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

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5 Introducing Peace at the Heart

Described image
Figure 10 Front cover of the report Peace at the Heart, published by Quakers in Britain

This last section of Session 1 introduces Peace at the Heart [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , which brings together the work of educators, schools and young people to describe peace education as a process of building and maintaining positive relationships at different levels.

In the report, the complexity of peace is captured in the idea of overlapping layers:

  • Individual wellbeing and development (‘peace with myself’)
  • Positive peer relations (‘peace between us’)
  • Inclusive school community (‘peace among us’)
  • Global citizenship and sustainable development (‘peace in the world’)

As you work through the remainder of this course, you’ll explore each of these layers in more detail and consider how you might work with this model of peace in your practice. The last activity in this session will help you familiarise yourself with the layers and start thinking about how this relates to your personal and professional concepts of peace.

Activity 7

Timing: Allow approximately 10 minutes for this activity

Explore the diagram below, reading the definitions of the different layers of peace taken from Peace at the Heart. Note the emphasis on building and maintaining positive relationships, a core message of the report.

As you explore the diagram, think about:

  • Which layer might the definition of peace that you thought of at the start of the session fit into?
  • What might each layer of peace look like in a classroom or school?
  • How do the layers overlap?

Use the response box below to record your thoughts.

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Discussion

You may have found that your personal ideas about peace fit into more than one layer. For example ‘peace with myself’ involves children and young people exploring what matters to them and what is good in themselves. This relates to ‘peace in the world’ – knowing what matters to you might relate to the way you navigate a complex society.

In terms of what each layer might look like in a classroom or school, the following sessions will give you some ideas. For now, keep your initial ideas in mind and continue developing them as you work through the materials.