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Principles and practices of peace education
Principles and practices of peace education

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4 Conflict

Peace does not necessarily mean an absence of conflict. But it does mean developing skills and competencies in managing conflict effectively in order to work towards positive outcomes.

Activity 6 Children’s perceptions of conflict

Timing: Allow approximately 10 minutes for this activity

Watch this short video of children from a school in the West Midlands giving definitions and examples of conflict. As you watch consider:

  • What examples of conflict do the students give?
  • What role might violence take in each example?

Use the box below to record your thoughts.

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Discussion

Three children gave examples of conflict in the clip. The first talked about differences of opinion over what to eat or a game to play, exemplifying conflicting needs or wants. The second explained how a conflict, in this case an argument, might escalate, becoming more than a disagreement. The third child’s example was of a violent conflict when a more powerful group of people, in this case teenagers, bully a more vulnerable person, a primary school child.

Violence plays a role most clearly in the third example, where cultural and direct violence are evident in the power differentials between older and younger people resulting in bullying. Violence has the potential to emerge in the second example, where, as the young person explains, an argument ‘can turn into a really big problem’. In the first problem, the conflicts described have the potential to yield positive outcomes. For example, one person might try something different for dinner and discover they like it, or the group of players might decide to explore a new game together.

Whilst each young person in the clip describes a conflict, this need not result in negative outcomes. Conflict is part of everyday life. A well-managed conflict can be a creative force, allowing people to discuss ideas they may not have considered before and try new approaches to challenges. An aim of peace education is to support children and young people in developing their competencies in managing conflict for themselves. This might involve skills such as regulating emotions (before an argument becomes a ‘really big problem’), communicating clearly and listening to each other empathetically, as well as knowing when to call on a third party for help.