Peaceful Schools at Currie Primary School, Belfast, Northern Ireland/ North of Ireland
Can there be peace in the midst of conflict? Can peace flourish during a pandemic? And do we have an ethical obligation to teach peace education? Those were some of the questions posed at this year’s annual United Nations International Day of Peace conference. Dozens of participants came together under the auspices of Peaceful Schools International, Saint Mary’s University and Yale University, along with students from public and private schools in Halifax, Northern Ireland / North of Ireland as well as the United States.
The Faculty of Education at Saint Mary’s University has been particularly engaged and supportive of a wide range of peace education initiatives, projects and the provision of relevant academic courses over the past 15 years, including this most recent virtual conference. Saint Mary’s University Professor and President of Peaceful Schools International, Bridget Brownlow, noted that the pandemic posed issues for the conference itself, “Like so many organizations, we were tested by not being able to meet in person this year. However our students and the partner schools rose to the challenge using videos and online technology to connect in a virtual setting.”
Bryn de Chastelain, President of the Saint Mary’s University Students Association (SMUSA) said, “The pandemic gives us a common issue and demands that we work together to develop common solutions. The pandemic has exacerbated problems and inequalities in our local community and around the world. Never before have we been so interconnected. It’s crucial that we focus on how we can work together as we priorize ongoing education and reflection.”
Peaceful Schools International is a not-for-profit network of educators and students which is housed within Saint Mary’s University and has over 380 member schools worldwide. Among many other projects and initiatives, the organization also provides university students with conflict resolution skills and enables them to travel internationally to the North of Ireland / Northern Ireland to teach these valuable skills in peace education to younger students in elementary schools. “Conflict resolution requires daily practice. We start learning at a young age, said SMU student, Salman Sadib, an Accounting major who has travelled to Belfast, Northern Ireland and credits the program with changing his life. “We want the world to be a better place for everyone; we learn to negotiate with peace in every situation.”
Dr. Bonnie Weir, representing the Department of Political Science at Yale University, also participated in the virtual conference. In February, 2020, she had the privilege of observing students from Saint Mary’s University facilitating peace education workshops in primary classrooms in Belfast and learned firsthand that we all have an ethical obligation to teach peace education to both children and adults, including the ability to understand others, respect for difference and the value of uniqueness. Dr. Weir is also a member of the Board of Directors for Peaceful Schools International.
Crystal Witter, a SMU Psychology major, said peace education should be taught at all levels of university, and included in business strategies and programs. “I now see how diversity and inclusion is so important for peace and harmony.”
For more information on Peaceful Schools International and the virtual conference please visit the website: http://peacefulschoolsinternational.org/