Peace Education
The Peace Education Advisory Programme (PEAP) aims to challenge prevailing attitudes through education about peace and to provide practical experiences of education for peace through work in schools, by providing resources for teachers and working closely with various national networks.
What is peace education?
There are two inter-related strands to Peace Education. One is Education for Peace, which examines the nature of conflict and non-violent methods for dealing with conflict with children and young people, as well as teaching them the skills required to deal with conflict in their own lives. The other is Education about Peace which challenges widely held views and assumptions in society, as well as exploring topics such as positive and negative peace, conscientious objection, and nonviolent direct action. We work to show people that conflict in itself is natural and unavoidable, but that it can be resolved peacefully. The context and environment in which a child is educated is as important as the lesson content. The process of educating for peace involves teaching children how to think for themselves, not what to think.
Credit: J. Wood
Work with schools
Many young people are genuinely interested in local issues and current affairs, but feel despondent or cynical about how they can make a difference in their community and the wider world. The Peace Education Advisor (PEA) can provide advice and resources to teachers interested in promoting peace education in the classroom and give information on local and national schemes for getting children involved. For schools wanting ongoing training in peer mediation, the PEA can supply resources and details of what is available in your area.
Quaker work on peace education
Although individual issues and elements of peace education are touched on in subjects such as citizenship education; personal, social and health education (PSHE) and religious education, peace education itself is not part of the national curriculum. PEAP promotes cross-curricular peace education within the formal education sector and works nationally with teachers and young people to deepen their understanding on the nature of and alternatives to violent conflict.
"I feel peace education is about teaching children to discover that they have the power to change things they see are wrong and developing the imagination to find alternative responses to conflict.... for we cannot teach one thing and act another.... To survive we must begin to teach them to challenge authority, our own included”
Janet Gilbraith – Quaker Faith & Practice 23.85
Work with Quakers
Training for F/friends to provide Education for Peace in local schools and through Meeting Houses is taking place in York from 11-13 September 2009.
The emphasis of the training is to provide those already used to working with children and/or young people the confidence and skills to get pupils discussing controversial issues and getting them to engage in critical thinking.
Networking with others
PEAP reaches a wide variety of people interested in peace education through national networking.
PEAP is a member of the Peace Education Network (PEN), which runs an annual conference designed to show educators how elements of peace education can be introduced through mainstream curriculum subjects. PEN maintains a catalogue of peace education resources.
PEAP is on the Peer Mediation Network (PMN) and was involved in developing Best Practice Guidelines for trainers in peer mediation and setting up a database of primary schools with a peer mediation scheme. The PEA distributes the PMN e-newsletter for peer mediation trainers and in-school staff who support peer mediation schemes, and organises an annual Network and Training day.
Resources available
- ‘A Quaker View on…’ booklet including ‘peace, conflict & violence’, ‘crime and punishment’, ‘human rights’, ‘the environment’, and ‘racism and religious prejudice’. The leaflet is aimed at secondary schools and pupils.
- An annual newsletter for those who work in schools with information on the work of PEAP.
- Resource lists for secondary schools on ‘Conflict Resolution & Mediation’ and ‘Peace & Citizenship’.
- A resource list for primary schools on ‘Conflict Resolution, Mediation & Citizenship’.
“Thank you so much for the excellent materials, themes, and ideas... the children responded enthusiastically to all the activities and very quickly latched on to the idea of looking for alternative solutions to problems.”
An enquiring Friend
Get involved
www.peermediationnetwork.org.uk
Ask the Peace Education Advisor about how she can help you.
Invite the Peace Education Advisor to speak to your meeting or class.
Support the peace education work with a donation.
Ask for more information on the training day for Quakers interested in providing peace education to local schools.
Contact
Jaci Smith
QPSW, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ
020 7663 1087
Quaker Peace & Social Witness works with, and on behalf of, the Religious Society of Friends in Britain to translate our faith into action. As Quakers we are impelled by our faith to make our lives an active witness for peace and justice. Our historic testimonies to equality, justice, peace, simplicity and truth challenge us to alleviate suffering and seek positive social change.
The work of the Peace Education Advisory Programme is overseen by QPSW’s Peace Education Group, which sets policy and determines priorities for the work of QPSW in relation to peace education within Britain.
June 2009