Education for Peace The Pedagogy of Civilization

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Education for PeaceThe Pedagogy of Civilization

• Prof. Dr. H.B. Danesh
• Director and Founder
• International Education for Peace Institute
• Switzerland
• www.efpinternational.org

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Toward a New Philosophy of Peace Education

• Peace Education Curriculum Must Be Comprehensive
• Peace Education Requires Sustained, Restorative
  Approach
• Peace Education Must Be Transformative
• Peace Educations Requires a New Approach to
  Curriculum
• Peace Education Curriculum Must Be Integrative

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Conceptual Foundations of the Education for Peace
Program

• The Integrative Theory of Peace
• The Integrative Theory of Peace states that peace
  is
• a holistic and all-encompassing condition
  occurring within and between individuals, group
  and societies that is brought about through an
  educative, developmental shift in worldview
  consciousness, characterized by cognitive,
  emotive, and behavioral change, capable of
  meeting the fundamental tripartite human needs of
  survival, association, and transcendence.

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Subtheories of the Integrative Theory of Peace

• Subtheory 1
• Peace is a psychosocial and political as well as
  moral and spiritual condition requiring a
  conscious approach, a universal outlook, and an
  integrated, unifying strategy

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Subtheories of the Integrative Theory of Peace

• Subtheory 2
• A comprehensive, integrated, and lifelong
  education is the most effective approach for a
  transformation from the metacategories of
  survival-based and identity-based worldviews to
  the metacategory of a unity-based worldview

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Subtheories of the Integrative Theory of Peace

• Subtheory 3
• Development of such a comprehensive condition of
  peace requires a cognitive, emotive, and
  behavioral change within the parameters of a
  unity-based worldview and

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Subtheories of the Integrative Theory of Peace

• Subtheory 4
• Only a dynamic, progressive, conscious, and
  all-inclusive state of peace resulting from a
  unity-based worldview is capable of meeting the
  fundamental and hierarchical tripartite human
  needssurvival, association, transcendencewhich
  shape all human endeavors and life processes at
  both individual and collective levels.

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Education for Peace Curriculum

• Comprehensive biological, psychological, social,
  historical, ethical, and spiritual
• Integrative biological, psychological,
  social, historical, ethical, and spiritual
• All-inclusive students, teachers,
  administrators, the support staff, and parents
• 
  The culture of peace
  allows no exclusion.
• Universal Oneness of Humanity, Unity in
  Diversity, Conflict-Free Conflict
  Resolution
• Specific Safeguarding and celebrating
  the rich diversity of the worldwide
• 
  human community

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The Concept of Worldview

• our view of reality,
• our understanding of human nature,
• our perspective on the purpose of life,
• our approach to all human relationships.

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Types of Worldview

• Survival-Based Worldview
• Identity-Based Worldview
• Unity-Based Worldview

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Survival-Based Worldview

• normal during childhood,
• corresponds to the agrarian and pre-industrial
  periods of societal development
• develops under conditions of poverty, injustice,
  anarchy, physical threat, and war
• proclivity to use force and/or conformity
• authoritarian modes of governance

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Identity-Based Worldview

• corresponds to the gradual coming of age of both
  the individual and the society
• intensity of thoughts, passions, attitudes,
  actions
• extremes of competition and rivalry
• adversarial democracy modes of governance
• competitive power structure
• survival of the fittest

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Unity-Based Worldview

• phase of maturity based on the consciousness of
  the oneness of humanity
• ultimate objective to creation a civilization of
  peace equal, just, liberal, moral, diverse,
  united
• equal participation of women with men in the
  administration of human society
• rejects all forms of prejudice and segregation
• unity-based democracy

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Abuse of Worldview

• positive aspects of human culture such as
  religion, science, modes of government,
  technology, family structure, and business
  practices are all subject to abuse and misuse
  within both the survival-based and identity-based
  worldviews.

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process of unity is accelerating

• world-wide economic and financial integration
• nations uniting UN, EU, AU
• environmental issues
• health crises HIV/AIDS,SARS, etc.
• information technology has obliterated national
  boundaries
• transportation systems have reduced distances
  
• and brought people together

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In Brief

• Everything points to the fact that humanity is
  one and that all countries are inseparable parts
  of one planet

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Education for Peace Experiment in Bosnia and
Herzegovina

• September 1999 CFCR workshop invitation
• May 2002 Grant by Government of Luxembourg
• May 2002 2-year pilot project starts
• - Six schools, 3 primary, 3 secondary
• - 6000 students, 400 teachers, 10,000 parents
• - Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Travnik (2
  each)
• - Serb, Bosniak, and Croat populations

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Faculty for BiH-EFP Project

• Senior Faculty comprised of experts in
• education, psychiatry, psychology, law,
  political science, conflict resolution,
  sociology, peace, development
• On-site Faculty comprised of
• 18 teachers from the six participation
  schools
• 6 individuals with specialization training
  in EFP

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Yugoslavia 19801991

• After the death of Tito, doctrine of Serb
  nationalism promoted by Slobodan Milosevic became
  the dominant force in the former Yugoslavia and
  ultimately resulted in the eruption of a long and
  barbaric war.
• In BiH, the barbaric war involved 12,000 war
  casualties in Sarajevo alone, the massacre of
  6,000 men and boys of Srebrenica, The rape of
  thousands of Bosniak women, and the destruction
  of a significant portion of homes and public
  buildings including schools, hospitals, roads and
  bridges, etc.

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Yugoslavia 19801991

• In a country of 4.4 million inhabitants, it is
  estimated 250,000 (mostly Bosniaks) were killed
  and more than 240,000 injured, including 50,000
  children. More than 800,000 were externally
  displaced and are now living abroad as refugees,
  and more than one million people were internally
  displaced and are now living in BiH in places
  other than their home communities. Between 10,000
  and 60,000 women, primarily Bosniaks, were
  subjected to rape and other atrocities difficult
  to understand and to recount.

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EFP Program Description

• Integrative and Inclusive Approach
• Universal and Specific Aspects
• Peace as the Framework
• Culture of Peace and Culture of Healing
• Training of Teachers and Staff

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Process and Results of the Pilot Phase

• Initial Training of the On-site Faculty
• Initial Skepticism
• Unconditional and Universal Acceptance
• Worldview and Attitude Change
• Pedagogical and Curriculum Reform
• Interethnic reconciliation

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Initial Training of the On-site Faculty

• 24 individuals, 18 from BiH, 6 International
• 9 days, in Switzerland
• Focus on Concepts of Worldview, Unity, and the
  Dynamics of Collective Maturation of Humanity

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 Initial Skepticism

• How can we talk about peace among ourselves when
  we lost so much?
• How can we make peace when some people dont want
  a united country?
• How can we live peacefully with people who have
  been so brutal?
• Since the Marxist concept of dialectical
  materialism rests on unity, why did Marxism fail?
• We did not do anything wrong. We were defending
  our rights and protecting our people.
• During the war we were told that the other groups
  were subhuman and, therefore, any act against
  them was justified.
• Our children need a new type of education, and
  what we have received so far have been either
  ineffective or short-lived and limited in their
  positive impact. How is EFP different?

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Unconditional and Universal Acceptance

• The results of this program have been very
  positiveThe children all over the world are in
  need of peace and security. On the occasion of
  the Summit devoted to the children, we recommend
  this program EFP to all the nations for
  consideration, as a model of society oriented
  towards peace, cooperation, and development.
• From Open letter of the Government of Bosnia
  and Herzegovinas Mission to the United Nations
  in
• New York to the Special Session of the
  United Nations General Assembly on Children (810
  
• May 2002)

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Unconditional and Universal Acceptance

• This is a unique project. It will teach how to
  create a violence-free environment, in homes and
  schools and in the country as a whole.
• Ambassador Dr. Matei Hoffmann, The Senior Deputy
  High Representative, 28 June 2000
•  This invaluable project was conceived in such a
  way that the soul-searching process of reflection
  which the participants undergo as the project
  unfoldstriggers the desire amongst them to
  become authentic peace-makers, and precisely
  provides them with the necessary tools to achieve
  this goal
• Claude Kieffer, Senior Education
  Advisor, Office of the High Representative

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Worldview and Attitude Change

• As a result of participating in the EFP project,
  my way of teaching has changed, my relationships
  with students has changed, and my relationship
  with my family has changedall for the better.
• Teacher, Mixed Secondary School, Travnik
• This project has changed our vision and
  worldview. I feel that the vision of every
  teacher and students in this school has been in
  some way changed through this project.
• Bosnian Literature Teacher, 2nd Gymnasium,
  Sarajevo
•  

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Worldview and Attitude Change

• It is a hard project and it is something new in
  our school and our whole country. We have to do
  better things in order to build peace. It is the
  most important thing in our lives. It is a good
  idea to bring concepts of peace into our lives
  and express it through our presentations. It
  should be a tradition in our school.
• 2nd Year Banja Luka Gymnasium student
• Once, someone asked me how could you go to Banja
  Luka for this National Peace Event? Dont you
  know what happened here and what they have done
  to our mothers and our children? I saidI think
  that these presentations that we created and
  shared with each other are one of the best ways
  to go about starting to make a change.
• 3rd year student, 2nd Gymnasium, Sarajevo

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Pedagogical and Curriculum Reform

•  
• Before this project, things were imposed in our
  classes, but with EFP we do it because we love
  it.
• Student, Nova Bila Primary School
• The EFP project has helped us look at our
  syllabus in a different way, from a different
  perspective, giving us a chance to enrich it with
  issues not dealt with so thoroughly before.
  Although it hasnt always been easy, especially
  at the beginning, I think that we have become
  more confident in applying the principles of
  peace.
• English Teacher, Mixed Secondary School, Travnik

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Pedagogical and Curriculum Reform

• Through the subject of biology, the pupils have
  realized that unity in diversity is the product
  of various things coming together and that one
  thing cant function without another one. In
  fact, nature cant function without the unity of
  all the elements that creates the natural life.
• Biology Teacher, 3rd Primary School, Ilidza
• With this project the difference is that we try
  to show what we learn through our actions, not
  just through books. It is very good.
• Student, Nova Bila Primary School

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Pedagogical and Curriculum Reform

• This is a good project because it gives students
  an opportunity to express themselves in a
  different way from what we have done and through
  creativity and the arts. They try to show us how
  a peaceful society can be. Through the
  presentations, they raised an understanding
  between students, teachers and parents.
• 2nd Gymnasium Math Teacher, Sarajevo
• Through EFP our school has become a new one.
  Before, everyday we just had school, but
  through this project we have been given a new way
  of learning through creative presentations.
• Student, Mixed Secondary School, Travnik

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Interethnic reconciliation

• If we were to summarize the most important
  achievement of the project during its first two
  years, it is that this ethnically diverse group
  of students and teachers began a process of
  meaningful and sustained reconciliation and
  friendship. During this period the level of
  interethnic comfort increased dramatically. For
  the first time since the recent war, both adults
  and children traveled to the cities of their
  former combatants. Many started a process of
  regular contact and communication through email,
  telephone, and personal visits and a new sense
  of mutual trust and acceptance pervaded the whole
  EFP community.

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Varieties of EFP Programs and Their Relevance to
Other Communities

• EFP-Intensive Creating Cultures of Healing and
  Peace
• EFP-World Web-based Education for Peace Program
• Violence-Free Schools
• EFP-Leadership
• Youth Peace-Builders Network