EDUCATION FOR PEACE .
An article from Radio Formula (translated by CPNN)
The representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Mexico, Christian Skoog, reports that a pilot project in childhood education is being carried out in Guerrero to promote a culture of peace in homes, schools, communities and institutions.
“We have worked on various themes of education in childhood and social policies in general, and now we need to talk about violence and promote a culture of peace in schools, communities and family. We know that children live in a situation of violence, and that there are different types of violence, with the strongest being homicides,” he said.
“We are supporting the state to see how we can promote another culture, to resolve conflicts, and to discipline your children without violence. We have a pilot project in a municipality (of which he could not remember the name), in an effort to see how we can best change the way people act “.
In the interview, Christian Skoog said that the results will be evaluated in July and August, but so far have been “good” indicators, so that in the last months of 2017 the project will be applied in other municipalities of Guerrero.
“We have very good indicators of change in the way people interact at home and at school, and we are very happy about that, although we know that the situation in Guerrero is complex not only for children but for the entire population. However, we see a great willingness on the part of several actors as well as instances of government and civil society to unite efforts,” he said.
He also indicated that it is expected that in the medium term this pilot program will be implemented at the national level. “For this reason, we are working with the National Security Commission at the federal level.”
On other issues, the UNICEF representative said that the lack of opportunities, poor educational quality, and lack of respect and dignity for human rights have led to more and more young people and children entering criminal groups.
“Many times it has to do with having opportunities. If you have opportunities and you see that education counts, which parents should promote with their children, but if there is no quality of education and a decent job then there is another alternative that Is not good. In general, we need to promote how to act in life with respect and dignity and resolve conflicts in a peaceful way,” he concluded.
(Click here for the original version of this article in Spanish)