Category Archives: EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Forging a peaceful future: four years of UNICEF’s Learning for Peace Programme

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from UNICEF

UNICEF and partners are a step closer to building peace, Eran Nagan, of the Government of the Netherlands said at a high-level event on education and peacebuilding in New York.

Mr. Nagan, First Secretary of Economic Affairs, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations, joined some 80 UN staff, researchers, civil society, private sector representatives and members of the public to celebrate the final event of the Learning for Peace programme on Thursday, 30 June at UNICEF House. The UNICEF programme, launched in 2012 with the support of the Government of the Netherlands, helped promote peace through education in 14 conflict-affected countries: Burundi, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, State of Palestine, Uganda, and Yemen.

UNICEF
Panelists (L-R) Patrick Fine, FHI 360 CEO; Angela Kearney UNICEF Pakistan Representative; Yasmin Haque, UNICEF Deputy Director of Emergency Programmes; Henk-Jan Brinkman UN Peacebuilding Support Office Chief of Policy Planning and Application.
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“The teaching of tolerance, respect for the other, promoting social cohesion is a necessity of any society because it is by inserting these essential values in our youth that we forge peaceful societies for the future,” Mr. Nagan said in his key note address, praising the programme for its achievements over the last four and a half years. Learning for Peace worked with governments, education systems, and communities to design education interventions that addressed underlying causes and dynamics of conflict. The programme also included a significant research component to fill the gap in knowledge and evidence on social services for peacebuilding.

Research from UNICEF and FHI 360 found evidence that education inequities reinforce social divisions that lead to conflict – the likelihood of violent conflict doubles in countries with high education inequality between ethnic and religious groups. Conversely, conflict widens educational inequalities. Although less pronounced, the study also provides evidence that gender-based education inequality makes violent conflict more likely, and vice versa.

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Question for this article:

Peace education at the United Nations, how does it work?

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“I think it has direct implications for how we set priorities and what kinds of actions we take in humanitarian response, and it also has immediate implications for policies and programmes,” Patrick Fine, FHI 360 CEO, said of the research findings.

Mr. Fine, along with Angela Kearney, UNICEF Pakistan Representative; Yasmin Haque, Deputy Director, Office of Emergency Programmes, UNICEF; and Henk-Jan Brinkman, Chief of Policy, Planning and Application, UN Peacebuilding Support Office were part of a panel to share experiences, achievements and lessons learned of the Learning For Peace programme.

Ms. Kearney shared stories of innovation in education from Pakistan, where findings from the programme’s conflict analysis informed education sector plans in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. In South Sudan, where 70 per cent of children have never stepped inside a school, Ms. Haque said that Learning for Peace helped develop a new, inclusive education system and forged new partnerships amongst education stakeholders and development partner organizations with peacebuilding expertise.

Josephine Bourne, Associate Director of Education at UNICEF, moderated the event and stressed that the lessons-learned on conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding-oriented education programming that began through the Learning for Peace programme would continue in future projects.

“While the programme is finishing, the work does not. There’s a very strong commitment to conflict assessment and really understanding the situation of children and their access to resources and other inequalities.” Ms. Bourne said. The inequality piece is front and center, not just for education, but everything UNICEF is doing”.

At the event, UNICEF also discussed plans to employ conflict assessment, study gender-based violence, and have children participate in determining the issues that drive conflict and necessary interventions. FHI 360 is also leading an education equity research initiative in conjunction with UNICEF and other partners including USAID, Save the Children and World Vision.

For more information on the programme please visit: learningforpeace.unicef.org.

(Thank you to the Global Campaign for Peace Education for bringing this article to our attention.)

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, global, United Nations,

USA: Teachers in High-Need Schools Share Why They Do What They Do

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

Excerpts from The Education Trust Edition 132

We’ve asked educators across the country who teach in schools that serve large percentages of students of color and students from low-income families why they choose those assignments. What brings them back to the particular demands of these classrooms, year after year? Strong school leadership, networks of supportive colleagues, and the genuine opportunity to have a say in schoolwide decisions.

edtrust
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Here are four of the responses:

LETTING STUDENTS TAKE THE LEAD by Matthew Stensrud

Last school year, our principal invited me to take part in instructional rounds — an observation-based approach to better understand the learning occurring in our Title I elementary school. The reason? To determine why our school was having difficulty meeting various benchmarks on the end-of-year assessments.
The goal of rounds is to identify a problem of practice through brief observations of teachers, collect anecdotal evidence, and review this evidence to determine solution-
Reminding ourselves that students from low-income households are capable of higher-level thinking was the first step toward addressing this, and creating assignments that demand those higher levels was the next.

CATCHING BUTTERFLIES by Brooke Haycock

Each year, in alarming numbers, and with alarming predictability, they leave. Some, swept out in a cloud of dust and suspension records. Some, fall out through the loose weave of the safety nets educators hoped would hold them. Others exit on their own, seeing more opportunities outside the school walls than within.

Too often, they are cast as the very problems. The data points that drag schools down, the disciplinary actions, the truancy numbers, the failure rates, the call-outs, the walk-outs, the kick-outs.
These students are telling us in every way they know how that our schools are not working for them. And they are exactly the young people from whom we need to be seeking advice about how to draw them back in.
Lessons emerging from students and educators in schools like these have much to contribute to the conversation about how to support and meaningfully engage students, and to provide students — particularly those struggling in our current schools — what they need to take flight.

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Question for this article:

What is the relation between peace and education?

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MY WORK IS AS DIVERSE AS MY STUDENTS by Rebecca Friedman

When I’m asked, “So, you’re a teacher; what do you teach?” I invariably reply, “Students.”

Here — in my once comfortably suburban, middle class, Western Washington school district, which now cushions the impacts of gentrification, faces the rise of the suburban poor, and welcomes ever-evolving immigrant communities — I’m allowed to be more than a Spanish and ELL teacher. I’m allowed to be a teacher of students.
When my school sought staff for a 15-hour credit retrieval course during school vacations, I was allowed to design curriculum for low-performing students to access ideas of epistemology, philosophy, decision-making, ethics, evolution, and interpretation of data. I told them: “You’re here because you’ve failed a course; I’m here because I know you can learn the hard stuff, and because you deserve more than just a work packet. We’re here to get us to graduation and beyond.”

I teach where I teach to be reminded that I have a choice: I could be a teacher who romanticizes the struggles of poverty, racial adversity, immigration, and countless other factors … or I could be a teacher who teaches students.
My choice is clear.

WE ALL GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR COLLEAGUES by Meredith Hughes

Last year was a tough one — so tough, in fact, I applied for other jobs mid-year. I had moved school districts from south Arlington, Virginia, to the east end of Henrico County (outside Richmond), and I didn’t think I could do it. I had seen tough classes in south Arlington but this was a different kind of tough: Students blurted out throughout each lesson. Kids walked around the room, kicking desks or walls and yelling in anger. But as I was applying to other jobs, I began thinking about my students (sounds ridiculous to write that) — how could I leave them in the middle of the year? My students need structure and routine, and change is hard for them. As difficult as last year had been, I reminded myself that I am doing this job to help exactly these kinds of kids — the ones who do not have stability at home, the ones who come to school for structure. I am here to provide a safe, comfortable, and fun learning environment. And so, with support from my co-workers, I worked to figure out how to make my room less chaotic. I met with my grade-level team, as well as others, to talk about behavior management ideas — some even offered to stop by to check in on certain students. My admin team and I brainstormed ideas to better utilize school resources. And I came in some mornings to little notes of encouragement from the PE teacher across the hall. I never felt like I was alone, and slowly, but surely, we got to a good place. I am proud to say I am staying on this year. In fact, I have requested to follow my kiddos to third grade — because I want them to transition into their first testing grade with ease.
(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, North America

Three Decades of Peace Education in the Philippines

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article by the Global Campaign for Peace Education

On June 27-28, 2016, the Dept. of Peace and Conflict Studies of the University for Peace and the Center for Peace Education of Miriam College organized a Forum on the theme “Three Decades of Peace Education in the Philippines.” The Forum, held at the Environmental Studies Institute of Miriam College, Quezon City Philippines, gathered more than 60 peace educators and advocates from all over the country representing various groups actively engaged in the peace movement in the Philippines for the past three decades. Participants came from state and private universities, colleges and schools, government, nongovernment and civil society organizations, interfaith dialogue circles and peace education/studies scholars from the University for Peace and Miriam College and UNESCO-ASP network.

Philippines
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Sharing personal stories has long been an inspiring and powerful way of reminding us how we may be better able to re-vision and respond to what may lie ahead. It has been more than three decades that peace education in the Philippines has become a goal, a pedagogy, a program and a movement. Before the formal institutionalization of Peace Education in the Philippine education system, the movement for Peace Education in the country began in the early 1980s, with the efforts of several individuals and groups from civil society organizations, academic institutions, and international organizations engaged and mobilized to promote and mainstream education for peace. After the 1986 People Power Revolution, peace education took off through various efforts of individuals, universities, academic/professional groups and civil society organizations, among others.  

The two-day Forum provided an opportunity for sharing stories of hope and challenges of formal and/or non-formal or community educators in promoting peace education over the past three decades. At the end of the Forum, participants were able to share renewed hope and inspiration of how to move forward as peace educators to fulfill a vision of a more just, compassionate, peaceful and sustainable planet.

Some of the most significant learnings from the forum included, in the words of participants, reflections such as: unique and inspiring stories of commitment towards peace advocacy, justice and integrity; storytelling is a powerful tool for peace education; diverse patterns of peace education and experiences that provide a lot of hope and wisdom; cascading theoretical knowledge about peace to practice; the sharing of best practices, framework & programs; the power of storytelling provides a concrete result for what has been done to really strengthen the implementation of peace education; there are many champions in peace education; the need to walk the talk; there are a hundred and one platforms for promoting peace education; peace education as a tool for social change/transformation; recognizing historical injustices from the earliest time; affirming peace education initiatives among Muslims and indigenous peoples; there are committed and passionate people sustaining peace education all over the country in different levels and areas – community, schools, government, and others; the feeling of affirmation that each one’s work and engagement finds connection in the stories of others.

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Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

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The stories presented in the Forum will form the core of a proposed book publication which will be helpful in enhancing the theory and practice of peace education in the Philippines as well as in other countries and regions worldwide.

This very successful gathering and story sharing of peace educators spanning some three decades in the Philippines was organized and coordinated by Dr. Toh Swee-Hin and Dr. Virginia Cawagas from the University for Peace in Costa Rica and Dr. Jasmin Nario-Galace from Miriam College Center for Peace Education in the Philippines.

Participants represented the following institutions.

FORMAL EDUCATION SECTOR

▪ Asia Pacific Network of International Education & Values Education (APNIEVE)
▪ Ateneo de Manila University Grade School
▪ Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Peace Institute
▪ Cotabato City State Polytechnic College
▪ DepED-Basic Education Sector BEST
▪ Far Eastern University, Angel C. Palanca Peace Program Foundation
▪ Holy Angel University, Angeles, Pampanga
▪ Mindanao State University, Maguindanao
▪ Miriam College, Center for Peace Education
▪ Miriam College, Grade School
▪ Philippine Military Academy
▪ Philippine Normal University
▪ St. Paul College, Pasig, Institutional Research
▪ University for Peace Costa Rica, Dept. of Peace & Conflict Studies
▪ University of the Philippines
▪ World Council for Curriculum and Instruction (WCCI)
▪ Xavier University Peace Center

NON-FORMAL EDUCATION SECTOR

▪ Conflict, Security and Development Team, The World Bank Philippine Office
▪ Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute
▪ Generation Peace
▪ Institute for Autonomy and Governance
▪ Interfaith Center for a Culture of Nonviolence (ICCN)
▪ Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement
▪ Museo Pambata
▪ Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)
▪ Pax Christi Pilipinas
▪ PAZ, Peace Advocates Zamboanga
▪ Silsilah Dialogue Movement
▪ Teach Peace Build Peace Movement
▪ The Peacemakers Circle
▪ ZFD Forum of Development
 

East Asia, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Brazil: Public schools of São Vicente transform education through the culture of peace

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article by Herbert Lima and Myrian Castello 

A Culture of Peace committee composed of educators Carla Souza, Damiana Albuquerque, Herbert Santo., Ingrid Geraldo, Lourdes Santo., Myrian Castello, Regina Morais, Sandra de Aragão, Tatiana Rodrigues and Wagner Bessa, is carrying out a program of Training for Peace Education of 60 hours for professionals from all the public education units of São Vicente in partnership with the Secretary of Education.

Vicente
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The main objectives of the training are

– Stimulating new ways of living together;

– Improve group relations and climate at schools;

– Plan positive changes after identification of common problems;

– Create communication networks and undertake ACTIONS;

– Enable an affective perspective at the school units and work collectively on awareness and preparation of actions for local development

– Work for a culture for peace in education in order to assess, sustain, co-create solutions and view results.

To achieve these goals the training consists of seven modules in two stages:

Stage 1:
Contact
Consciousness
Transforming Action
Recognition
Connecting Action

Stage 2:
Practice
Presenting Actions

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(Click here for the article in Portuguese)

Questions for this article:

What is the best way to teach peace to children?

Where is peace education taking place?

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The modules were inspired by the following organizations and methodologies:

The Pedagogy of Cooperation and Culture of Peace: A method of teaching and cooperative learning, where each and every person is considered to be a master-apprentices engaged in the discovery of themselves and the world, through the encounter with others, in the face of problem situations challenging them to find cooperative solutions for the success and well-being of everyone.

Pallas Athena: The organization Palas Athena promotes and incubates programs and projects in the areas of Education, Health, Human Rights, Environment and Social Promotion, in order to improve human society through the mutual understanding of cultures and the articulation of knowledge.

Oasis Game: The Oasis Game is a support tool for citizen mobilization for the realization of collective dreams.

Nonviolent Communication: supports the establishment of partnership and cooperation relations through effective and empathetic communication. It emphasizes the importance of determining actions the basis of common values.

Restorative justice is a paradigm, the opposite of punishment, based on values, which aims to repair the damages caused by an offense committed by one of the parties involved – victim, offender and community – and, where possible, the reconstruction of broken relationships.

Circle Dances: These promote group unity and community spirit, and interculturalism, as everyone joins hands and supports and assists each other.

Psychomotricity: The method of studying a person through his body movements in relation to his/her internal and external world.

During the modules, the training involved 93 teaching units and about 300 education professionals who were able thereby to promote a culture of peace within and outside the school walls.

A number of activities were carried out by managers in partnership with the community around the school.

Research carried out in the modules showed a high level of involvement and satisfaction of participants who requested the continuation and expansion of training.

The activities were carried out from January to June and will be continued.

For more information, contact comissaoculturadepaz@gmail.com

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Mexico: The government promotes mediation as an alternative for the resolution of conflicts

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from La Jornada Aguascalientes (translated by CPNN)

As the representative of the General Secretary of the Government [SEGOB], Alejandro Bernal Rubalcava has released the 6-month report from the Coordination of Mediation which indicates that between January and June 2016 the Coordination of Mediation completed 736 mediations of conflicts between individuals, as well as 653 legal advisories for citizens who opted to use this service.

SEGOB

The Coordination of Mediation offers citizens legal advice as well as the dialogue and the construction of accords by means of alternative conflict resolution, free of charge and confidential, creating channels to facilitate communication in order to resolve problems between individuals in a way more rapid and efficient than the judicial process, explains Bernal Rubalcava.

He emphasizes that the promotion of mediation among citizens as an effective tool for achieving satisfactory agrreements of conflicts between two parties has contributed to generating a culture of peace among the population of Aguascalentes, while decreasing the demands on the judicial system.

He adds that in addition to the satisfactorily concluded mediations and agreements constructed and accepted by the parties involved, the 653 legal advisories on civil, criminal and family law, provided a guide allowing people to assert their rights and clarify conflicts.

Mediation, through its form and content, promotes a more peaceful and just society. To this end, the representative of the General Secretary of the Government invites citizens requiring advice or looking for a quick and peaceful solution to a conflict, to come to the offices of the Coordination of Mediation located on Hornedo street 104, first floor, in the city center, with hours open to the public from 8:30 to 15:00 hours.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish)

Question for this article:
EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

The Third International Conference on Mediation to take place in Guatemala

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Noticias Panorama (translated by CPNN)

The International Mediation Center (CIM) has announced that the Third International Congress on Mediation will take place on Thursday August 18 from 8:00 to 18:00 at the Salón Jade y Plata of the Hotel Camino Real. The Congress aims to provide effective methods for the solution of social and trade conflicts that affect the development of our society through dialogue. Mediation seeks to provoke changes that will benefit the people of Guatemala.

mediation
Mario Bucaro, President of CIM

The method of mediation is practical, effective and suitable because it helps people find the solution to their conflicts and dialogue and peace as a result. “The mediator does not decide the result of a dispute, the parties retain the autonomy of their solution.”

“The aim of the Congress is to show firsthand the benefits of the method and how to put into practice the techniques in the social and business environment through dialogue. The intention is to achieve peace in the world “, stated Mario Bucaro, President of CIM.

The activity will be attended by national and international speakers who will share their experiences, techniques and methods in order to promote the culture of peace around the world.

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish)

Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for culture of peace and nonviolence

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The International Mediation Center is a private institution created and supported by CAMEX [The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Guatemala/Mexico], made up of experts in the method of mediation to facilitate the resolution of disputes on a voluntary basis through dialogue and cooperation as the best way to resolve the differences between people and entities in the national and international private sector.

Mediation began in the public sphere in 1998. Under the program of modernization of the judiciary, the President of the Judicial Agency created the Pilot Center of Mediation and Conciliation (21/998 and 22/998 agreements). Currently there are 78 public mediation centers in 14 departments led and managed by the judiciary. The one private center is the International Mediation Center.

Congress Keynotes:

* The Phenomenon of Mediation and Its Trends. Mario Bucaro – Lawyer, Certified Mediator, President International Mediation Center Guatemala.

* Alternative Dispute Resolution in International Trade. Judge Cristina Pareyra, lawyer, journalist Mediator and Legal Expert JAMS (Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services) Miami USA.

* Prevention and management of conflicts in Labor Relations. Wanda Azmitia – expert in mediation, Coordinator of the Unit of alternative dispute resolution Judicial Branch.

* Juan Carlos Lucero-Lawyer, International Labor Mediator, an expert in social dialogue.

* Community and Business Mediation as a response to restore social harmony. Laura Avila, Lawyer, Master in Business Law, Center for Arbitration and Mediation Center, Legal College, Costa Rica.

* Workshop: Techniques to manage nonverbal language in conflict resolution. Dr. Virgilio Gordon, consultant, professional coach, writer, university professor, therapist and lecturer. – Guatemala

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

The Global Campaign for Peace Education

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

Excerpts from the website of The Global Campaign for Peace Education

The Global Campaign for Peace Education provides coverage of peace education from around the world, including original articles, research and stories cultivated from journals and independent and mass media sources. We especially encourage article and event submissions from our readers.

gcpe

Campaign Goals

The Global Campaign for Peace Education seeks to foster a culture of peace in communities around the world. It has two goals:

First, to build public awareness and political support for the introduction of peace education into all spheres of education, including non-formal education, in all schools throughout the world. Second, to promote the education of all teachers to teach for peace.

Campaign Statement

A culture of peace will be achieved when citizens of the world understand global problems; have the skills to resolve conflict constructively; know and live by international standards of human rights, gender and racial equality; appreciate cultural diversity; and respect the integrity of the Earth. Such learning can not be achieved without intentional, sustained and systematic education for peace.

The urgency and necessity of such education was acknowledged by the member states of UNESCO in 1974 and reaffirmed in the Integrated Framework of Action on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy in 1995. Yet, few educational institutions have undertaken such action. It is time to call upon ministries of education, educational institutions and policy makers to fulfill the commitments.

A campaign to facilitate the introduction of peace and human rights education into all educational institutions was called for by the Hague Appeal for Peace Civil Society Conference in May 1999. An initiative of individual educators and education NGOs committed to peace, it is conducted through a global network of education associations, and regional, national and local task forces of citizens and educators who will lobby and inform ministries of education and teacher education institutions about the UNESCO Framework and the multiplicities of methods and materials that now exist to practice peace education in all learning environments. The goal of campaign is to assure that all educational systems throughout the world will educate for a culture of peace.

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Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

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Campaign Form

The Campaign is a non-formal network comprised of formal and non-formal educators and organizations, each working in their own unique ways to address the goals above.

This form allows Campaign participants to focus their energies towards meeting the goals and needs of their constituents – while at the same time promoting and making visible the growing global network of educators working for peace.

The Campaign helps to connect educators and facilitate the exchange of ideas, strategies and best practices through its website and newsletters. It is presently coordinated by the Peace Education Initiative at The University of Toledo.

TONY JENKINS: Global Coordinator
KEVIN KESTER: Book Review Editor
OLIVER RIZZI CARLSON: Editor

Original endorsers:

International Organizations

* International Association of Educating Cities
* International Association of Educators for Peace
* International Association of Educators for World Peace
* International Peace Bureau
* International Teacher
* International Youth Cooperation (The Hague)
* Living Values: An Educational Programme
* Mandate the Future/Worldview International Foundation (Colombo)
* Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Woman’s Association
* Peace Boat
* Pax Christi International
* Peace Child International
* Peace Education Commission
* International Peace Research Association
* UNICEF
* UN High Commissioner for Refugees
* Youth for a Better World International

Click here for the list of National and Local Organizations.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, global

Rwanda: 3-year peace education program concludes with Peace Week and youth conference

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from the Rwanda Focus

After three years of building sustainable peace in communities across the country, the Rwanda Peace Education Program (RPEP) is coming to a close. The conclusion of the program will be marked by a Peace Week that starts on Monday and will include various activities to share the success of the program and encourage all Rwandans to be champions of peace in their own villages and families.

Rwanda
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A peace-building event organized by RPEP. (photo RPEP)

The Peace Week will take place from Monday 20 to Saturday 25 June, and will be hosted at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, Iwacu Avenue (Car Free Zone) and the Institute for Research and Dialogue for Peace.

The major activities include: the Ubumuntu International Youth Conference; the Peace Makers Exhibition at Iwacu Avenue (Car Free Zone); the National School Arts Competition Exhibition at Iwacu Avenue (Car Free Zone); the First Generation Teacher Peace Competition at the Kigali Genocide Memorial; Musekeweya Arts Performance; and a USC Shoah Foundation Film Screening at the Kigali Genocide Memorial

As part of Peace Week, RPEP partner the Aegis Trust will organize the Ubumuntu International Youth Conference, bringing together more than 100 young peace-builders from 16 countries. Participants will learn about genocide and its effects, post-genocide reconstruction, and genocide prevention. They will also visit memorials and reconciliation villages, and hear from leading scholars and practitioners in the areas of conflict resolution, conflict prevention, and peace building.

The Peace Week aims to inspire and challenge Rwandans to become peacemakers in their own communities. Rwandans who have used their skills and talents to influence their peers and communities to contribute to building a Rwanda that is free from conflict and division will share their experiences.

RPEP has been in place for the last three years, visiting communities across the country to promote positive values including social cohesion, pluralism and personal responsibility, empathy, critical thinking and action to build a more peaceful society. The program has been run by Aegis Trust, Radio La Benevolencija, the Institute For Research And Dialogue For Peace and the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation and is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

The program has reached more than 50,000 people from more than 20 districts across Rwanda. One of the most impressive achievements of the program has been the introduction of the Peace and Values Education developed by the program into the national curriculum.

(Thank you to the Global Campaign for Peace Education for calling this article to our attention)

Question for this article:
Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Seychelles set to become hub for peace studies

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Seychelles Nation

The University of Seychelles has announced that it is considering setting up an international centre for peace studies and diplomacy with the expert guidance and experience of Seychelles’ founding President Sir James Mancham. In fact the idea of Seychelles hosting an international centre for peace studies and diplomacy is an initiative of Sir James.

Seychelles

The University of Seychelles (UniSey) has said this is an ambitious and timely project that will add to the reputation of Seychelles as a peaceful nation making a further contribution to global society. “And it will support the university’s drive to develop niche areas of research and course opportunities,” added the UniSey.

Why peace studies?

The subject of peace studies is as intriguing as it is important:

* it is about war as well as peace;

* it embraces terrorism along with national confrontations;

* it is an academic study but also highly practical;

* it ranges from the boundaries of religion to the hard edge of geopolitics;

* it encourages abstract debate but cannot shy away from problem-solving;

* it draws on a variety of disciplines but belongs to none; and

* it addresses contrasting instances of conflict in different parts of the world.

Given the ubiquitous nature of national and international conflicts – and consequent attempts to resolve them – it is hardly surprising that peace studies has taken its place on the world stage. There is much to be understood, much to be done. But the ground is by no means saturated, the need to do more by no means met. The new centre will have an important role to play.

Why Seychelles?

Politically, the Republic of Seychelles is a small island state that is a friend of other nations and a threat to none; its neutrality is a key consideration. Indeed, neutrality made possible a much-lauded attempt by the President, James Michel, to broker an agreement between opposing factions in Madagascar at a time of political deadlock.

Socially, the country has an enviable record of ethnic harmony. It is widely regarded as a peaceful society. Where better to locate an international centre for peace studies?

Geographically, it is located in the Indian Ocean, just a few hours from the African continent and the Middle East, two regions where national and regional conflicts are too often in evidence.

Environmentally, Seychelles is a mecca for tourists who value the exceptional quality of its islands and turquoise seas. As a tranquil backcloth to negotiations on war and peace, it is hard to imagine a more conducive setting.

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Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

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But there is another reason too why this is an ideal location. For many years, the first President of the Republic of Seychelles, Sir James Mancham, has forged links with a wide range of international organisations and he, himself, is a renowned spokesperson for peace and reconciliation. Only recently he was awarded the prestigious Africa Peace Award 2016.

For all these reasons, Seychelles lends itself to this innovative proposal to establish a permanent centre for peace studies in the Indian Ocean.

What is proposed?

The mission of the centre will be to offer an international hub for the study of peace and to play an active role in conflict resolution as well as the training of diplomats.

The vice-chancellor of the University of Seychelles will be personally responsible for its development, helped by a project manager who will, initially, research the field and prepare the ground for the formation of the centre. Funds will be sought externally for specialist appointments and for the provision of a well-appointed office suite, located within the Anse Royale campus of the university.

The early appointment of a professor of peace studies and the support of visiting academics will provide specialist guidance to develop an appropriate programme of research and activities.

Although the centre will be located at Anse Royale it is anticipated that high-level talks might be arranged in secluded surroundings on one of the nation’s many islands.

What activities will take place?

The proposed professor of peace studies will provide both academic leadership and proven negotiating skills.

The centre will be a hub of information and also a meeting place for practitioners and scholars alike. Conferences will be a feature of the centre’s activities.

Under the auspices of the UniSey, it will offer a Master’s Degree in peace studies for local as well as international students, together with opportunities for doctoral and post-doctoral research.

Increasingly, consultancy will play a key role in the work of the centre, with assignments to undertake different aspects of conflict resolution.

How will it be funded?

The involvement of the vice-chancellor and the appointment of the project manager will be provided by the UniSey, while Sir James Mancham will be on hand with expert advice.

Applications will be made to external funding agencies to enable the appointment of a specialist professor peace studies and for the provision of suitable accommodation.

How will it be managed?

A Board of Trustees – to be chaired by Sir James Mancham – will be appointed, with responsibility to ensure that the mission of the centre is maintained and that funds are spent wisely and responsibly. The Trustees will also be responsible for the appointment and strategic monitoring of the performance of the professor. On a day-to-day basis, the centre and its employees will be directly accountable to the vice-chancellor of the UniSey.

(Thank you to the Global Campaign for Peace Education for calling this article to our attention)

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, South Asia

UK: Quakers hold conference on peace education for schools

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Ekklesia

On a day when Britain awakes, divided and disappointed by the EU Referendum and bruised by acrimonious campaigning, Quakers in Britain will host a ground-breaking national conference for teachers to learn how to equip pupils to handle conflict in a constructive way and to develop critical thinking skills. Educationalists from more than 80 schools across Britain will attend Learning Through Peace at Friends House in London. Quakers will work with others – Spiritual England, Peacemakers, The University of Winchester – to build the long-term merits of peace education.

quakers

Peace education teaches alternatives to violence. For more than 350 years, Quakers have worked for peace, not power, for co-operation, not aggression. This work includes peacebuilding in violent conflict, to challenging militarisation in schools and promoting peer mediation in the playground. The conference falls on the eve of Armed Forces Day and on the centenary of conscientious objectors courageously facing court martial and sentences of death for refusing to fight in World War I.

Isabel Cartwright, Peace education programme manager for Quakers in Britain, said “The Peaceful Schools Movement is so important. It’s civil societies’ way of helping teachers, governors, parents/carers, students and others, to inspire each other to take new steps to build a culture of peace, starting in our schools.”

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Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

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“The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, earlier this month, called for the UK government to ‘intensify its efforts to tackle bullying and violence in schools, including through teaching human rights and improving students’ conflict resolution skills’,” she explained.

Learning though Peace is a national conference for primary schools. It will bring together head teachers, deputy and assistant head teachers, school staff and school governors. Schoolchildren will be helping facilitate workshops, taking part in the panel discussion and acting as roving reporters throughout the day.

There will be workshops and sessions. Organisations taking part include Quakers peace education staff, and Anna Lubelska, founder of the Peaceful Schools Movement ‘Go Givers’, Peace Jam UK, which links up with Nobel Peace Prize winners, Amnesty International and Spaces for Spiritual Living. Resources will be shared including Quaker Peacemakers’ Learning for Peace.

* More on Learning Through Peace here.

* Quakers are known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Around 23,000 people attend 480 Quaker meetings in Britain. Their commitment to equality, justice, peace, simplicity and truth challenges them to seek positive social and legislative change. Quakers in Britain: http://www.quaker.org.uk/

(Thank you to the Global Campaign for Peace Education for calling this article to our attention)

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe