Category Archives: EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Philippines: Theater, a tool for international understanding

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from the Manila Buletin

World Theater Day, instituted by the International Theater Institute (ITI) on March 27, 1962, to mark the opening of the Theater of Nations in Paris, France, has since been annually celebrated on March 27 to focus on the importance of theater as a diverse and complex art form that taps the creative work of the playwright, director, actors, artists, and composers. In musical theater, acting is combined with music, song, and dance.2

ITI, the world’s largest organization for the performing arts established in 1948 by UNESCO during the first world congress in Prague, Czech Republic, has a network of 100 national centers worldwide, including the Philippines, that promotes international exchange of knowledge and practice in theater arts, aiming to consolidate peace and friendship among peoples, deepen mutual understanding, and increase creative cooperation among people in the theater arts. An ITI center is made up of professionals active in the theater life of a country and representative of all branches of the performing arts.

The Philippines celebrates UNESCO-ITI World Theater Week every year on March 21-27, pursuant to Proclamation 1262 in 2007. The National Commission for Culture and Arts leads the weeklong celebration, in coordination with ITI-affiliated Philippine Center of the International Theater Institute. Events in Metro Manila and in the regions include the presentation of short plays, dance troupe performances, puppet shows, art exhibits and singing. NCCA encourages artists and culture enthusiasts to partner with the government towards the full flowering of theater arts among Filipinos.

On World Theater Day, events are held by theater communities all over the world, the most important of which is spreading an international message by a renowned personality on the theme of theater and a culture of peace. The first international message was written by French poet-novelist Jean Cocteau in 1962. For 2017, French theater and cinema actress Isabelle Huppert will deliver the World Theater Day message at a special show at the UNESCO in Paris.

Each year, the message is translated into more than 20 languages, read for tens of thousands of spectators before performances in theaters worldwide, released throughout the ITI network, and printed in newspapers.

(For an article on World Theater Day in Mexico, click here)

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East Asia, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Mexico: UAT teaches university students “Mediation for a Culture of Peace”

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Gaceta (translated by CPNN)

The Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (UAT) is offering its students the conference “Mediation for a culture of peace”, in which young people are introduced to a broader perspective of the subject, as well as tools essential for conflict resolution.

The lecture was given by the Master Jose Ives Soberón Mejía, in the auditorium of the Academic Unit of Social Work and Sciences for the Human Development (UATSCDH) of the Victoria Campus.

“Sometimes we think it is a subject foreign to us but there are many conflicts to solve in our university, in our community, and in all social spheres,” said the speaker, who has a Master’s Degree in Conflictology with Specialty in Family and Educational Mediation by The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.

The UAT professor also stressed the importance of addressing the issue of mediation in the University, which allows the dissemination of tools and peaceful ways to resolve conflicts among young people.

“Throughout our life if there is something that we can not escape, it is the issue of conflicts. And when there comes a conflict in our life we ​​tend to solve it as it occurs, without benefiting by gaining a general scheme for conflict resolution, “he said.

He stressed that this is why the effort made by the University is praiseworthy, in order to instill in young people the tools to resolve conflicts in a systematic way.

“We have to learn to negotiate to solve our problems, which is the point of mediation, so that each problem will be solved in an appropriate way.”

“That is why mediation gives us the tools to solve conflicts and this in turn contributes to the culture of peace,” he concluded.

(click here for the Spanish version)

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

258,000 Iraqi children back at school in eastern Mosul as battle rages in west of city

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Theirworld: A brighter future for every child (reprinted by permission)

At least 320 schools have reopened in eastern Mosul and nearby towns – allowing around 258,000 children to return to education while fighting continues in the west of the embattled Iraqi city. Some of the children had been out of school for more than two years, with girls largely banned from getting an education by the terror group Islamic State.


Heba, Noor, and Janna in a classroom at a recently reopened school in eastern Mosul, Iraq — UNICEF / Anmar

In February, UNICEF provided learning materials including science and maths kits to 87 of the East Mosul schools, reaching 73,780 children including 31,890 girls. The United Nations children’s agency said the need for furniture, teaching materials, and teacher training remains a challenge.

Concern about unexploded devices in and around schools is high. But with only a limited number of agencies authorised to deliver Mine Risk Education (MRE) sessions, the authorities are concerned. In Anbar province, MRE took place in 50 schools, with awareness and safety messages reaching an estimated 25,000 students, including about 45% of girls.

Paul St. John Frisoli, a senior education technical adviser on the Middle East region for the International Rescue Committee, said schools in Mosul can save children’s lives by giving student, teachers, school staff and parents crucial life-saving information about mine awareness.

In a blog for Refugees Deeply, he added: “IRC staff deployed into recently retaken villages and displacement camps around Mosul have observed high rates of distress among children and families.

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What is the relation between peace and education?

A culture of peace in Iraq, Is it possible?

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“Education can help children cope with the consequences of conflict by providing a secure, predictable and nurturing environment. Having access to education offers children hope for and a sense of control over their future during crisis.”

Millions of children across the world miss out on school as a result of humanitarian emergencies including conflicts, natural disasters and health crises. Education can be lifesaving – not being in school in emergencies can leave children at risk of child labour, early marriage, exploitation and recruitment into child labour.

Military operations to retake western parts Iraq’s second largest city started on February 19 after Iraqi forces were successful in removing the terror group from the east.

The United Nations estimates that around 750,000 civilians remain inside the western section of the city.

Humanitarian groups are deeply concerned about the situation of civilians trapped there, including around 412,000 children.

Since February 19, more than 31,500 people – including 14,800 children – have been displaced from West Mosul. The majority of people have been sent to new IDP camps in south Ninewa.

In January, 70 schools reopened in Mosul. Hessam al-Din Abar, a representative at the Provincial Council in Nineveh, where Mosul is the capital, said schools had been turned into places for terrorists to train new recruits and promote extremism.

Many families would not allow their children to attend schools while ISIL – which seized the city in 2014 – was controlling them.

An estimated 3.5 million Iraqi children are missing out on education.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Mideast

Organizations sign agreement to promote a culture of peace in Dominican Republic

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article of Listin Diario (translated by CPNN)

The National Federation of Merchants and Entrepreneurs of the Dominican Republic (Fenacerd) and the Scala Foundation signed yesterday an agreement to promote a culture of peace in the country, as well as to develop programs of training and citizen coexistence.

 “On this occasion, we understand that it is time to strengthen the culture of peace, good practice and the common good through a dialogue with our consumers and suppliers that fosters cooperation and solidarity,” said Manuel Ortiz, President of Fenacerd, during the ceremony.

He added, furthermore, that this agreement will positively impact on an improvement of coexistence between merchants and citizens in general.

Meanwhile, the president of the Scala Foundation, Raisa Ruiz, stressed that this agreement promotes the construction of a culture of peace from a focus on rights and gender equality, values ​​and ethics of care.

In the first stage, both institutions are planning to organize activities to train the members of Fenacerd, through training workshops in the process of building peace and citizenship at the national level.

“It is time to promote attitudes of values ​​and good behavior especially in an environment like the one where violence prevails, which in the end degenerates into delinquency,” Ortiz said.

(click here for the original Spanish version)

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Côte d’Ivoire: National Police: 639 staff trained in culture of peace

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article by Daniel Assouman for Fraternité Matin (translated by CPNN)

In order to strengthen socio-security dialogue, the National Police School has strengthened the operational capacities of police officers. The program of five months was initiated by the Director General of the National Police, Kouyaté Youssouf..


(Click on photo to enlarge)

The director general of the national police, Commissary Major, Kouyaté Youssouf, plans to strengthen the dialogue within the institution and also between the police and the population, in order to guarantee security.

To this end, he has signed a partnership with “Verbatims”, a training and support institute for the prevention of conflicts related to identity. By means of 24 refresher and training sessions, 639 police officers, including 79 women and police of all ranks, received capacity building on culture of peace techniques.

These sessions, which began in November 2016 and ended on March 10, 2017, were structured around six modules. These included:
* the notion of ethnicity,
* prejudices and stereotypes,
* identities and conflicts at the micro-social level,
* identities and conflicts at the macro-social level,
* the notion of nationality,
* elections and political candidacies
   
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(click here for the original French version)

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Where are police being trained in culture of peace?

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Marie Stenbock-Fermor, Chair of the Verbatims Board of Directors, recalled that the Project, called “Support the Strengthening of Socio-Security Dialogue” (Pards) is financed by the European Union and Implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Its general goal is to bring the police and the population closer together, in particular, through the organization of police-population dialogue workshops and public forums in order to reduce considerably the mistrust between the population and the police.

During the course of the work, the participants concentrated on reflections on the internal cohesion of the police and the image of the police within the population, according to the Marie Stenbock-Fermor. With regard to internal cohesion, she noted that within the police some deviant behaviors were observed by the hierarchy. For example, questioning colleague with regard to ethnicity and mentioning ethnic prejudices and stereotypes.

According to her, these behaviors that stem from different crises are sources of frustration, mistrust, contempt, withdrawal, fear between colleagues and they severely harm the efficiency of service to the population. That is why she found it necessary to carry out the training.

Returning to the image of the police within the population, she was reassuring. She pointed out that through training, there will be a real improvement in respect for the police by the population., especially to the extent that they perceive new behaviors on the part of the police officers both in terms of reception of complaints and treatment of persons who have committed offenses.

The Director of Training and the National Police School, Chief Police Commissioner Touré Kouacou Albert, who represented the Director General of the National Police, urged the participants to put into practice what had been learned . He transmitted the encouragement of the Director General of the National Police.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Peru: Art in the streets to promote the culture of peace

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article for El Peruano (translated by CPNN)

The Punto de Cultura program of the Ministry of Culture has linked up with the strategy of Barrio Seguro of the Ministry of Interior to promote and develop actions from the arts and other cultural expressions that help to encourage the participation of youth and vulnerable populations in promoting a culture of peace.


(Click on image to enlarge)

The deputy minister of cultural heritage of the Ministry of Culture, Jorge Arrunátegui, stressed the importance of the multisectoral strategy Barrio Seguro. “We consider that culture aids development and within that concept what we are looking for is a greater articulation. This articulation between the two ministries is designed to reach into neighborhoods, especially those that needan impulse to promote a culture of peace and expression of art and culture, “he said.

The purpose of the multi-sectoral strategy Barrio Seguro is to improve conditions for security and peaceful coexistence in vulnerable neighborhoods of Peru and to increase people’s confidence in the National Police of Peru.

It was explained that one of its strategic partners is the Ministry of Culture, through its Punto de Cultura program, which will contribute to the reduction of victimization and the strengthening of peaceful coexistence, through the positive use of free time.

Estefanía Lay, one of the leaders of the program, said that the idea is to foster opportunities for “positive use of public space”, where people feel safe and meet their neighbor in a park or square.

“It is precisely the Punto de Cultura program, through its proposals of art and culture that can generate those possibilities,” he said.

Since Puntos de Cultura was begun in 2011 to expand the exercise of cultural rights in the community, with special emphasis on children, youth and vulnerable population, it has reached 271 communities.

(Click here for the original Spanish article.)

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Nuevo León, Mexico: The State Commission on Human Rights seeks to foster peace in schools through workshops

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Hora Cero Web

The State Commission on Human Rights (ECHR) seeks through a series of workshops to promote a culture of peace in schools at all levels of education. It consists of the Seminar on Education for Peace and Human Rights, which began last February 20 and concludes this Tuesday [February 28], which seeks to promote a culture of peace through activities that combat school violence.


Click on photo to enlarge

About 56 teachers from all levels of education, mainly primary, participated in this activity and were taught by activist Frans Limpens.

According to Limpens, this workshop is based on coexistence and conflict resolution without the need for violence, so that teachers can transmit these behaviors to students through the dynamics that involve them. “With these games we build a series of skills and potentialities to work.”

For her part, Sofía Velasco, president of the Commission, expressed her desire that this activity be implemented in all schools of the State. “It depends on the decision of the Ministry of Education, if we are able to continue to give this workshop course,” she said.

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

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Education for Culture of Peace in Cyprus: Sharing Best Practices

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An announcement from the Global Campaign for Peace Education

As part of the project Education for a Culture of Peace as a Vehicle for Reconciliation in Cyprus, Education for a Culture of Peace is organising an International Conference entitled “Education for Culture of Peace: Sharing Best Practices” on 24th and 25th February 2017 at Fulbright Center in Ledra Palace Buffer Zone in Nicosia.


On 24th of February, Friday from 4.00pm to 8.00pm, there will be a conference session examining best practices in Peace Education in two panel discussions. The first panel entitled “Local Practices on Education for a Culture of Peace” will feature representatives of the Scientific Committee of the project who will present the practices of critical education and schooling in Cyprus.

The second panel entitled “Alternative Education: Methodology and Teaching or Different Pedagogical Approaches and Schooling?” will feature international experts who will talk about the methodologies, principles and practices of literacy for peace culture and the actualisation of peace education.

On 25th of February, Saturday, there will be three parallel workshops to be held all day from 9.30am until 5.00pm at three different venues in the Buffer zone. These two-hour workshops will be limited to a group of 20 educators each and will be facilitated by the academic guest experts.

Limited seats available on first come first serve basis. RSVP at +3922276843 or +357 97743074 or at postresearchinstitute@gmail.com or info@postri.org by 20th February, Monday.

For the details of the conference, please visit the event page on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/269974243435439/ – Education For a Culture of Peace (E4CP) and also the websites of the project: www.e4cp.org and/or postri.org.

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe

Rwanda: Peace Education Added to National Curriculum

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from KT Press

Twenty three years ago, Rwanda was at the extreme of destruction – a million lives were lost in a genocide against Tutsi. However, when the Rwanda Patriotic Front stopped the genocide and defeated government army, it embarked on a battle to build a peaceful country.

Next year, students in Primary, secondary and university will begin studying ‘peace building’ as part of their curriculum. Students are considered important change agents including; educators, decision makers and researchers. Government has found it necessary to integrate Peace education into the National Education Curriculum under a new program ‘Education for Sustainable Peace in Rwanda(ESPR)’.


Fidele Ndayisaba, the Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission
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ESPR program was launched today by the Ministry of Education during a three day Peace Education conference that is taking place in Kigali from February 20-22.

Over 100 local and international peace building experts, researchers, are holding panel discussions exchanging through existing tools , methodology and content contributing to a stronger base for peace education.

Based on the genocide history, Rwanda is taken as a good example that peace education can have a great impact.

“Rwanda has a lot to share on peace education but also in other areas of progress,” said Johan Debar, in charge of Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium Embassy to Rwanda, also one of speakers.

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Question for this article:

Peace Studies in School Curricula, What would it take to make it happen around the world?

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Kenny Osborne, Deputy Head of Department For International Development in Rwanda and also one speakers said that Rwanda continues to invest in basic education to take these lessons to regional level.

Isaac Munyakazi, the Minister of State in charge of primary and secondary education told participants that he was confident the program would achieve its aim – by catalysing pluralistic and constructive exchange.

“We need to equip our teachers to make sure the program will be implemented,” Munyakazi said.

The Rwanda Peace Education Program(RPEP) was launched through collaborative efforts between Aegis, Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace, Radio La Benevolencia and USC Shoah Foundation.

Under RPEP, 7500 students and 300 teachers were across the country trained.

“Through this program we saw successful integration of peace and values. Lessons from RPEP will be taught to students in a every class in the country,” Munyakazi told participants.

Fidele Ndayisaba, the Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission told participants, “intergeneration transmission and trauma are still issues to deal with; however reconciliation is a continuous process.”

The Peace Education Conference was for the first time organised by Aegis Trust – that campaigns to prevent genocide worldwide; with the support of the UK, Sweden and US governments.

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

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Africa: The Festival of Amani strengthens our ability to live together

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Radio Okapi (translated by CPNN)

The 4th edition of the Amani Festival ended on Sunday (February 12th) in Goma (North Kivu). Over its three days, more than 30,000 people from all walks of life took part in this great cultural event for the promotion of peace in the Great Lakes region. Music, dance, exhibition of works of art, promotion of entrepreneurship … there was a diversity that pleased everyone.

The organizers of the festival are pleased with the success of this event, which they believe is contributing to peace building efforts in the region.

“Our goal is to reinforce our ability to live together. And in a post-conflict region, like the [Great Lakes] region, where many of the young people who attended the festival have lived through traumatic times, the festival fits in with its theme of being able to encourage living together” explained Vianney Bisimwa, the festival administrator.

The event provided an opportunity to strengthen the links between people and to help alleviate the trauma that the young people have lived through, he continued.

When people gather at this festival, they do not see themselves as ethnic groups, or other forms of identity differences, but “on the contrary, they look at each other in relation to what they have in common. It means the love of music and dance and the attachment to entrepreneurship. ”

One of the positive results of the festival, according to Vianney Bisimwa, are opportunities in the entrepreneurship sector:

“We have previously seen the success of the project CIGOM, a project funded by the Amani festival, which engages in the production of chalk. And we have many artists who, after the festival, have undertaken [some projects]. ”

[Note: For CPNN articles about the previous three editions of the Amani festival, see here for 2016, here for 2015 and here for 2014.]

(Click here for the original French version of this article)

 

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Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE