Peace Education as a Tool for Effective Conflict Management in Secondary Schools

<< Background >>Finding sustainable solutions to more and more clivant societies has never been more pressing, as population pressure, violence, and environmental degradation are on the rise.The European Pillar of Social Rights jointly proclaimed by EU Leaders at the 2017 Gothenburg Social Summit establishes, as its first principle, quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning.In aiming to foster more fair and tolerant societies, the Council adopted the Recommendation on Promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching in 2018. Inclusion is one of the six dimensions of European Education Area which is introduced by the European Commission to establish a reinforced approach to ensure the achievement of Europe. We also believe the SDGs as being an important frame of reference: SDG 16 aims for peaceful and inclusive societies based on respect for human rights, protection of the most vulnerable, the rule of law and good governance. Education being the pillar of conscious citizens we believed students should be provided with appropriate vocabulary, opportunities for practice that will allow them to internalize and apply those skills needed to support peaceful problem-solving in the future.<< Objectives >>We wanted to achieve giving teachers and youth workers necessary knowledge and skills to be confident and be able to handle teaching peace education, conflict management, conflict resolution and every transversal stake that could arise, meaning to: -To provide teachers and students with a conceptual understanding of peace education.-To acquire a holistic and critical understanding of the theory and practice of peace education.-To search for and identify the best ways to teach peace.-To review evaluation studies on the impact and effectiveness of peace education.-To model, experience and practice peaceful classrooms and healthy group dynamics.-To become critical learners and reflective peace practitioners.-To gain an appreciation of the foundations of just and peaceful societies.-To encourage positive action and non-violent conflict resolution in society.-To enhance students’ intellectual flexibility, creativity & problem-solving capacities.<< Implementation >>In order to achieve the objectives, various work packages were established. Each of them have been led by one of the project partners. The responsibilities assigned to each one of them have been delivered in line with the strengths of the partners. Each work package had a designated leader collaborating with the consortium. The qualifications and skills necessary to execute the work program effectively, efficiently, and professionally were complementary, encompassing the nature, priority, and field of activities.The tasks of Consortium members within the project were tailored to their skills, the nature of the activities, and their expertise. The actions plan was developed as follows : 1)Management 2)Development of O1/EF 3)Development of O2/OOC 4)development of O3/OTC 5)Sustainability 6)Dissemination and Exploitation 7)Monitoring and Evaluation ALDA was in charge of the management. More specifically, ALDA was responsible for overseeing the entire project budget, including all expenditures within the project's scope, and reporting to the National Agency. The fees disbursed to project participants were compared with the figures outlined in the grant agreement. ALDA also assumed responsibility for accounting for budgetary deviations and offering options for partners to realign the project with the budget. However, each partner was responsible for contributing to the definition of activity, ranking, duration and resource estimation. The O1, O2 and O3 were developed by all the consortium members but were led by ALDA for the O1 and O2 and by Haccettepe for O3. Indeed, each member had a specific role in the development of these activities. The O1 is the Peace education framework : this activity was developed to help teachers integrate Peace Education into their respective teaching experiences at secondary schools to strengthen conflict management by providing tools for planning, monitoring, evaluation and assessment of skills development for young people through peace education. It was based on a needs assessment (of teachers and students) and a literature review. This innovative handbook provides an overview of the state of school environments for teachers and students around the globe. It focuses on a thorough assessment of teachers' knowledge on peace education, their observations and experiences with their students and the issues they are facing, and finally their concrete needs on how to deal with them.The O2 is an open online course for middle and secondary school teachers (OOC) : this activity supports teachers and youth workers working with students aged 12-18 to include Peace Education as a cross curricular in their teaching experiences and establish inclusive education, equality, equity, nondiscrimination, non violence and the promotion of civic competences among European Schools. The OCC contains both a theoretical basis and pedagogical activities to implement with their students. The aim is to improve the school climate in schools, with particular emphasis on strengthening conflict management skills. The OCC is composed of five teaching modules. These modules will provide the necessary tools and knowledge for teachers and youth workers to understand the good practices of peace education to make a more inclusive society. The O3 is an Open Teacher Community (OTC). This output provides teachers with the opportunity to meet up in an online environment to share experiences on training students on peace education.There will be good practises shared by the participants in an international portal. This OTC is an ongoing exchange of valuable teaching methods among teachers through an Online Community that aspires to evolve into a mutually beneficial network. Indeed, in this OTC there are different types of activities about peace education . While some of them can be done autonomously, some are peer activities. The aim of this online community is not only to share the activities for teacher/youth workers improvement but also to provide a space for collaboration between them. Rightchallenge was in charge of the sustainability of the project and its different phases : financial sustainability, institutional sustainability, programmatic Sustainability and the sustainability result. The aim is to ensure that the project continues over time, even after it has come to an end. All phases of sustainability support this goal. Paydas were responsible for the dissemination and exploitation activities. Finally, Zavod Boter was responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the project. The aim of this work package is to assure the optimal quality, structure, processes and results of the project will be supported by the partners. After the kick off meeting QA mechanisms (QA Assurance plan and tools, QA annual reports, Final QA report, External evaluation) were determined by the consortium as well as a concrete QA plan, with special contribution of the local partners, especially in defining specific assumptions and risks.<< Results >>Output 1: Educational Framework. Foundation for outputs. Theoretical and conceptual foundations, action competence areas of partner countries developed. Official needs analysis on secondary school teachers and students. Partners conducted online surveys and qualitative interviews to understand specific needs. The handbook outlines existing practices in Peace Education in Europe and each consortium country. O1 determined course modules, sub-modules, and desired outcomes for teachers. Framework facilitates cooperation between organizations, supports individual learning, and aids organizations in developing trainer teams and educators in non-formal learning. Suitable for all age groups and educational contexts.Output 2: Open Online Course for middle and secondary school teachers. Developed based on O1 needs analysis. 5 Modules with theoretical content, practical activities, user learning exercises, and final assessment. Peer review ensures content quality. Moodle chosen as the course tool. Modules cover Peace and Peace Education, Inner Peace, Cyberviolence, Prejudice, Stereotyping, Discrimination, and Teaching Peace. Online interactions focus on learner-material, learner-learner, and learner-teacher interactions.Output 3: The Open Online Community. Space to share thoughts, tools, and good practices for peace education. Responds to teachers' need to communicate and share experiences. Virtual platform for networking activities, co-creating content, and generating educational materials. Developed by Hacettepe University on Discourse. Supports networking across partner countries and national levels. International and national groups for diverse perspectives. Activities include online meetings and individual submissions.Intangible Results: Raised conflict management in schools, reduced violence, bullying, absenteeism. Engaged the community in dialogue about peace education. Raised cultural understanding, improved knowledge of peace, tolerance, discrimination. Increased motivation for building peace. Enhanced personal and professional development for students and teachers. Promoted a friendly and safe school atmosphere, reduced nonattendance, and encouraged innovative IT techniques and language learning. All outputs available in English, French, Portuguese, Slovenian, and Turkish, and accessible online.