Category Archives: EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Indian Ministry of Law and Justice : The Mediation Bill, 2021

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

A project of law from PRS India

 The Mediation Bill, 2021 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on December 20, 2021.  Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), where parties attempt to settle their dispute (outside courts) with the assistance of an independent third person (mediator).  The Bill seeks to promote mediation (including online mediation), and provide for enforcement of settlement agreements resulting from mediation.  Key features of the Bill include:

° Applicability: The Bill will apply to mediation proceedings conducted in India where: (i) all parties reside in, are incorporated in, or have their place of business in India, (ii) the mediation agreement states that mediation will be as per this Bill, or (iii) there is an international mediation (i.e., mediation related to a commercial dispute where at least one party is a foreign government, a foreign national/resident, or an entity with its place of business outside India).  In these cases, if the central or state government is a party, the Bill will only apply to: (a) commercial disputes, and (b) other disputes as notified by such government.

° Pre-litigation mediation: In case of civil or commercial disputes, a person must try to settle the dispute by mediation before approaching any court or certain tribunals as notified.  Even if the parties fail to reach a settlement through pre-litigation mediation, the court or tribunal may at any stage of the proceedings refer the parties to mediation if they request for the same.

° Disputes not fit for mediation: Disputes not fit for mediation include those: (i) relating to claims against minors or persons of unsound mind, (ii) involving prosecution for criminal offences, (iii) affecting the rights of third parties, and (iv) relating to levy or collection of taxes.  The central government may amend this list of disputes.
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Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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° Mediation process: Mediation proceedings will be confidential.  A party may withdraw from mediation after the first two mediation sessions.  The mediation process must be completed within 180 days (even if the parties fail to arrive at an agreement), which may be extended by another 180 days by the parties.  In case of court annexed mediation (i.e., mediation conducted at a mediation centre established by any court or tribunal), the process must be conducted in accordance with directions or rules framed by the Supreme Court or High Courts.

° Mediators: Mediators only assist the parties to settle their dispute, and cannot impose a settlement on the them.  Mediators may be appointed by: (i) the parties by agreement, or (ii) a mediation service provider (an institution administering mediation).  Mediators must disclose any conflict of interest that may raise doubts on their independence.  Parties may then choose to replace the mediator.

° Mediation Council of India: The central government will establish the Mediation Council of India.  The Council will consist of a chairperson, two full-time members (with experience in mediation or ADR), three ex-officio members (including Secretaries in the Ministries of Law and Justice and Finance), and one part-time member (from an industry body).  Functions of the Council include: (i) registration of mediators, and (ii) recognising mediation service providers and mediation institutes (providing training, education and certification of mediators).

° Mediated settlement agreement: Agreements resulting from mediation must be in writing, signed by the parties and authenticated by the mediator.  Such agreements will be final, binding, and enforceable in the same manner as court judgments (except agreements arrived at after community mediation).  Mediated settlement agreements (besides those arrived at in court referred mediation or by Lok Adalat or Permanent Lok Adalat) may be challenged only on grounds of: (i) fraud, (ii) corruption, (iii) impersonation, or (iv) relating to disputes not fit for mediation.

° Community mediation: Community mediation may be attempted to resolve disputes likely to affect the peace and harmony amongst residents of a locality.  It will be conducted by a panel of three mediators (may include persons of standing in the community, and representatives of RWAs).

° Interface with other laws: The Bill will override other laws on mediation (except certain laws such as the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and the Industrial Relations Code, 2020).  The Bill also makes consequential amendments in certain laws (such as the Indian Contract Act, 1872, and the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996). 

Spain : Films for peace – ten years of MUSOC

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by Pablo Batalla Cueto in Lamarea86

A meeting place between cinema, social activism and critical thinking, which seeks to deepen the knowledge of human rights and the culture of peace: this is how MUSOC, the Social Film and Human Rights Exhibition, is presented ; a cinematographic event organized by Acción en Red Asturies. The event is supported by more than 40 organizations and groups and it has become an increasingly well-known reference –in Asturias and outside it– of the cultural programming related to the art of the cinema.


A frame from the film ‘Six Days Current’.

This year marks the decade anniversary : a special edition that will once again be displayed by several Asturian municipalities and educational centers in the region with film screenings (with the thematic sections Outskirts, Another Station, Creators looking to the South, Transits and Daughters of Guy) as well as some parallel activities: his Visible Dialogues , a colloquium between filmmakers, activists and the public; the MUSOCeduca pedagogical project, consisting of the dissemination of human rights and peace culture in eighty schools; and the delivery of the Chema Castiello Award.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Question for this article:

Film festivals that promote a culture of peace, Do you know of others?

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The inauguration is on Friday, January 7. It will open the exhibition Six days current , directed by Neus Ballús, winner of the Chema Castiello 2022, Espiga de Plata in the last Valladolid Festival. The film features three workers from a small plumbing and electricity company on the outskirts of Barcelona. One of the workers, of Moroccan origin, has to demonstrate for a week that he is ready to be the replacement for his partner Pep after his retirement and dissolve the doubts of Valero, the other partner, who doubts that those who require the services of the small company will accept a worker from the Maghreb in their homes . 

On successive days, and until January 30, MUSOC attendees will be able to see films such as Mali Twist, by Robert Guédiguian, a film set in the revolutionary Bamako of the sixties, which will be screened at the Niemeyer Center in Avilés ; As Far As I Can Walk, by Stefan Arsenijevi ?, starring a Ghanaian migrant who meets his wife in a Serbian refugee center, which can be seen at the Philharmonic Theater in Oviedo on the 18th; or, at the Riera Theater in Villaviciosa, Nora’s Awakening, by Leonie Krippendorf, about the adolescent infatuation of two young Berlin girls, Nora and Romy.

Other films concern the trans pioneer and activist against AIDS Connie Norman, the rural exodus in Kenya, the criminalization of abortion in El Salvador, the life of the last republican mayor of Seville and the dramas about Kosovo, Mexico and India.

Oviedo, Gijón, Avilés, Cangas de Onís, Langreo, Siero, Navia, Castrillón, Villaviciosa and Llanes are the participating towns, distributed from west to east throughout the region, of this edition. They take into account the current pandemic by the observance of the COVID-19 protocols, with accesses and exits to the spaces in an orderly and staggered manner and the obligation to use a mask and hydroalcoholic gel.

Creativity, diversity, freedom, reflection and commitment: these are the values to which this festival seeks to embrace; these virtues are essential in increasingly tough times. Hence the title of another of the films in this MUSOC, which will be screened in Navia on the 13th: A Little Plan… How to Save the World.

Dominican Republic: 11 Thousand People Train in Conflict Resolution and Culture of Peace in 2021

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article in El Nuevo Diario

The National Conflict Resolution System (Sinarec), reported this Tuesday (January 4) that in the past year 2021 it trained more than 11 thousand people in its citizen education programs for alternative conflict resolution and culture of peace. The programs are aimed at community leaders, members of the Public Ministry and administrative personnel of the public prosecutor’s offices of the country and abroad.

Sinarec highlighted that the trainings consisted of workshops, discussions, conferences, round tables, diplomas and specialized courses in mediation, alternative conflict resolution, culture of peace, human rights and non-violent communication, among other methods of violence reduction. .

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(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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It was indicated that these preventive actions served as an extension to the daily work of Sinarec, which mediates between parties in conflict, providing guidance and support to reach agreements that avoid the need for judicial prosecution.

Sinarec added that during the year just ended, the mediators received hundreds of citizens and achieved peaceful resolutions in 90% of the cases.

In a statement, it was pointed out that these services are permanently available at the agency’s headquarters, located at 237 Barney Morgan Street, in the Luperón expansion, under rigorous measures. of biosafety and with the participation of personnel trained in mediation.

The director of Sinarec, Petronila Rosario Adames, explained that with the endorsement of the Institute of Higher Education National School of the Public Ministry, 78 members of the career of the Dominican and Chilean Public Ministry participated virtually and completed the diploma in Conflict Management and Mediation .

She added that participants included 315 professional members of the Dominican Association of Psychology (Asodopsi), the Integral Ethnic Foundation (Lafei), Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP), members of the National Police, community and ecclesiastical leaders.

Rosario Adames emphasized especially the Youth Mediation and Restorative Practices course, taught to 45 adolescents inmates at the Comprehensive Care Center for Adolescents in Conflicts with the Criminal Law (CAIPACLP), in Manoguayabo, where there was a positive change in the behavior of the participants after receiving training in peer mediation.

Brazil: Practices that promote a culture of peace at Funase had good results in 2021

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from the blog of Didi Galvão

Restorative justice actions, aimed at promoting a culture of peace in socio-educational units in Pernambuco, had good results in 2021. During this period, 77 circles of restorative justice were carried out with 458 participants, including adolescents and young people in compliance with socio-educational measures and employees of the Socio-Educational Service Foundation (Funase), an institution linked to the Department of Social Development, Children and Youth (SDSCJ) of Pernambuco.


Image: Divulgação/Funase

The face-to-face activities took place in a manner adapted to the health guidelines resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, with smaller groups of participants, in accordance with the protocol established by Funase. The training processes of multipliers, on the other hand, prioritized the virtual modality. In 2022, the idea is to continue expanding the work of the Center for Restorative Justice (NJR), a group of public servants established in 2019 with the objective of disseminating these practices in the socio-educational system in Pernambuco.

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(Click here for the original article in Portuguese)

Discussion question

Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

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Restorative Justice addresses issues such as conflict mediation and non-violent communication, encouraging accountability processes. Marcela Mariz, coordinator of the NJR, believes that the gains have been significant. “We see important results for those who participate. Compliance with the socio-educational measure is not easy. Welcoming, strengthening and empowering are essential actions. And Restorative Justice presents itself as a great tool for that”, she says.

The Socio-Educational Service Center (Case) Jaboatão dos Guararapes, in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, is one of the Funase units where restorative practices are implemented and in progress. “At first, some teenagers show resistance, but later they realize that that moment is theirs and that’s when they can reflect, tell stories and build an internal space for this practice”, explains psychologist and reference technician Cristiane Campelo.

In 2021, training courses were held for managers and technicians on the topic “Restorative Justice in the Socio-Educational System”, with the promotion of Funase in partnership with the Training Center for Public Servants and Employees of the State of Pernambuco (Cefospe). Trainings on coping with LGBTphobia and its parallels with restorative practices were also guided. Another highlight was NJR’s participation in the 1st Latin American Journey “Justice and Restorative Practices: reflections, tools and good practices”, an event held in September, remotely, based in Argentina.

Mexico: Toys and Games as Instruments of the Culture of Peace

.. EDUCATION FOR PEACE ..

An article from Government of the State of Jalisco

The Secretariat of the Social Assistance System (SSAS) and the Jalisco Solidario Volunteering have joined the campaign “Toys and Games as Instruments of the Culture of Peace”, an initiative of the deputy Rocío Aguilar Tejada. The campaign aims to promote a culture of peace through of positive play, creating awareness and reflection about the damage generated by violence promoted through toys and war games, in addition to inviting parents to refrain from giving them as presents during the Christmas season.

The coordinator of the Jalisco Solidario Volunteering, Joanna Santillán Álvarez, commented that it is necessary to strengthen Jalisco childhood, especially in view of the pandemic that has changed the dynamics of life, taking advantage of the development capacity that the game gives physically, emotionally and cognitively.

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Questions for this article:

Do war toys promote the culture of war?

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“It is important that we call on all Jalisco families to avoid giving war toys, and to share games capable of creating an atmosphere of respect, solidarity but above all of love”, Santillán Álvarez stressed, during the start of the campaign, which was hosted by the State Congress and which will conclude at the Trompo Mágico Interactive Museum.

The head of the SSAS, Alberto Esquer Gutiérrez, acknowledged that the current pace of life sometimes does not give parents time to pause to reflect on the toys and games of their daughters and sons. They are often warlike, including those of electronic devices. “If we don’t make an effort to generate sports, recreational, cultural and coexistence activities for our children, no one is going to do it; dads and moms are the main educators of our children ”, he emphasized.

Also participating in the campaign are the State Government, the Jalisco State Human Rights Commission (CEDHJ), the Magic Trompo Museum, the Guadalajara Security Police Station, the Guadalajara City Council, as well as the plastic artist Álvaro Cuevas and the CAI-METLAN Artistic Collective, who exhibited the sculptures “Impacts that leave a mark”, and “La Paloma de Picasso”, paintings linked to this purpose.

It should be noted that this campaign will culminate during the first week of January when girls, boys and adolescents are summoned to carry out the destruction of war toys at the Trompo Mágico Museum.

(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

Culture of Peace at the Encuentro Mundial Educar para la Vida

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

Information from the website y facebook page of the Encuentro Mundial Educar para la Vida (translation by CPNN)

The global meeting of Educar para la Vida (Educating for Life) is a project that aims to reflect and create a dialogue about education, the ways of life that humanity has adopted and the possibilities of transforming them through a different education. This project arose from the challenge that the pandemic and the environmental crisis have posed for humanity, challenges that have been aggravated by social problems such as inequality, poverty and migration.

The objective of this project is to stimulate a transformative cultural mobilization of the ways of thinking, of producing, of consuming, of living in harmony with ourselves, with the community, with society and with nature, taking into account the perspective that education is the key to building a collective future based on respect for the common good.

The dialogue that this Meeting proposes is carried out in virtual format and developed around six themes: Educating for criticism, Culture of peace, Global citizenship, Justice, Communication and Educating in life and with life. There are keynote conferences, dialogues between international specialists and an exhibition of the experiences of NGOs, activists, leaders, academics and pedagogues.

One of the six fields of reflection is the culture of peace.

Culture of Peace

This is understood as a process of recognition of the thousands of forms, experiences of resistance and local, community and ethnic expressions from which it is possible to learn to live peacefully or to defend ourselves peacefully from war. The universe of human rights and democracy is the context for its guarantee. An antimilitarist culture where the language of war has been replaced by one of solidarity, a language of the acceptance of multiple dissensions, from where we work hard to build a just, anti-patriarchal, anti-racist planetary society, in solidarity with ourselves as human beings, with the other species that inhabit the planet and with the world of nature of which we are part.

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(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Question for this article:

What are some good films and videos that promote a culture of peace?

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10 Conferences

Culture of Peace : Video of David Adams, Coordinator of the Culture of Peace News Network and promoter of the UN Declaration and Program of Action for a Culture of Peace (1999).

Culture of peace towards the future : Video of Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Pharmacist, professor, poet, politician and high international civil servant. He was director of UNESCO (1987-1999). Since 2000 he has presided over the Culture of Peace Foundation. He is president of the Scientific Council of the Ramón Areces Foundation since 1993.

What education and for what kind of life?”> : Video of Manuel Dios Diz, Teacher, institute professor, diplomas in geography and history from USC. Founder and ex-president of the Galician Seminary of Education for Peace. Former president of AIPAZ and member of the Culture of Peace Foundation.

Education for a Culture of Peace : Video of Sofía Herrero, Pedagoga con Master Internacional en Estudios de Paz, Conflictos y Desarrollo y Doctora con mención internacional.

Culture of Peace and Neuroscience: Contribution from Mexico : video of Roberto Mercadillo, Psychologist with a Master of Science, specialist in Neurobiology with a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. He is a professor at CONCACyT and his research revolves around Social Neuroscience. He has worked at the Institute for Biomedical Research at UNAM, in addition to being a Professor at the National School of Anthropology and History.

Towards an education in human rights and citizenship from the United Nations models : video of Matías Penhos, Researcher Professor, his Master’s thesis revolves around the United Nations Models to address discriminatory situations in the field of non-formal education and its incidence in schools. He is a member of human rights education networks at the regional and international levels.

Colombian youth are transforming politics : video of Fabián Acosta, Philosopher, Master of Arts, Kliment University of Ojrid Sofia Bulgaria. Master in Political Science, Doctor in Social and Political Philosophy, Kliment University of Ojrid. Associate Professor Dept. of Political Science National University of Colombia, professor of political theory. Social researcher, Director of the UN OBJUN Youth Observatory.

Constructing Cultures of Peace: Today’s Challenge video of Alicia Cabezudo, Graduate in History and Social Sciences, Master in Spanish Studies and in Education for Human Rights, Peace and International Cooperation. She completed a Doctorate in Education and Social Sciences. She is currently a professor at the International Peace Bureau – IPB and the Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace- GAMIP.

The challenges of education for peace and sustainability of life : video of Jaume Martínez Bonafé, Doctor in Philosophy and Educational Sciences, founder of the Pedagogical Renewal Movements and the University of the Paulo Freire Institute of Spain.

La décima conferencia no está disponible

3 Experiences

Our thinking at Embera : video of Miguel Angel Parada, Jumara Kincha Embera, Colombia.

Psychosocial support strategy with the use of ICTs, through the Meraki school magazine : video of Janeth Triana Triana, Colegio de Cultura Popular, Colombia.

Culture of Peace in the Network of Women Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs video of Leticia Adela Mosqueda Ochoa, Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico.

Mexico: Municipal Mediation Unit of the City of Merida to promote a Culture of Peace

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Mi Punto de Vista

With the aim of consolidating a culture of peace and dialogue, the Mérida City Council provides a mediation service to offer alternatives for a peaceful solution to family disputes and conflicts. or neighborhood, announced the Mayor, Renán Barrera Concha.

He pointed out that the Municipal Mediation Unit is an effective tool to remedy those conflicts that arise between neighbors or relatives. Otherwise they could lead to crimes such as threats, injuries or damage to someone else’s property.

“In the City of Mérida we continue to implement alternative mechanisms that allow us to prevent the commission of crimes, especially those that appear due to disagreements, thus we are committed to dialogue between the parties to prevent these situations from escalating to another level,” he said.

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(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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The Municipal President reported that in the 2018-2021 administration, attention was paid to 529 cases, of which 40%, that is, around 200 files, due to neighborhood conflicts, 21% due to voluntary divorce, 15% family conflicts and the rest was divided on issues such as alimony, spouses, custody of minors and family visits.

“Mediation is gradually being accepted and adopted by the people of Merida. Once they know the benefits that this entails, the answer is positive. People not only achieve the solution of the conflict they are going through, but they also promote communication and peaceful coexistence between the parties involved,” he stressed.

For her part, the director of the municipal DIF (Desarrollo Integral de la Familia), Silvia Sarti González, explained that the procedure is carried out free of charge and with the support of a professional mediator. “People who have resorted to this model have found solutions from a different perspective, since we have them listen to the other’s version, discuss those points of view and, through dialogue, propose a way to resolve their disagreements.”

She added that those who resort to conflict mediation find less financial and emotional wear and tear, and, in most cases, avoid legal processes that are often lengthy and expensive.

The Municipal Mediation Unit provides services from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, and it deals with cases of a family, school, community and commercial nature.

To request attention, those interested should contact the Legal Coordination of DIF Mérida, located at 59 # 432 between 50 and 52-A, Centro, or they can call 9999 28 69 77 extension 81516 presenting a copy of their INE and CURP.

Film review: Oliver Stone’s new JFK documentary

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

A review by Michael McCaffrey in RT.com

Stone’s new documentary, ‘JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass’, isn’t perfect, but it’s vitally important. He goes back into the assassination case with a fervor and has produced an insightful film that’s well worth a watch.


Trailer of film

Stone’s ‘JFK’ hit theaters in 1991 and sent shockwaves through Washington and the corporate media because it was a compelling cinematic counter-myth to the equally fantastical Warren Report.

The Praetorian Guards of the establishment in the halls of power and press met the film with ferocity as they set out to debunk and defang it, because it directly challenged their narrative and thus their authority. They failed. ‘JFK’ was nominated for eight Academy Awards and brought in over $200 million at the box office. More importantly, though, it broke the spell of public indifference and somewhat loosened establishment obstruction with regard to JFK’s assassination.

In the film’s wake, the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 was passed, and the Assassination Records Review Board set up and funded.

Now, some 30 years later, Oliver Stone is back, this time with a documentary streaming on Showtime, ‘JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass’, which sticks its thumb in the eye of those who mindlessly espouse the ‘official’ story of JFK’s assassination as the truth.

As someone interested in the assassination, and who has read a multitude of books on the subject across the spectrum, from Gerald Posner’s ‘Case Closed’ and Vincent Bugliosi’s ‘Reclaiming History’ to Jim Marrs’ ‘Crossfire’ and James W. Douglass’ ‘JFK and the Unspeakable’, finding a decent documentary worthy of a watch on the topic is a challenge.

Thankfully, Stone has stepped up to the plate with ‘JFK Revisited’ – a serious and worthy work that offers a coherent, if limited, counter-theory to the official assassination line.

The film runs to a brisk two hours, features a bevy of talking heads – including John M. Newman (whose ‘JFK and Vietnam’ and ‘Oswald and the CIA’ are terrific), David Talbot (who wrote ‘The Devil’s Chessboard’ – also fantastic), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., James K. Galbraith, Dr. Cyril Wecht, and Dr. Henry Lee – and is a well-paced primer that would be a useful launchpad for anyone interested in diving even deeper into the case.

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Question related to this article:
 
Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

What are some good films and videos that promote a culture of peace?

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There’s a four-hour cut of the film that will purportedly be made available to the public in the new year, and I’m looking forward to seeing that version, as I assume it gets more into the specifics of who did the actual shooting – a subject the at-times-rushed two-hour version foregoes in favor of more foundational topics.

The film does examine a plethora of fascinating JFK assassination topics, though, including the following: Assassin Lee Harvey Oswald’s numerous and obvious connections to the intelligence community. The Warren Commission’s, intel community’s, and media’s knowing distortions and deceptions regarding the assassination. The fantasy of the magic-bullet theory. The contradictory medical evidence from Parkland Hospital in Dallas, and the autopsy at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. The remarkably similar plots to kill Kennedy in Chicago and Tampa, leading up to Dallas, which included other Oswald-esque patsies Thomas Arthur Vallee and Gilberto Lopez. And the story of Abraham Bolden, the first black secret service agent, who allegedly tried to inform the authorities of the Chicago plot, but instead of being hailed a hero, was railroaded and sent to prison.

‘JFK Revisited’ also spotlights the struggle between Kennedy and the political establishment. His famed American University speech of June 1963, where he laid out his vision for a new, peaceful US foreign policy, opens the film. This vision is foundational to ‘the why’ of Stone’s theory regarding the assassination, as it provides a motive for the intelligence agencies and military to act to remove a president they deemed soft on communism and weak in general.

Kennedy wanted to promote anti-colonialism, normalize relations with Cuba, not make the same mistake as the French in Vietnam, and have détente with the Soviets, even including combining efforts in the space race.

The intelligence community and the Pentagon had a very different and much more nefarious agenda. They were busy eliminating Lumumba in the Congo, fomenting a military coup in France, conjuring both the Bay of Pigs and Operation Northwoods – which would use false-flag terror attacks on US targets to force a war in Cuba – and pushing for American escalation in Vietnam.

This is why Kennedy moved to reduce the CIA budget by 20%, fired CIA warhorse Allen Dulles (who, curiously enough, would become a powerful member of the Warren Commission), and famously declared he would shatter the CIA into a million pieces. According to Stone, the CIA beat Kennedy to the punch, as it shattered his skull into a million pieces in Dealey Plaza, on November 22, 1963.

The gaping, gangrenous wound at the heart of America, which rots our national soul, was born on that fateful day, and it still festers and it still matters.

Unlike both malignant political parties and the shameless corporate media, Oliver Stone – whose status as pariah is the fuel that powers all his documentaries – understands this, and he’s trying to heal that wound by seeking out the truth about JFK’s killing.

While the establishment may ignore ‘JFK Revisited’, the general public shouldn’t. It’s a useful and insightful film for anyone who wants to understand their government and what it’s willing to do to maintain both its grip on power and the lucrative status quo.

Seek out and watch ‘JFK Revisited’. It isn’t perfect, but it’s vitally important.

The Best Weapon for Peace : Maria Montessori, Education, and Children’s Rights

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

A book review from The University of Wisconsin Press

This book is by Erica Moretti (see below).


“Innovative and extremely well-documented. This volume reframes the life and work of Maria Montessori within the context of international peace studies. She deserves recognition as a pioneer who faced gender barriers and nevertheless almost won the Nobel Peace Prize. Moretti gracefully weaves portraits of historical topics into this narrative of Montessori’s intellectual life.”
—Mary Gibson, John Jay College and the Graduate Center–CUNY

The Italian educator and physician Maria Montessori (1870–1952) is best known for the teaching method that bears her name. She was also a lifelong pacifist, although historians tend to consider her writings on this topic as secondary to her pedagogy.

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Question related to this article:
 
What is the best way to teach peace to children?

What is the relation between peace and education?

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In The Best Weapon for Peace, Erica Moretti reframes Montessori’s pacifism as the foundation for her educational activism, emphasizing her vision of the classroom as a gateway to reshaping society. Montessori education offers a child-centered learning environment that cultivates students’ development as peaceful, curious, and resilient adults opposed to war and invested in societal reform.



Using newly discovered primary sources, Moretti examines Montessori’s lifelong pacifist work, including her ultimately unsuccessful push for the creation of the White Cross, a humanitarian organization for war-affected children. Moretti shows that Montessori’s educational theories and practices would come to define children’s rights once adopted by influential international organizations, including the United Nations. She uncovers the significance of Montessori’s evolving philosophy of peace and early childhood education within broader conversations about internationalism and humanitarianism.
 
Erica Moretti  is an assistant professor of Italian at the Fashion Institute of Technology–SUNY. She is the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award in Scholarship and Creative Activities.

The book is published as part of the following series:

George L. Mosse Series in Modern European Cultural and Intellectual History
Steven E. Aschheim, Skye Doney, Mary Louise Roberts, and David J. Sorkin, Series Editors

Global Teacher Prize: Juline Anquetin-Rault

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from The Global Teacher Prize (reprinted by permission)

(Editor’s note : Juline Anquetin-Rault came to our attention by way of a article in a local newspaper in France, Tendence Ouest, where she is quoted as being inspired by the pedagogical methods of Maria Montessori. CPNN has long maintained that this pedagogy is a good model for peace education. Montessori’s methods are usually used for young children, but Juline has adapted the methods to use with adolescents. )

She is now a candidate for the Global Teacher Prize as follows:


Video from Global Teacher Prize

Even as a child, Juline Anquetin Rault knew she wanted to become a teacher, but there was a time when she doubted whether her dream would come true. When she took the national exam to become a history and geography teacher, she ranked 607th out of 6,000 candidates, but only the top 604 were hired as public school teachers. Juline was crushed, but resolved to retake the exam the following year. In the meantime, she started working as a teaching assistant in a local school. On her first day, as she helped students with their homework and went over their lessons with them, Juline knew she had found her calling, and would become a teacher no matter what. She decided to start a tutoring agency, and also began teaching in private schools that did not require educators to pass the national exam.

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Question related to this article:
 
What is the best way to teach peace to children?

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Juline now splits her time between tutoring and teaching history and geography at an apprenticeship school. There, many of her students start out disliking school, having struggled in formal education, and a large portion are foreign students still learning to speak French.  

Juline believes learning should be fun, and that pupils should feel empowered to progress on their own. She has developed innovative teaching methods to engage her students, including treasure hunts and ‘pop culture’ classes using films. To help her students regain their confidence, she teaches them that failure and making mistakes are a valuable part of learning. Each class incorporates autonomous workshops, which can include internet research, online quizzes or studying maps. Juline’s methods have proven successful, with clear improvements not just in her students’ grades, but also in their mental health. In an end of year survey, 98% of students at Juline’s school said they would recommend this way of learning, and a project is in the works to apply it at national level. 

Outside of teaching, since 2017 Juline has organised yearly trips for students at her apprenticeship school. In 2020, she launched an organisation to fundraise for these outings. For Juline, travelling with students is a key way to teach them to be more tolerant. Many of her pupils have never even been to Paris, which is just 90 minutes from Rouen. She has also raised funds for children in Asia and Africa to access health and education services, and encourages regular dialogue between these children and the students at her tutoring agency.   

Juline is committed to helping her fellow teachers be the best they can be, and hosts training sessions to share her knowledge with colleagues. She teaches her peers how to use new technologies and memorisation techniques based on the latest cognitive science. She also frequently looks at what other teachers around the world are doing, and is inspired by passionate teachers. Juline runs a popular YouTube channel on which she shares learning and teaching materials with students and educators. If she wins the Global Teacher Prize, she would spend the funds on helping train even more teachers, to transform French education for the better.

(Thank you to Kiki Adams, the CPNN reporter for this articl