Peace Education: Concepts, Components, and Conflict Resolution
Key Concepts
Positive Peace
A concept that encompasses not only the absence of war and discrimination, but also the presence of desirable conditions in all areas and circumstances (equality, justice, etc.).
Non-Violence
Creative power in the service of justice and the good of all, which not only avoids aggression and violence, but also transforms them into constructive and cooperative experiences.
Conflict
Occurs when two or more values, perspectives, opinions, interests, etc., do not coincide. It is inevitable.
Components of Peace Education
- Education for International Understanding
- Education for Human Rights
- Education for Disarmament
- Education for Conflict Resolution
- Intercultural Education
- Education for Development
Education’s Purpose
Education should be transmitted with the purpose of fostering, starting from small groups and expanding to larger groups and ultimately the entire world, attitudes and values that ensure individuals a dignified life in a complex society.
Objectives of the UN
- International cooperation on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
- Analyze the ethical basis of law in this area.
- Education in and for human rights.
- Report on international human rights instruments, laws, and legal categories.
- Changing behaviors and attitudes towards human rights.
Sex and Gender
Sex
The set of physical, biological, and bodily characteristics with which we are born. These are largely natural and unchangeable. Our species has two fundamental sexes, male and female, which form the basis of gender identity.
Gender
The set of psychological, social, and cultural characteristics assigned to people. These features are historical, modifiable, and transform over time.
Gender Roles
The role that the sex-gender system assigns to people based on their biological sex. In every culture, there is a division of labor by sex.
- Tasks assigned to women: caregiving, raising children, and household management.
- Tasks assigned to men: production of goods and materials, public life.
Coeducation
Coeducation is a deliberate process of intervention that promotes the development of children based on the reality of two different sexes, aiming towards personal development and the construction of common and diverse social roles. It implies the coexistence of attitudes and values traditionally considered masculine and feminine, so that they can be accepted and assumed by individuals of either sex. Coeducation seeks the full development of personality without the barriers of gender, correcting sexism and the cultural, ideological, and social inequality of women. While not denying the existence of traits that determine what is considered “male” and “feminine,” it tries to unravel the social, anthropological, and historical factors that contribute to these perceptions, rather than instilling them dogmatically and a priori. Coeducation involves a comprehensive and inclusive education that encompasses the world and the experiences of women. It questions socially dominant forms of knowledge and requires the practice of different languages, open to interpersonal communication. It presupposes and requires attention to the evolutionary processes of emotion and sexuality of students. This task should not be limited to the school, nor should it be confined without seeking to transform the social structures and concepts that perpetuate discriminatory situations. It must involve the entire school community: parents, teachers, professors, children, and non-teaching staff.
Educate in and for Conflict
Education in and for Conflict: A Challenge
- Discovering that conflict is an educational opportunity.
- Learning how to analyze conflicts and discovering their complexity.
- Finding solutions.
Why Have a Negative View of Conflict?
- Conflict is often identified with a violent form of resolution.
- It involves a difficult time.
- We lack sufficient training in conflict resolution.
- There is resistance to change.
Conflict is Positive
- It is a driver of social transformation.
- It is an opportunity to learn.
Addressing Conflicts
Addressing conflicts means discovering their roots and achieving a satisfactory solution. Our goal as teachers is not to resolve our students’ conflicts, but to teach them to resolve conflicts themselves and apply these skills to daily life.
Conflict as a Process
- Conflict occurs over time.
- It stems from a clash of interests: there is a problem that must be addressed.
- We should not wait for the conflict to reach a “crisis” point before attempting resolution.
The resolution of conflict is also a process.
Attitudes Towards Conflict
- Competition
- Negotiation
- Cooperation
- Evasion
- Accommodation
The big challenge is learning that when we have a conflict, viewing the other party as our enemy is not the best approach. The best way to resolve conflict is not through competition, but by working together to find the most satisfying solution for both parties.
Cooperation: Ethical and Effective
Intervention in Conflict
- In the context of education: prevention work.
- Necessary skills and strategies:
- Create a group.
- Foster communication.
- Decision-making by consensus.
- Working cooperatively.
- It is important to separate the person from the process and the problem.
In a world increasingly influenced by new technologies, it is essential to promote social skills: relationships, communication, etc.
The Elements of Conflict
- The person: recognizing emotions, the importance of image, and power dynamics.
- The process:
- Destructive dynamics.
- Control of communication (respect for all).
- Analyze what happened: contextualizing the conflict.
- The problem: find the reason for the conflict.
- Search for solutions:
- Use of appropriate methodologies (social-emotional approach) with emphasis on attitudes and values.
- Mediation.
Do not forget that educating for conflict is also educating for disobedience.
Mediation
- It is not an end but a means.
- The mediator cannot be neutral; they should facilitate the process.
- Their function is to restore the right climate for the parties to resolve the conflict, not to resolve it for them.
- Educational Mediation:
- Spontaneous Mediation.
- Institutionalized Mediation.
Peer mediation.
Adult Mediation.
The Stages of Mediation
- Initial aspects to be defined: Acceptance.
- Gather information.
- Establish and accept the rules of the process.
- Tell me: listen to the parties’ versions.
- Location: building our history.
- Propose solutions.
- Verification and evaluation of agreements.