Category Archives: EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Mali: Partnership between UCAO-UUBa and EMP: promoting research and training for the culture of peace in Africa

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by Abdrahamane Sissoko in Maliweb (translation by CPNN)

The signing ceremony for a partnership between the Catholic University of West Africa – University Unit in Bamako (UCAO-UUBA) and the Alioune Blondin Beye School of Peace-Keeping (EMP). was held Tuesday March 2. The objective is to promote scientific research and training for a culture of peace by the two organizations in terms of ideas and actions.

The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Prof. Amadou Keïta, accompanied by the Archbishop of Bamako, Cardinal Jean Zerbo, chaired the ceremony in the conference room of the EMP.

According to Abbé Clément Lonah, president of the UCAO, this partnership will be of considerable advantage in placing particular emphasis on the increased training of learners on both sides. UCAO is a network of university units located in several West African countries such as Burkina Faso, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Togo and Senegal. Its Rectorate is located in Ouagadougou. The objective of this institution, he says, is to promote excellence, sub-regional integration and the pooling of skills.

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

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

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By signing this agreement with the School of Peacekeeping, Abbé Clément Lonah, president of the UCAO, believes that his establishment has made an ideal partner to achieve its ambitios in West Africa.

“Ambition of excellence in scientific and human training, ambition of sub-regional integration by allowing the mobility of students and teachers in the area of ​​West Africa, ambition of pooling skills by bringing together scientists in a university space to provide quality education, ”he said.

For Father Clément Lonah, the University Unit in Bamako (UUBa) of the UCAO is specialized in the Sciences of Education, while developing other fields, such as Law, Journalism and Communication, Sciences Humanities (Philosophy) and Economics and Management.

For his part, the Director-General of the School of Peacekeeping Alioune Blondin Beye, Colonel Souleymane Sangaré, indicated that the common points between the two entities are considerable assets which would undoubtedly favor the establishment of a more realistic and operational partnership. “These two schools are all committed to sharing, training and educating men and women who will serve as examples and always advocate peace instead of violence,” he said.

The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Prof. Amadou Keïta, affirmed that this partnership signature is in line with the vision of the highest authorities of the transition for scientific research and the culture of peace . According to him, it comes at a decisive moment which marks the first step and will allow pupils and students to benefit from an international standard of education in the culture of peace.

In conclusion, Minister Kéita recalled that the culture of peace is a set of values, attitudes, behaviors and lifestyles that reject violence and prevent conflict by addressing their root causes through dialogue and negotiation.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Mexico: Second Edition of the International Festival of Cinema for the Culture of Peace

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Asi Sucede

The second edition of the International Festival of Cinema for the Culture of Peace will take place from 17-21 March as a virtual event free of charge.


The Festival will have three sections. First is the Rally in which nine production teams are given 72 hours to produce short films. The teams will have access to a collection of films in order to create their unique stories. Their films will be screened at the end of the Festival.

The second section is the International Exposition with projection of films from over 19 countries.

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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 third is the “Territory without Repose” in which the film producers share their experiences.

A press conference took place this Wednesday [March 3] with the organizers of the Festival. They explained how it will be available virtually on social media.

Ricardo Braojos, the festival director explained that “We are going to hold a series of round tables. Two roundtables will be with the producers and directors of the short films who will present the films in four programs. Four round tables will be concerned with women in cinema, how they have been portrayed and also how the image of women on the screen has changed throughout history, as well as the role of women as filmmakers ”

One short film and one feature film will be screened each day and will be available on line for 24 hours. At the end of each screening, the filmmakers will share their experience filming their project.

All the activities and screenings of the International Film Festival for a Culture of Peace will be broadcast through their social networks; on Facebook FICCPAz; as well as on its website, where the complete program will also be available.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

These six global struggles show the power of nonviolence in action

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article by Rivera Sun from Waging Nonviolence (reprinted according to a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license)

In today’s media world — especially if you live inside the U.S. media bubble — if you hear news about foreign countries, it tends to be about business, political leaders, wars or disasters. Overall, it presents a dismal view of our fellow citizens — not to mention a disempowering one. But here are six of the many stories of ongoing nonviolent campaigns for change in countries across the world. They show the agency and power of ordinary people working for justice, rights, peace and dignity. They show that people don’t have to hold wealth, weapons or traditional power to be powerful. Instead, they need community, connection and some tools of nonviolent action.


Women farmers prepare roti bread (chapattis) as they block a railway track during a protest against the recent passing of agriculture reform bills in the parliament on the outskirts of Amritsar on October 17, 2020. (Photo by NARINDER NANU/AFP via Getty Images – Creative Commons)

1. India’s women farmers reassert their place and presence in farmer protests: India’s farmer protests have captured headlines around the world — as well they should. They are the largest protests in human history. On Jan. 18, Mahila Kisan Diwas (Women Farmers’ Day), women farmers across India demonstrated to reassert their place in the ongoing farmers’ struggle against Modi’s neoliberal agricultural laws. This action was organized in part to redress gender imbalances, particularly around media coverage that cut women out of the struggle’s story.

Due to the impacts of global patriarchy, women in movements have often needed to correct the record, rebalance who’s in the room and invited to the table, and (re)assert their pivotal roles in creating change. Studies show that women play powerful roles in nonviolent movements. They were at the heart of Sudan’s 2019 nonviolent revolution against a 30-year dictatorship. They propelled Chile’s recent constitutional revision campaign so decisively that the slogan for the re-write is “never again without women.” And, in India, women and women farmers have been organizing mass demonstrations, general strikes and protest encampments in such large numbers that they’ve consistently broken world records over and over in the past two years. It’s important to get the story straight!

2. Striking Palestinian workers triumph: Much of the news about Palestine is heart wrenching and tragic. We hear of bombings, orchards being razed, houses bulldozed and more abuses of Israeli occupation. Yet, here is a nonviolent campaign that is significant because the Palestinian workers not only won human and labor rights, they also won an apology for the racist comments their Israeli employer made. During the 19 days of an open-ended strike, the workers lost all wages and were threatened with being fired and replaced with other workers. But they persevered, and they won. (A word of caution: the strike’s agreement must still be upheld by an Israeli court.)

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Question for this article:

Can peace be guaranteed through nonviolent means?

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Palestinian organizers are heartened by the news. The secretary of the trade unions in Palestine said, “We hope that this small victory is the beginning of other victories for our workers and our people that have been subjugated by Israel’s inhumane apartheid and settler colonial oppression.” They also credited international solidarity and words of encouragement from global workers with helping them persevere and succeed.

3. In Sri Lanka, hundreds of tea plantation workers strike to defend jobs and social rights: In Sri Lanka, workers on tea plantations are unionized, but due to lack of action by union leadership, Gartemore Estate workers have been on a wildcat strike (a strike without union approval) since the end of December. After the Gartemore Estate sold off a portion of its lands, the workers feared the erosion of their rights and the loss of their jobs under the new management. They are worried that the current owner plans to develop tourist facilities on the estate instead of tea, which would drastically reduce the workforce. Some workers also fear that important personal documents, including birth and death certificates, health and other family papers, currently in the estate office would not be protected under the new management. The strike organizers are demanding a written agreement — not a verbal promise — that outlines a set of demands to protect workers around these issues. 

4. Doctors in Peru launch hunger strike over lack of protections and equipment: Since the start of the pandemic, Peru’s healthcare workers have been using nonviolent action to push for improved protections and equipment. Now, at least four doctors began a hunger strike as a protest against the substandard working conditions. Medical personnel have been protesting for a week just as a second wave of coronavirus cases is hitting the country. They’re not alone. Medical worker strikes have been erupting around the world. Just two weeks ago, medical students in Ecuador won similar demands after walking off the job and withstanding police repression. Will the Peruvian doctors succeed? Time will tell.

5. Oil workers strike in Kazakhstan: More than 60 oil workers have gone on strike in Kazakhstan’s northwestern region, seeking a salary increase. The workers walked out on Jan. 29 saying that their monthly salaries of about $160 should be doubled, as they currently fail to allow them to provide for their families. They could find solidarity with the office employees of a British gas company, who have held numerous strike actions over substandard wages. These workers — and those in many other industries — are up against the “fire and rehire” policies that the pandemic’s economic impacts have aggravated.

6. Canadians block weapons trucks going to the Yemen War: Serious about halting the Yemen War, Canadians blocked a caravan of trucks hauling armored vehicles and other weapons to shipping locations headed for Saudi Arabia. Sitting down in front of the wheels, stretching banners across the roads, and risking arrest were a few of the tactics used. The direct action in Hamilton, Ontario coincides with hundreds of events to pressure the Biden administration, and other governments, to stop arming Saudi Arabia. Their action is reminiscent of the ways Italian dock workers have repeatedly refused to load weapons onto ships headed to Saudi Arabia in opposition of the Yemen War. 

These six nonviolent campaigns are just a fraction of the stories Nonviolence News collects and circulates week after week, both in the United States and abroad. (You can read more in this week’s round-up here and sign-up to the newsletter to receive it in your inbox.) These stories reveal that nonviolent action is a global phenomenon — and that it’s being used for everything from peace to increased wages to human rights and health protections and more. Each struggle has unique lessons to offer all of us in our organizing work. At the same time, these stories also remind us of our common humanity — and that ordinary people everywhere are striving for justice, peace and fairness. 

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, global

Brazil: Culture of Peace in schools will be the subject of a webinar on February 18th

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Imprensa 24h (translation by CPNN)

The Secretariat of State for Education, Sports and Culture (SEDUC), through the School Projects Service on Human Rights (SEPEDH), linked to the Department of Support to the Educational System, will hold the Webinar entitled “Culture of Peace in the School Environment: Paths and Possibilities”, on February 18th, at 3 pm, through the YouTube Education Sergipe channel.

According to the SEPEDH coordinator, Adriane Damascena, the actions are part of the goal achieved by SEDUC, implementation of the Peace Policy and promotion of non-violence, in partnership with the municipalities, in an intersectoral manner in schools. “All this effort to ensure that the Peace Policy was implemented within schools links directly with the Government’s commitment, impacting educational practices and building more harmonious interpersonal relationships in the school community, as well as raising awareness about the importance of human rights. It is a commitment between the teacher, the management and the student, in a collective action for the benefit of all ”, said Adriane.

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(Click here for the original article in Portuguese)

Questions for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

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The webinar will include the contribution and participation of Josué Modesto dos Passos Subrinho, secretary of SEDUC; Eliane Aquino, deputy governor of the state of Sergipe; Haroldo Luiz Rigo da Silva, member of the Restorative Justice Management Committee of the National Council of Justice; professor Daniela Carvalho Almeida da Costa, doctor and master in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at the University of São Paulo (USP); Maria Conceição de Figueiredo Rolemberg, attorney general; and Adriane Damascena, SEPEDH coordinator.

Government Decree

The Government of Sergipe recently published Law No. 8,796, which institutes the School Mediation Program throughout the Public School System. The program aims to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts in teaching units; to encourage non-violent communication between the school community; to train teachers, students and management teams for a culture of peace; to form school mediation teams capable of mediating between the actors of the educational process, and to stimulate the development of peaceful coexistence in the family nucleus and in the communities in which the schools are inserted, among others.

SEPEDH’s technician, Nadja Tavares Bispo Reis, pointed out that among the various actions that are already taking place and that are continuing, the program plans to bring non-violent communication training to schools, which is an instrument for conflict mediation. The program also intends to take an approach on peace-building circles and restorative circles, which are other important instruments for improving coexistence with diversities and divergences. “All of these methodologies, if well applied, will be able to minimize school violence and avoid major conflicts,” she explained.

She also highlighted the use of SALVE, a legal warning instrument instituted by the State Prosecutor’s Office, through which schools notify the state of violations or practicak cases within the school environment. “SALVE is used both by teaching units and also by health units. These data are cross-checked and, in view of the results, they inform public policies to resolve the levels of violence ”, said Nadja. Through the School Mediation Program there will also be an awareness-raising initiative with managers and teachers about the importance of SALVE and how to provide a notification.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Spain: The Nonviolence Collective disseminates ‘Amanda’s comic’, an educational project for peace aimed at children and young people

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from El Faradío (translation by CPNN)

The Nonviolence Collective, an open and plural space in Cantabria where various initiatives for a culture of peace and nonviolence are developed, has launched a new promotion campaign for the »Amanda Comic», an educational project for peace for children and youth.

The campaign is designed especially to be launched on January 30 in educational centers, which is the School Day of Peace and Nonviolence, especially from 4th grade of Primary Education to 2nd grade of Compulsory Secondary Education.

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

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

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The comic was born in 2017 during the Noviolencia2018 campaign which lasted 3 years. Since then it has been downloaded countless times for free and has sold more than 15,500 copies for 1 euro, in full color paper format.

“Amanda’s trip” touches on some of the most exciting adventures that human beings have lived over the last century.

The Nonviolence collective is the natural continuation of the campaign and continues to take charge of this legacy.

Orders are available at info@colectivonoviolencia.org only in Spanish, but it is available for free download in English, French, Arabic, Polish, Valencian, Catalan, Basque and Galician, a work that has been developed by the same group. Similarly, there is the possibility of translating into a new language with orders of more than 1000 copies.

In the following link, both the comic for download and different pedagogical materials are freely available for work in the classroom, at home or in non-formal and informal education spaces: https://www.colectivonoviolencia.org/comic-el-viaje-de-amanda-2/ .

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe

Spain: 259 educational centers in Almería take part in network “School as a Space for Peace”

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Diario de Almería (reprinted for non-commercial purposes)

52% of Andalusian schools supported with public funds are taking part in the Andalusian School Network: Espacio de Paz, an initiative launched by the Ministry of Education and Sports that aims to promote the improvement of the Plan for school coexistence. The network promotes self-training and the sharing of resources, experiences and initiatives for school coexistence and the promotion of a culture of peace.

In the province of Almería, 259 schools and institutes are developing measures and actions this year 2020-21 in one of the six proposed areas of action:

– improvement from the management and organization of the center;

– promotion of values, attitudes, skills and habits of positive coexistence;

– prevention of risk situations;

– educational intervention in the face of difficulties and conflicts;

– how to repair the damage and restore coexistence;

– or promote measures of involvement and participation of the entire educational community.

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

More than 53,000 teachers and around 650,000 male and female students from all over Andalusia participate in this initiative that involves all sectors of the educational community.

Initiatives of conflict mediation, assistant students, cyber-assistants, shared tutorials and conflict resolution and social skills workshops are some of the initiatives that are developed in the centers for the care and improvement of school coexistence.

There are two forms of participation in the network, the single-center modality that involves the participation of an educational center individually, and the inter-center modality that implies the coordinated participation of several centers, preferably from the same educational area, facilitating joint planning of actions and shared proposals. In Almería 22 centers are enrolled in inter-center projects.

In addition, 725 centers of the “Andalusian School Network: Space for Peace” have obtained recognition as centers promoting positive coexistence (Coexistence +), through a voluntary external assessment process that values ​​the effort made by the centers in the improvement of coexistence and the promotion of democratic values. 82 educational centers in Almería have been recognized as promoters of Coexistence +.

(Click here for the original Spanish version).

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe

Ambassadors praise Angola’s efforts for peace in Africa

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An article from O País

The African Union (AU) Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) encouraged Angola on Tuesday [January 26] to continue efforts to promote a pan-African movement to prevent violence and conflicts, through its commitment to disseminate a culture of peace in Africa

According to a note from the Permanent Representation of Angola to the AU, the incentive was expressed during the PRC meeting, which has been taking place since 20 January, in virtual format

The document underlines that in the same session a communication was presented on the 1st Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace in Africa – Luanda Biennial, held in Angola, from 18 to 22 September 2019

In his communication, the Permanent Representative of Angola to the AU, Francisco José da Cruz, said that after the “successful 1st Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace in Africa – Bienal de Luanda ”, the Angolan Government is already creating the conditions for the next edition, this year, with the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, creating a Multisectoral Commission for this purpose.

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(Click here for the Portuguese version of this article.)

Question related to this article:

The Luanda Biennale: What is its contribution to a culture of peace in Africa

Can the African Union help bring a culture of peace to Africa?

Will UNESCO once again play a role in the culture of peace?

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In addition to the expected promotion of peace and security, the objective is to frame the event in the spirit of celebrating the African Union’s Year of 2021 Theme: “Art, Culture and Heritage: Levers to build the Africa we want”.

The PRC was unanimous in considering that the holding of the Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace in Africa – Bienal de Luanda is part of the African Union’s efforts to seek peace, with the Department of Social Affairs congratulating Angola’s proposal and calling for the support of AU Member States.

The document presented recalls that the Government of Angola and UNESCO agreed on 18 December 2018 to hold the 1st Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace in Africa – Luanda Biennial, in September 2019, in order to strengthen the Pan-African movement towards a culture of peace and non-violence, through the establishment of a multilateral partnership between governments, civil society, the artistic and scientific community, the private sector and international organizations.

The strategic objective of the event is to promote a peaceful and prosperous Africa through the defense and encouragement of actions that prevent conflicts in the management of national and cross-border natural resources on the African continent, as well as to educate a generation of young Africans as agents of peace, stability and development.

The first edition was based on three main axes: Partner Forum – An Alliance for Africa; Thematic Forums: Forum of Ideas, Forum of Youth and Forum of Women; Festival of Cultures.

The 41st Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (CRP) has been running since 20 January, in virtual format, preceding the 38th Executive Council (Heads of diplomacy) and the 34th Session of the AU Assembly (Heads State and Government), scheduled for 3 and 4, and 6 and 7 February, respectively.

The meeting has several reports under discussion, including on the activities of the PRC sub-committees, the Specialized Technical Committees of the African Union Commission, other AU bodies and the Specialized Agencies. The African Union consecrates 2021 as the “Year of Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers to Build the Africa We Want”. The year 2020 had as its theme “Silence Arms: Creating Favorable Conditions for Africa’s Development”.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

World Social Forum 2021

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A press release from the World Social Forum

From January 23 to 31, the World Social Forum will celebrate its 20th anniversary online: already nearly 5,000 people and 700 organizations have registered and thousands more are expected.

The world civil society will meet at the World Social Forum (WSF) from January 23 to 31 2021, hoping to provide answers to the urgent challenges imposed by the current global situation. It will thus celebrate its 20th anniversary with a virtual edition against the backdrop of the pandemic.


Since its creation in January 2001 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, by passing through India, Pakistan, Senegal, Kenya, Tunisia, Canada and many others, the World Social Forum has been the largest convergence process of global civil society organizations, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people throughout its history. For this edition, nearly 5,000 people and 700 organizations from all horizons have already registered and will take part in the hundreds of activities proposed by the participants themselves. It is expected that thousands more people will join the activities that will take place during the 9 days of the WSF, to reaffirm that another world is possible, necessary and urgent.

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Question for this article:

World Social Forums, Advancing the Global Movement for a Culture of Peace?

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A rich program planned for the virtual stage of the WSF:

On January 23rd, there will be a great virtual march for democracy, human dignity and for our future on the planet! Broadcasting of videos from organizations, testimonies of activists from all over the world and a Global Opening Panel with important social and political activists from the five continents, including : Aminata Dramane Traoré, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Leila Khaled, Ashish Kothari, Miriam Miranda and Yanis Varoufakis.

From January 24 to 29, major conferences will be held in each of the nine thematic areas of the virtual WSF: Peace and War, Economic Justice, Education, Communication and Culture, Society and Diversity, Indigenous and Ancestral Peoples, Social Justice and Democracy, Climate, Ecology and Environment. Look at the different activities here.

On January 30th, the Convergence Assemblies will prepare the Agora of the Futures held on January 31st, a pivotal moment where social movements and organizations from around the world will be able to share their initiatives and build a calendar of actions to be implemented until the next edition of the WSF (click here to see the general program of the WSF

Through the email below, the WSF Facilitating Group remains at the disposal of the media around the world for any questions or clarifications.

Email: forumvirtual@wsf2021.net
Website: wsf2021.net

Information (Whatsapp messages): Carminda Mac Lorin (+1 514 381 7090) and Carlos Tiburcio (+55 11 97 666 0176)

(Thank you to Azril Bacal for sending this to CPNN)

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global

Argentina: Conflicts: Positive Balance of Community Mediations

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Jujuy al dia (translation by CPNN)

The Provincial Director of Mediation and RAC, Gilda Romero of the Ministry of Justice, took stock of the tasks carried out during 2020, stating that in the face of the health situation, due to COVID-19, community activities were developed, through digital tools, in order to achieve the peaceful resolution of conflicts and controversies that arose during the past year.

Romero highlighted that the pandemic complicated the coexistence between neighbors and relatives and sometimes led to conflicts or disputes; “Faced with this situation, the Directorate intervened by opening spaces for dialogue between those affected, in order to reach peaceful resolutions,” she said.

She mentioned that the most recurrent conflicts were caused by actions such as annoying noises, parties or celebrations, excessive volume of music, misunderstandings, incorrect waste management, abuse of the use of common spaces, such as the occupation of another’s parking spaces, being among the most common.

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(click here for a version in Spanish).

Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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In addition, she recalled that they also carried out the “Virtual Conversation on Community Mediation” for the mediation centers of Libertador Gral. San Martín, La Mendieta, Perico, Monterrico, Humahuaca, El Carmen and Dr. Manuel Belgrano, providing virtual monitoring and advice in various cases that arose during the pandemic.

“Mediation as a body promotes good relations and cooperation between public and private institutions. They worked together with the Directorate for Children and Adolescents of the Municipality of San Salvador de Jujuy, through training “Protocol of Access to Justice for children, girls and adolescent victims of crime.” Also with the Provincial Council for Women and Gender Equality through the training “Law on Gender Violence and Gender Diversity.” Both trainings were aimed at community mediators.

Another task was the “Workshop Community Operators” which included four virtual meetings for students who are about to complete their studies at the Instituto Superior Populorum Progressio “In.Te.La.” of Libertador Gral. San Martin.

“As a member of the Federal Network of Mediation Centers of the country, I participated in the videoconference “20 years working for the culture of peace.” This was sponsored by the Undersecretary of Access to Justice, National Directorate of Mediation and Participatory Methods of Conflict Resolution Also later, the “Meeting of Mediators 2020″ held in the province of Córdoba,” she said.

In addition, the official mentioned that she participated in the virtual campaign with the slogan “Mediation as a lifestyle” and “Mediation in times of Pandemic”. This promoted through social networks, the importance of the essential values ​​of relationships social: dialogue, tolerance, respect, empathy and solidarity, as primary tools for peaceful and harmonious coexistence between neighbors and families.

“Community Mediation is the fundamental tool that works in the construction of a culture of peace, generating spaces for dialogue, peaceful agreements, consensus, reflections and experiences. It is the conflict management process that, through dialogue and consensus, manages to settle controversies from the simplest to the most complex, avoiding that the conflict goes into the judicial system”, concluded the Provincial Director of Mediation, Gilda Romero.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Spain: Movimiento por la Paz produces educational material for secondary schools on the culture of peace

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from El Faradio (reprinted according to attributes of Creative Commons) (translation by CPNN)

The association Movimiento por la Paz, a member of the Cantabrian Coordinator of NGOs, has produced teaching material aimed especially at secondary education teaching staff with the aim of promoting a culture of peace.

The materials are part of a broader project that they have been developing through various channels (courses, training, exhibitions, social networks…) of the “five paths to peace”.

The culture of peace is made up of all the values, behaviors, attitudes, practices, feelings and beliefs that make up peace. But peace must be understood in a positive sense, as the overcoming of any type of violence, and not only as the absence of war. This is stated in Law 27/2005, of November 30, on “Promotion of Education and the Culture of Peace”.

To promote the culture of peace, tutors and teachers have two invaluable resources: a space and a group of young people with whom they can develop the commitment to build a more peaceful world. To promote this commitment, we focus on five areas: cultural diversity, gender equality, fight against poverty, care for the environment and Human Rights. The five paths to peace.

The socio-affective approach requires a coherence among the ideas, attitudes and behaviors that we want to transmit and the methodology that is used. It can be said that it is a vehicle for achieving honesty, for reviewing one’s own personal values, both for the people who facilitate the process and for the rest of the participants.

On the other hand, it invites positioning and commitment to reality, the assumption of responsibilities, to participate in the transformation of what we do not like in the world where we live.

(Click here for the original Spanish version).

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

This is easier to do in company, because it generates interaction, participation, effective communication, trust, mutual knowledge, and empathy. It is a way of working that produces collective thought, knowledge and action.

Another argument that justifies the use of this methodology is the need for an education that connects us with the emotional level. Feelings are part of cognitive processes and condition our attitudes and behaviors. Conflicts must be resolved or transformed positively on an emotional level. Feelings allow us to know more about ourselves and about other people.

The socio-affective approach is nourished by the techniques of group dynamics, but it is a free space for experimentation that allows reflection.

The objective is that through feeling, thinking and acting, we favor the creation of a citizenry that feels part of the same community, that cares about collective issues and that develops a commitment to the local and the global.

The techniques include the creation of conscious groups that develop their own decision-making processes and, therefore, reflection.

Click here for the guide with the materials

MPDL

Movimiento por la Paz -MPDL- is a Development, Humanitarian Action and Social Action organization created in 1983. It is a member of the Cantabrian Coordinator of NGOs. Currently, it has a presence inside and outside our borders with more than 200 projects.

The delegation of the NGO in Cantabria, founded in 2007, works for Human Rights and the Culture of Peace with programs of International Protection, legal advice, labor advice, volunteering and education and awareness.

Training is one of its main lines of work. They also respond to queries on topics such as the management of unemployment benefits, information on labor rights during the State of Emergency, on training resources in Cantabria, knowledge about job search routes and the preparation of the curriculum vitae.

The organization also offers advice on immigration processes, deadlines, requirements to obtain documentation, work permit, nationality or any other legal doubt that may arise, at the contact: jm.carmona@mpdl.org. They also continue to report on the rights of Domestic Workers, requirements that must be met for hiring, salaries, conditions, calculation of settlement.

And the organization is an information point for women, receiving consultations, providing care or informing about resources for women who have suffered or suffer gender violence.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe