Bill Yotive
Project Manager, Global Teaching and Learning Project
Department of Public Information, UN Headquarters in New York
During the third Preparatory Committee meeting in May for the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference at UN Headquarters, a series of UN Radio interviews were set up with several Hibakusha – survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – who were in New York at the time. The stories they shared about their experiences provide the best explanations for why these weapons of mass destruction should never be used again. Each time I listen to their stories I learn something new. Personally, I had thought little about this issue until the very first interview that was organized with a few Hibakusha several years ago. It brought me to tears and the absolute horror that was recounted gave me a renewed sense of purpose to increase my efforts to raise awareness and increase support for nuclear disarmament.
During the interviews, each Hibakusha talked about their desire to get rid of nuclear weapons. One of the survivors, Takehisa Yamamoto, who was very young when his hometown, Hiroshima, was bombed on August 6, 1945, said something very interesting about how to engage youth on this issue. He felt that “you won’t inspire the youth by just saying ‘Let’s abolish nuclear weapons’…it starts from the smaller problems that concern them, like environmental issues or that they may not have work or they are poor or other problems.”
This statement caused me to pause and reflect on what was said. In my work at the UN, I try to create educational materials that will hopefully motivate young people to get involved in the many social issues on the UN agenda. I came to the conclusion that what Mr. Yamamoto was telling us is that the roots of activism first begin to develop in relation to personal concerns embedded in our daily lives. Many researchers have examined the relationship between an individual’s sense of efficacy and their political participation and it has been generally accepted that a sense of efficacy leads to activism. The argument goes something like this: If I feel successful in bringing about change in things that matter to me in my daily life, then I may be more willing to eventually take on larger issues. However, in reality it is much more complex than that.
First, our sense of efficacy is not a constant. It waxes and wanes over the course of our lives. There is some evidence, for example, that a sense of efficacy grows significantly during preadolescence but that it drops considerably during adolescence. What causes this dramatic shift? What can we do as peace educators to address this? Second, we know that a lack of trust in our political systems or the perception that they are not responsive to our wants and needs can actually be a motivation for political engagement.
What emerges from studying people who become activists is their sense of moral integrity. The common thread in these individuals is a strong identification with moral values such as honesty, justice, charity and harmony. They become involved when confronted with situations that violate their moral values. Most importantly, activists emphasize that these values should be applied universally to all human beings. Moral behaviour is rooted in the sense of ourselves as being connected to others and the world we live in. The moral outrage that most of us we feel when confronted with the fact that there are more than 20,000 nuclear weapons in existence is driven by an awareness of the horrific destruction that just one of these bombs can unleash – including the long-term effects of radiation that get passed on from generation to generation. This violates our most fundamental belief in the sanctity of life.
Nuclear weapons remain one of the greatest threats to civilization. To address this issue, two important conferences will be held at the UN over the next several months. In September 2009, the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) will take place in New York. The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions anywhere on the planet. Although it has been ratified by 148 States to date, in order for the CTBT to enter into force, it has to be ratified by the following nine States: China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States. The DPRK’s recent underground nuclear test underscores the urgency of ensuring that the CTBT enters into force. And, in April 2010, there will be the Conference to Review the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which was designed to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.
Both conferences will take place at a time when new momentum is building in support of disarmament and non-proliferation. The Conference on Disarmament – the only multilateral forum for disarmament – recently adopted a Programme of Work that ended a 12-year stalemate and agreed to work to resolve key issues. And just a few days ago, the United States and Russia signed a Joint Understanding that commits both countries to significantly reduce their nuclear arsenals. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon responded by saying that “this agreement will make a significant contribution to the process of nuclear disarmament, as well as nuclear non-proliferation, during the lead-up to the 2010 NPT Conference and eventually to achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.”
Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation is one of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s top priorities. On 13 June he launched a campaign to mark the 100-day countdown to the International Day of Peace which is observed every year on 21 September as a time to reflect on the horror and cost of war and the benefits of peacefully resolving our disputes. This year, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is using this opportunity to ask governments and civil society to focus on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. In support of this 100-day campaign, called WMD – We Must Disarm, the UN is using Twitter, Facebook and My Space to raise awareness of the costs and dangers of nuclear weapons. Every day a different reason to disarm is posted on Twitter and pages have been created on Facebook and My Space where people can find out more information about the campaign.
In addition, we will be distributing a new publication on the International Day of Peace called the Student Action Toolkit for Disarmament that will contain ideas and suggestions of things students can do to raise awareness about disarmament and non-proliferation issues in their school and community. For other educational materials on this topic visit www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/dnp where you will find classroom resources on weapons of mass destruction, small arms, landmines and child soldiers. Finally, as part of the 100-day campaign, the 62nd annual DPI/NGO conference will take place in Mexico City from 9-11 September, 2009 under the banner “For Peace and Development: Disarm Now!” Participants from around the world will gather to discuss how they can contribute to reducing arms while advancing peace.
We invite you follow us on Twitter, join the WMD-We Must Disarm campaign on Facebook or MySpace, and sign a Declaration in support of the UN Secretary-General’s message marking the 100-day countdown. Sometime in July we will be launching our International Day of Peace website where you will be able to send us your reasons why we should disarm. We hope to display some of these messages at the UN when world leaders gather for the opening of the 64th session of the General Assembly.
One of the reasons to disarm that we recently posted on Twitter stated that “We Must Disarm because nukes are more dangerous than any problem they seek to solve.” Peace education, in its essence, strives to develop and nurture our moral selves by focusing our attention on acknowledging others’ needs, recognizing that another person can be helped and feeling competent in providing what is needed. This caring attitude is essential for resolving disputes peacefully.
The UN Department of Public Information had the good fortune of hosting the 25th anniversary of the IIPE. I was privileged to meet many of the educators who attend this Institute and learn about the great work you are engaged in. I can’t think of a better organization than the Global Campaign for Peace Education to help galvanize support for the WMD- We Must Disarm campaign. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts on this important issue. Send any comments or questions you may have to me at: yotive@un.org.
Bill Yotive
Project Manager, Global Teaching and Learning Project
Department of Public Information, UN Headquarters in New York
JERUSALEM - Over the years, significant criticisms have been leveled at Palestinian textbooks for carrying messages that are not conducive to creating a culture of peace. Much less attention has been paid to Jewish-Israeli textbooks but they too deserve in-depth analysis and criticism. In both Palestinian and Jewish-Israeli textbooks, the historical narratives presented contain strong elements of mutual non-recognition. The problem is compounded by the fact that officials from both sides, sensing that the “textbook war” is just another means for demonizing the other, refuse to accept the criticism and tend to respond defensively rather than substantively.
The first university for peace and sustainable development in South Asia could be set up in Delhi if India's proposal to the UNESCO is accepted. UNESCO will be a partner in the establishment of this institution which is proposed to be a top-grade centre of studies in the areas of peace, development and conflict resolution. HRD Minister Kapil Sibal will take up the issue with UNESCO authorities during the World Conference on Higher Education in Paris. The university will be named Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Peace Education and Sustainable Development.
AMMAN- Participants at the 4th Generations for Peace camp are presented with an opportunity to rub shoulders with big names in the sports world. Former New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks all star Ronaldo Blackman has been working closely with 70 youth leaders representing 15 countries from Africa, Asia and Europe. Basketball is one of the three sports used in the unique curriculum which combines interactive classroom sessions with practical sports covering rules and skills.
In 2002, Gujarat was the site of one of the worst communal riots in India's history, with tensions between majority and minority communities continuing to simmer long after the immediate violence. . . It is against this dark backdrop that Samerth, an Ahmedabad-based NGO, has tried to make a difference. Founded in the early nineties to promote participatory development among marginalised and vulnerable communities, it is one of the several organisations in Gujarat that has been working towards bringing about reconciliation and peace in an atmosphere of distrust and disquiet. . . . A few thousand children - with a fair representation from both the Hindu and Muslim communities - actively participate in the 'peace classes' held in neighbourhood government and private schools in Ahmedabad.
A Canadian proposal for a Department of Peace outlines the minister’s general responsibilities, and shows that he will be supported by four assistant deputy ministers, responsible for six branches of operations. These include office of peace education and training; office of domestic activities; office of international activities; office of arms control and disarmament; office of civil resistance and nonviolent conflict resolution. For more information visit the website.
As the
2009 IIPE is about to start, with the theme of "Pursuing Democracy in a Time of Crisis," courageous Iranians are in the midst of a peaceful, civic uprising following what many in the country assert were fraudulent presidential elections. In an article for the Daily Star (Lebanon), Shaazka Beyerle examines the dynamics of civil resistance, recent developments, and the strategic challenges facing Iran's "Green Revolution". Read her article “Iran's leaders fear their own people most” on the attached website.
Education, in the words of Nelson Mandela, "is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." I have seen this first-hand. I've been an educator for the past 28 years. Every day in my classroom I see the power of education to break down barriers and to open students' eyes to the possibilities around them. I know that many of you have also seen students transformed by new ideas. But as important as these individual success stories are, we all know that the responsibility for educating a young person is not the student's responsibility alone, nor is it the job of the teacher alone, nor is it the obligation of the parents alone. It is a responsibility that belongs to all of us.
Peace Education in the Field
TAMPA - Taylor Peace Academy organizers had to shelve their dreams for a year after enrollment fizzled, but they hope to attract enough students to open in August. The charter school, in a building behind Einstein Bagels on North Dale Mabry Highway, is nearly ready. Seven teachers, enough to start, and a support staff have been hired. What the school needs are children. About 50 have signed up, said Executive Director and Principal Nathan Taylor. The school's goal is to hit 170 students and start a waiting list but 100 children would enable it to open.
Northern Uganda has suffered from more than two decades of war. It has grasped at fragile stability in recent years, only to topple back into violent conflict. Children have been raised in a culture of violence, and without interventions in their education at this critical point of relative peace, Uganda could face repeated violent conflict. My project seeks to provide teachers and children with curriculum in peace building and nonviolent conflict resolution in order to instill the mindsets and skills critical to a peaceful future.
In a small workshop on the top floor of the Help the Afghan Children office in Kabul, Afghanistan, Canadian psychotherapist Mary-Jo Land watched as an Afghan teacher drew the trauma uppermost in her mind. The woman’s picture depicted an American plane bombing and killing an Afghan, while a Taliban soldier shoots into a house. For Land, a Cambridge, Ontario therapist affiliated with McMaster University’s Centre of Peace Studies in Hamilton, Ont.,the pictures reinforced her reason for having made 2 trips, so far, to Afghanistan: to contribute to health care reconstruction. Land’s preliminary research indicates that 60%–70% of Afghan children demonstrate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that impedes their ability to learn and remember. Teachers, too, are suffering from the disorder. It’s why Land, working with Help the Afghan Children, a nongovernmental organization, is using an innovative story-based curriculum that she and other Canadians developed to train teachers to guide their students through the process of sharing their trauma and beginning to heal.
OTTAWA, July 2 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) is proud to announce Heather MacIsaac, a member of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU), as the winner of the Federation's 2009 World Teachers' Day poster contest. The contest, whose theme was Peace: Teach it. Live it., was organized by CTF with financial support from the Green Street Program. "Teachers play a pivotal role in molding children and youth to create a safe world based on justice and human rights. Peace education is also about building a sustainable environment, protecting it from exploitation and war. Heather's poster idea perfectly illustrates the peaceful environment we as teachers strive to create," said CTF President Emily Noble.
On 13 June, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the “WMD-WeMustDisarm” multiplatform campaign, beginning the 100-day countdown to the International Day of Peace on 21 September. For more on the We Must Disarm campaign please see the welcome letter above by Bill Yotive.
Events & Conferences
Please note that only newly submitted events will contain a full description. All events & conferences that have been previously published in the newsletter will be listed by date with a link to follow for more information.
Please join USIP's Center of Innovation for Science, Technology and Peacebuilding for afull-day multimedia showcaseof state-of-the-art simulation and "serious gaming" tools that promise to transform the way that peacebuilding organizations train, plan and collaborate. Gain practical insights from a diverse range of innovators, including IBM, EBay, the Army War College, Lockheed Martin, and Second Life. RSVPat
http://smarttools.eventbrite.com/ to register and see specific tools being presented.
PeaceVoice has received some help from a peace benefactor and has reduced the fee to simply $35, $10 for students and low-income. Please come! The one-day format enables you to enjoy our area--the Columbia Gorge, the mountains, the Pacific Ocean--and not miss anything. The new registration form is available online.
Following the huge success of all of the PEACE EDUCATION WORKSHOPS we are holding the Sixth Peace Education Workshop that will once again bring together peace educators, curricula writers, encounter facilitators, peace studies practitioners, conflict resolution practitioners, mediators, and activists from academia, research sector, governmental and community organizations and others from Israel, Palestine and beyond.
Costa Rica will host the 2009 Summit of the Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace. Founded in 2005, the Global Alliance is a worldwide community of civil society organizations, committed citizens and government officials from 35 countries, working to establish governmental structures that support a culture of peace.
Call for Proposals: Toward a Peaceful World: Historical Approaches to Creating Cultures of Peace – Winthrop University – October 29-30, 2009
IPRA has put forth a call for papers for the 2010 conference based on the theme of communication. “Communication: a defining human capability, a human need, a human right. Violence is a failure to communicate. Barriers to communication, including active repression and structural inequities, are all too common forms of violence. Peace is impossible to achieve, even conceive, without communication.”
Please note that only newly submitted workshops/trainings will contain a full description. All workshops/trainings that have been previously published in the newsletter will be listed by date with a link to follow for more information.
The North-South Centre is happy to announce the online training course Human Rights Education: Addressing Global Challenges offered by the
North South Centre and
The Network University (TNU). This course provides an introduction to human rights education as part of the Global Education context, and deals with its concepts, approaches, strategies and action, by considering its interconnections between the global and local.
Conflict Resolution Education in Teacher Education (CRETE) Training, Cleveland, Ohio – August 17th – 20th, 2009
The mission of the Conflict Resolution Education in Teacher Education (CRETE) project is to provide pre-service and in-service teachers, non-profit education specialists, and education faculty with skills and knowledge of conflict education, classroom management and social and emotional learning necessary for creating constructive, safe learning environments. Call Global Issues Resource Center at Cuyahoga Community College at 216-987-2224 or e-mail Marcelle Eades at:
Marcelle.Eades@tri-c.edu for a registration brochure to be mailed or e-mailed to you.
The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program provides support for up to three years of formal graduate-level study leading to a masters or doctoral degree. Fellows are selected from countries and territories in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Russia and include Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Palestinian Territories, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, where the Ford Foundation maintains active overseas programs.
IPDTC is launching its 2009 Autumn Peace Academy with a range of programmes addressing the core skills, knowledge and experience of practitioners working in the field of peacebuilding, conflict transformation, development work, humanitarian aid, gender, governance and other related areas.
Asia Leaders Programme aims to provide students from Japan and other Asian countries with an opportunity to pursue a peace studies post graduate degree with a content-based language-training module. This offers the support for individuals who do not have a proficient command of English to work in this increasingly common international language and to become comfortable in their professional abilities as they gain academic skills.
Latin America: In Search of a Path Towards a Sustainable Peace. Tools and Contributions". September 17 -19, 2009. Lima, Peru.
The Green Changemakers website has three ebooks ready for download. This site contains The Road to Peace: A Teaching Guide on Local and Global Transitional Justice, Peace Education - A Pathway to a Culture of Peace, and the Values of Love Curriculum.
The Spring 2009 Peace Education Newsletter of SIG Aera is now available online. The newsletter also contains a call for manuscripts for a book series on peace education.
Who Dialogues? (and when and where and how?). Ten extraordinary dialogue practitioners talk about how they use the basic principles of dialogue in their work. Targeted towards classrooms, faculty, committees, and community organizations this book of 51 pages is perfect for people with an interest in studying or engaging in dialogue. To order visit the website.
BEYOND NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION (BNNP), is monthly newsletter for strengthening awareness of nuclear abolition. BNNP is part of a global media and communication project of Inter Press Service (IPS) that covers from around the world all major issues that interest you. This project is supported by Soka Gokkai International (SGI).
The NVRI s a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary effort to support the next steps in providing the revolutionary new "Violence Integrative Prevention and Restoration (PAR) Model" to people in the United States and throughout the world.
This is a joint project of the U.S. Institute of Peace Center of Innovation for Media, Conflict, and Peacebuilding, and Georgetown University’s Conflict Resolution Program. e site,
http://peacemedia.usip.org/
These poems by Francisco Gomes de Matos collected to honor the eightieth birthday of the great pioneer of nonkilling thought, Glenn Paige, both show and tell the same thing: that nonkilling thought, act, imagination, art, feeling, commitment, teaching, and career can be experienced, thought about, committed to, felt, imagined, and taught in a whole world of permutations and combinations far beyond innocence. Behind all this lurks mortality.
Transforming Societies after Political Violence offers a template for those tasked with providing truth, justice, reconciliation, and healing. This interdisciplinary study identifies complex relationships between recovery from political violence and the psychological processes that accompany widespread social change, showing how these can be integrated to strengthen both individual and society.
The 1996 Machel Study challenged the world to recognize that "war affects every right of the child." This follow-up report analyses the progress – and challenges – of the subsequent decade. The Strategic Review is part of ongoing advocacy efforts to bring the issues of children in conflict to the forefront.
Peace Begins With Me!
Dr. Bonnie Lee Rabe presented an interactive workshop and paper, Peace Begins With Me! at the 7th Annual Hawaii Conference on Education in January 2009. Highlighting a case study from a Peace Curriculum developed for Danbury Public Schools, Dr.Rabe addresses the culture of peace as implemented in this interdistrict magnet school within an urban setting. For more info contact:
RabeB@wcsu.edu.
Ling Cui, has put together a wonderful list of key publishers in Peace and Conflict Studies. Please feel free to suggest additions to the list.
A volume in the series: International Perspectives on Curriculum. Marlene Morrison examines forms of leadership and management that promote and instill education for learning and social justice. She seeks to restore and elevate social and moral purpose in leadership as first-order constructs with theoretical and practical implications for existing and potential leader educators.
Planning to Change the World is a plan book for educators who believe their students can and will change the world. It is designed to help teachers translate their vision of a just education into concrete classroom activities. This unique resource has all the things you would expect in a lesson plan book.
The New USIP.org Widens Access to Resources by Country or Topic and Improves Visitor Ability to Choose Information Feeds. Three new features that stand out are: The world map, Issue areas, RSS Feeds.
Developed by the
Institute for Economics and Peace, the Building Blocks of Peace is a series of downloadable teaching materials that offer a fresh perspective to the issues surrounding global peace.
Call for Papers and News Items for Peace Education: An International Journal
Vol. 16, 2008-2009 issue of
Peace Education: An International Journal is scheduled to be published on the theme: Financing for Free Education to All to Build Non-Exploitative Society for Peace. Submissions are due August 15. Please send submissions to:
peaceeducationsnp@yahoo.co
Please note that only new submitted job postings will contain a description. All jobs that have been previously published in the newsletter will be listed with a link for more information.
Associate Director - The Marquette University Center for Peacemaking
The Marquette University Center for Peacemaking is seeking a highly qualified individual as a Part-time [20 hours / week] Associate Director who will focus primarily on the Center’s engagement with the Marquette University Students. To apply send a description of the administrative skills of the applicant, the cover letter should include a statement of personal philosophy and how it fits with the mission of the CENTER FOR PEACEMAKING. Additionally, please arrange to have three letters of recommendation sent to: Rev. G. Simon Harak, S.J., Director / Center for Peacemaking / Marquette University /PO Box 1881/ Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
Associate Director – Peace Accords Matrix - Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame
The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame seeks applications for an Associate Director of the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM). Review of applications will begin July 1, 2009, and continue until the position is filled. To apply, please submit a CV, cover letter, writing sample, and three letters of reference to: Associate Director – PAM Search/ Attn.: Barbara Lockwood/ Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies / University of Notre Dame / Notre Dame, IN 46556 U.S.A.
Director of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence - (A half-time position at the University of Rochester)
The purpose of the M.K. Gandhi Institute is to increase understanding of nonviolence through education, service and embodiment of Gandhian principles.The director oversees the implementation of programs and policies. To Apply, send resume to: Trish Goodman at tgoodman@admin.rochester.edu or call her at 585-276-3787.
The Jennings Randolph (JR) Program for International Peace awards approximately 12 residential Senior Fellowships each year. These in-house fellowships normally last for ten months starting in October 2010. The application deadline is September 8th, 2009.
Find 2 new job opportunities and more on the INEE website, including a Regional Multi-Country Education Advisor with Save the Children UK and an Education Consultancy with IRC in DR Congo.
