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

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1.2 Thinking about non-violence

Together with hope, a commitment to non-violence is at the heart of peace education. Sociologist Stellan Vinthagen argues that non-violence might be seen as using non-violent means to attain (non-violent) goals, as well as actively working against violence itself (Vinthagen, 2015). This includes all the ways in which violence might manifest itself – direct, cultural and structural. Research has shown that non-violent action is often more effective than people might expect (Stephan and Chenoweth, 2008).

In the following activity, drawn from a resource created by the Development Education Centre South Yorkshire (DECSY), you’ll consider the deeper meaning of non-violence.

Activity 2 Exploring non-violence

Timing: Allow approximately 10 minutes for this activity

This activity was originally developed for use by groups of children and young people between the ages of 8 and 14. The original activity can be found on DECSY’s website [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] . Before completing this online version, you might wish to revisit the different forms of violence that you read about in Session 1.

Sort the following statements on a continuum from those you consider violent to those that might be considered non-violent (do ignore the scoring system here as answers to this question will be completely subjective). As you sort and place them in the white area above, consider these questions:

  • What do you draw on when making a judgement?
  • What contextual factors might be considered when making a judgment?
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Comment

There are many considerations that might affect a discussion on what might be considered violent or non-violent. An essential consideration is to fully understand the consequences of an action and the harm it might cause to the lives involved (environmental as well as human). Another is to be sure that one’s actions did not contain the seeds of further injustice and violence.

DECSY, who developed the activity, suggest that participants might also consider:

  • whether the people involved were acting with violent or non-violent intentions
  • whether there was an element of deception in the action
  • whether damage was done to property or living beings.

Additional contextual factors might include legal frameworks, such as those affecting the right to protest, and the safety and wellbeing of all involved.

CPD sessions

If doing this activity with a group, encourage discussion on each of the actions on the cards. Participants should explore any statements that they are not sure of and be prepared to listen to different views. The aim is not to achieve consensus, but to explore the questions raised.

As you have seen, there are many factors affecting whether an action might be seen as violent or non-violent. Carefully managed activities such as this can be used to help children and young people develop the critical skills to make well-informed judgements. As you continue through this session, you might consider the teacher’s role in such an activity and how you might adapt it for the children and young people that you work with.

In the rest of this session, you will explore examples of curriculum work for peace in the wider world from primary and secondary schools in the UK.