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

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2 Wangari’s Trees of Peace – starting with a story

Wangari Maathai was the founder of the Kenyan Green Belt Movement, which inspires communities to look after the environment and improve livelihoods. She was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the movement she founded is flourishing today.

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Figure 2 Wangari’s Trees of Peace

Wangari Maathai (2003) famously said, ‘When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope. We also secure the future for our children.’

Staff and pupils at Oakgrove Primary School in Glasgow used the book Wangari’s Trees of Peace as the inspiration for an environmental play which they presented to the Scottish Parliament. In Activity 3, you’ll explore their work.

Activity 3 Using stories in the peace curriculum

Timing: Allow approximately 10 minutes for this activity

Watch this video about Oakgrove Primary School in Glasgow and their project inspired by the story of Wangari Maathai as told in the book Wangari’s Trees of Peace.

As you watch, consider:

  • How does the project fit into the wider curriculum and school ethos?
  • What peace competencies do you think the children might be developing?
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Discussion

Oakgrove Primary School explicitly teaches children about wider global issues and their impact on their community. The Trees of Peace project linked to the science curriculum where children were learning about nature in their local environment, and the ways in which it might be at risk. Through the project, the children explored how they could engage with such issues, from talking to their immediate communities to presenting their work to the Scottish Parliament.

The most notable peace competency spoken of by the teachers was empathy, but additional competencies were revealed in the children’s discussions. You may have noticed a desire to promote justice, non-violent communication, and respect for the environment.

Participants on the day of the children’s performance at the Scottish Parliament felt that it played a part in inspiring MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) to sign Michelle Thomson’s MSP motion in support of peace education in Scotland (Waddell, 2023). At the time of writing (November 2024) this motion has achieved cross-party support. Thus the children’s participation in a hopeful peace curriculum has empowered them to effect changes both in their local communities and at national level.