inured mindset leaders choose to fund boot camps and officer training colleges and by omission deprive youth of the better choice.

If we can teach war and violence with such commitment to suit the purposes of generals and the arms trade, where are the rest of us who have a greater need for peace and conciliation than anyone anywhere has for the killing fields? Why have civilians not demanded peace education long ago and why don't we have it now?


This report was posted on August 28, 2013.