Peace Notes: Tools for Building a Culture of Peace
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Career Development
Introduce your middle school and high school students to “Lawyers as Peacemakers.” A quiet revolution has been occurring in the legal profession. It began when pioneers around the country got to the point they couldn’t practice law in the typical polarizing, adversarial way anymore. Innovators like family lawyer Stu Webb created Collaborative Law. Judges, one by one, are transforming their courts into problem-solving assemblies that support defendants in becoming responsible citizens. Lawyers around the world are beginning to inquire into what it is be a conscious lawyer, exploring mediation, well-being and balance.
The hub of this movement is at www.cuttingedgelaw.com, a new website that features interviews of many of the pioneers. As they tell their stories, we begin to hear the development of a new movement in law. In addition, the site includes a directory of lawyers.
Stu Webb is the husband of Martha Roberts who is the President of World Citizens mentioned further in this article under pedagogy. It’s good to see what a husband and wife team can do in contributing to a culture of peace.
Children Connecting to Children
Children can do lots of activities on the Tapori website at www.tapori.org. They can check out messages to each other, listen to songs sung by children around the world, and read true stories of children just like them who try to make the world better, even if their lives are vary hard. They can even send a e-card to a friend or someone new.
Economics/Middle School and High School
Institute for Economics and Peace has developed the Building Blocks of Peace, a series of downloadable teaching materials that offer a fresh perspective to the issues surrounding global peace. These comprehensive teaching aids will guide students to understand global peace and discover their own solutions to contribute to a culture of peace.
As an independent not-for-profit research institute, it leads research into the relationships between business and peace, with special emphasis on collaborating with international partners.
The Institute www.economicsandpeace.org has the following core tasks:
• Generate and lead research on the relationships between peace, business and economic development, working in partnership with governments, international business alliances, academics, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others;
• Develop frameworks for demonstrating the economic benefits of peace to business, governments and civil society;
• Initiate wider debate and enable discussion through international conferences, publications and forums;
• Develop educational content for the study of peace within schools and institutions of higher education.
Environment/Care of the Earth
Leave the labels on crayons and send to the National Crayon Recycle Program www.crazycrayons.com. So far they have recycled 45,000 pounds of crayons.
International Year of Biodiversity -2010
Discovery Communications and the United Nations announced a partnership to spread awareness of the United Nations global campaign to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity. Throughout the year, Discovery will work closely with the Secretariat of the Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to increase the understanding of the vital role that biodiversity plays in sustaining life on earth.
To get involved for the 2010 year see The Green Wave at greenwave.cbd-int/en/ibd.
Geography
North America’s rivers, migratory species and even pollution move freely across its nations’ boundaries. Yet most maps stop at the borders.
The North American Environmental Atlas – a tri-national partnership coordinated by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) – provides a unique way to see the continent as a continuous, shared environment. It gives users access to free and accurate geospatial data and map layers related to significant continental environmental issues. See www.cec.org/naatlas.
History
The Zinn Education Project: Teaching a People's History<http://www.zinnedproject.org/> is collaboration between Rethinking Schools
The site also lists hundreds of recommended books, films, and websites. The teaching activities and resources are organized by theme, time period, and grade level. This is the only collection of its kind for educators -- print or online -- in the country. Visit and History<http://www.zinnedproject.org/> website.
Human Rights
Use this powerful, youth-oriented video clip to introduce the entire his/herstory of human rights and all the key documents in nine minutes!
http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/introduction/index.html
http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/watchads/index.html
The video clips can unleash students imaginations about how to fulfill the rights we've already declared and invite them to join the worldwide HR movement!!
Language/Storytelling and Writing
The Teaching and Learning for Peace foundation www.tlpeace.org.au has created an on-line collaborative teaching tool or Moddle that is hosted at OzProjects http://www.ozprojects.edu.au/course/view/php?id=66. The foundation utilizes peacebuilding stories in its activities. This particular Moddle is based on a story called Turtle Dreaming. It refers to the plight of the snake-necked turtles. The plight of the snake-necked turtle is representative of the issues facing the Murray River in Australia. The project explores peace-building ways in which individuals and communities can work together to resolve problems. Students can individually read the story or work with their teachers and class to discuss the different story endings and then create their own to share with others.
2010 International Essay Contest organized by UNESCO and Goi Peace Foundation. The theme for this year’s contest is “My Role in Creating a Peaceful World.” The deadline for entry is June 30, 2010. First prize winners will receive a cash award and a trip to Japan.
The contest asks young people to write their essay as a response to the questions:
• What is your vision of peaceful and harmonious world?
• What can you and the young people of the world do to realize that vision?
Entries must be submitted before June 30th in order to arrive by June 30 to the International Essay Contest, c/o The Goi Peace foundation, 1-4-5 Hirakawacho, Ciyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093, Japan – e-mail: essay@goipeace.or.jp.
The Goi Peace Foundation is an organization committed to building peace. Through cultural and educational programs its objectives are to enhance peace and respect for life and to raise awareness among young people on the role they could play in this area.
The winner will be announced November 2010 on the Goi Peace Foundation and UNESCO websites: http://goipeace.or.jp and http:www.unesco.org/youth. For contest details see websites.
Music
Be ready for the International Day of Peace when you return to school in the fall with easy, inspiring lessons plus a song, called “Minute of Silence,” suitable for elementary aged kids. (www.spiralingmusic.com/pdfs/Minute%20of%20Silence.pdf. )
Pedagogy
Peace Education Guiding Principles for Middle School/High School Educators from World Citizens (www.peacesites.org) Visit this site for a variety of peace education ideas and resources as well as making your school a peace site.
1. Peace educators teach about global interdependence from multiple perspectives through multiple and diverse resources.
2. Students and adults walk the talk of peace education and develop respect, empathy and understanding for others through service-learning projects.
3. Peace education is interconnected and integrated in all the content and curriculum areas we teach and all the processes we use.
4. Peace educators intentionally build strong learning communities through healthy communication and acknowledge the reality of conflict and struggle necessary for change.
5. Peace educators teach, model and live peace and social justice with students and other adults and experiences evidence that what they do makes a difference.
6. Peace educators use a variety of instructional strategies.
7. Social justice is the foundation of peace education.
8. Peace educators are willing to accept the constant struggle inherent in the definition of peace education as a positive force.
If you have found resources for infusing peace education into various aspects of the curriculum, please e-mail them to me at peace@umn.edu and I’ll include them in upcoming articles. Thank you all for the good work you do in contributing to a culture of peace.
