1.1 Understanding hope
Peacebuilding involves fostering hope that not only supports people’s wellbeing but also empowers them with the means to work towards their goals for change. Scholar Katrina Standish explains that:
Hope… is a tool against many of the forms of violence that directly or indirectly affect the fulfilment of human needs.
Standish argues that loss of hope can result in violence as people lose their capacity to imagine a world where things might be different. In this next activity you will explore Standish’s multidimensional model of hope and consider how it might be used as a practical tool for peace.
Activity 1 The multidimensional nature of hope
Below is a diagram of the interconnecting dimensions of hope (Standish, 2019). Match the definitions in each of the boxes below by dragging them to each of the dimensions of hope in Standish’s model.
As you carry out this activity, consider how hope links each layer of peace explored in this course. You might also consider how hope might be infused through all the aspects of wellbeing outlined in Session 2.
Comment
Hope is infused through all aspects of peace education and is an essential aspect of wellbeing. Standish emphasises that hope is holistic and its elements cannot be separated out from each other. For example cognitive hope, where individuals and groups feel they have agency to achieve their goals, can both arise from and support emotional hope, and this can have a positive impact of physical wellbeing.
To manage the complexity of issues that children and young people face today hope is needed (Peace at the Heart, p. 31). For Standish, hopeful thinking enhances critical thinking, developing people’s capacity to take steps towards the changes they feel are needed in the world. Being able to hope can support people in seeing the potential for positive change in even the smallest of actions.