The project is a partnership between The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research and the International Institute on Peace Education.
The project is a partnership between The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research and the International Institute on Peace Education.People of Peace Education, a joint project of The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR) and the International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE), is a publication and website that elevates the work of peace education to the general public by providing glimpses of the lives and work of peace educators from all around the world. Modeled after the widely acclaimed Humans of New York project, profiles explore the motivations, challenges, successes, and insights of peace educators working in different contexts. (Visit the website here: people-pe.ahdr.i-i-p-e.org)
The project was launched following the 2019 International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE) that was held in Nicosia, Cyprus exploring the theme of “Educating for a Culture of Peace in Divided Societies: History, Dialogue, and Multiperspectivity Toward Reconciliation.” (For more information see: https://www.i-i-p-e.org/iipe2019/)
The first 70+ profiles added to this site are the participants of IIPE 2019. Their stories are also featured in a print publication (available here), which serves as the outcome report of the 2019 IIPE, and was the catalyst for the People of Peace Education Project. These first profiles explore questions specific to peace education in divided contexts. As the final outcomes of the IIPE 2019 experience, both the website and the publication, aim to motivate others to undertake transformative action in their schools, neighborhoods, communities, towns, and countries and connect with others that share the same vision for sustainable peace.
New profiles will be added to the People of Peace Education on a regular basis and will be cross-promoted in partnership with the Global Campaign for Peace Education. The original print publication and website development were made possible with funding from the Federal Foreign Office of the Republic of Germany in the context of the International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE) 2019 hosted by the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research in Nicosia, Cyprus between 21 and 28 July 2019.
An in-person launch is expected to take place at the Home for Cooperation in Nicosia, Cyprus once COVID-related restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, interested individuals and/or organizations can contact Loizos Loukaidis at loizos.loukaidis@ahdr.info to receive a free print edition of the publication in Turkish, Greek, or English (also available for download as a pdf on the website).
About the International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE)
The first IIPE was held in 1982 at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. It was organized by Professors Betty A. Reardon, Willard Jacobson and Douglas Sloan in cooperation with the United Ministries in Education. These professors came together to apply their collective knowledge, wisdom and experience toward addressing the problem of nuclear proliferation. Over the years the IIPE has evolved into a weeklong residential experience for educators hosted in a different country every other summer. The Institute facilitates exchanges of theory and practical experiences in teaching peace education and serves to grow the field. In serving the field, the IIPE operates as an applied peace education laboratory that provides a space for pedagogical experimentation; cooperative, deep inquiry into shared issues; and advancing theoretical, practical and pedagogical applications. The IIPE has been hosted in over 18 countries, gathering hundreds of peace educators together for cooperative learning toward advancing the field of peace education in theory and practice.
The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR)
The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR), the host of IIPE 2019, is an inter-communal organization whose mission is to contribute to the advancement of historical understanding amongst the public and more specifically amongst children, youth and educators by providing access to learning opportunities for individuals from every ethnic, religious, cultural, social, and ability status. Since its inception, the AHDR, founder of the Home for Cooperation (H4C), has initiated several local peace-building actions and has assisted local peace educators, activists, researchers and academics in having access to numerous opportunities pertaining to the fields of history and peace education. Only in the last three years – through the ‘Imagine’ Project – the AHDR has educated over 5091 students and 961 teachers in Peace Education, while inspiring a culture of peace and non-violence.
IIPE 2019
In July 2019, peace educators and teachers from across the existing divide in Cyprus had the privilege to interact with a diverse, global community of peace educators, peace studies scholars, practitioners, activists, teachers and policymakers as co-learners. The week-long experience in Nicosia, Cyprus was one of the most diverse learning communities in IIPE history, featuring participants representing identities and affiliations from 33 different countries. The theme of IIPE 2019 had special relevance to the host region, being “Educating for a Culture of Peace in Divided Societies: History, Dialogue, and Multiperspectivity Toward Reconciliation.” This theme presented an opportunity for peace educators to examine the role of education in helping to overcome and transform divisions creatively and a platform for IIPE and AHDR to engage further in history as a vehicle for reconciliation and education for a culture of peace in divided societies. The theme has also been relevant to circumstances of exclusion and division exemplified by the refugee crises being experienced globally; issues of racial, gender, sexual, and religious identity; and heightened nationalism in an increasingly interdependent world struggling to deal with a climate crisis that threatens extinction of life on Earth. During the week-long experience, participants were encouraged to fully immerse themselves in a shared inquiry, and to dive head and heart first into the many pedagogical experiences and diverse approaches to transformative peace pedagogy that have come to exemplify the IIPE experience.
