Conflict Resolution Education/Peace Education Brief Overview
What is Conflict Resolution Education (CRE)?
The Association for Conflict Resolution suggests that "Conflict resolution education models and teaches, in culturally meaningful ways, a variety of processes, practices and skills that help address individual, interpersonal, and institutional conflicts, and create safe and welcoming communities" (Jones, 2004)
What is Peace Education (PE) and how is it different than CRE?
"Peace education is a participatory holistic process that includes teaching for and about democracy and human rights, nonviolence, social and economic justice, gender equality, environmental sustainability, disarmament, traditional peace practices, international law, and human security" (Hague Appeal for Peace, 2005)
While CRE generally focuses on a local/domestic level, the focus of Peace Education is generally more global in perspective. Peace Education also "has a stronger emphasis on social justice orientations and larger systemic issues of violence than conflict education programs" (Jones, 2004).
What is Democracy & Citizenship Education?
"Citizenship education" describes efforts to prepare students for effective, principled citizenship. Citizenship education can include instruction in history and government, civics lessons on the rights and duties of citizens in a democracy, discussion of current events, service-learning, mock trials and elections, character education and other approaches. Citizenship education can also take place through student government, extracurricular and co-curricular activities, and by involving students in school, district and community decision making" (Education Commission of the States, 2007).
Who are CRE/PE practitioners?
The knowledge, skills, and abilities of conflict resolution education and peace education are taught and utilized all over the world in various formal and informal ways in formal and in-formal education settings, by youth-serving organizations, businesses, faith-based organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations.
The United Nations suggests that: "Many teachers are already practicing peace education without calling it by name. Historically, in various parts of the world, peace education has been referred to as Education for Conflict Resolution, International Understanding, and Human Rights, Global Education, Critical Pedagogy, Education for Liberation and Empowerment, Social Justice Education, Environmental Education, Life Skills Education, Disarmament and Development Education, and more. These various labels illuminate the depth and diversity of the field. Using the term peace education helps co-ordinate such global initiatives and unite educators in the common practice of educating for a culture of peace" (United Nations Cyber School Bus, n.d.).
Children and Violence
- According to The United Nations Secretary General's Study on Violence Against Children (Office of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, et al., 2005): 20-65% of children had been bullied within the past 30 days according to the Global School-based Health Survey.
- The World Health Organization estimates that in 2002, almost 53,000 children died due to homicide worldwide. (Office of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, et al., 2005)
- More than 300,000 children (under 18) around the world are actively participating in more than 30 armed conflicts. Children are often more easily manipulated because of their psychological and physical immaturity, making obedient, cheap, and disposable soldiers (Youth Advocate Program International, 2004).
What can CRE and PE programs achieve?
- CRE reduces antisocial behavior in school-aged children (Garrard, 2007).
- CRE decreases aggressiveness and increases academic achievement and performance (Jones, 2002).
- CRE increases awareness of violence and appropriate reactions to it by teachers, schoolchildren, and parents (International Network on School Bullying and Violence, August 2005).
- CRE decreases violence among school children (International Network on School Bullying and Violence, August 2005).
- CRE decreases problem behavior at school observed by teachers (International Network on School Bullying and Violence, May 2005)
- CRE decreases the attractiveness of gangs and help vulnerable students resist them by creating a school climate that makes every student feel valued and establishing CRE as part of the school curriculum (Burnett, 1999).
PE Quick Facts:
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) describes peace education as schooling and other educational initiatives that (United Nations Cyber School Bus, n.d.):
- Function as 'zones of peace', where children are safe from violent conflict
- Uphold children's basic rights as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
- Develop a climate that models peaceful and respectful behaviour among all members of the learning community
- Demonstrate the principles of equality and non-discrimination in administrative policies and practices
- Draw on the knowledge of peace-building that exists in the community, including means of dealing with conflict that are effective, non-violent, and rooted in the local culture
- Handle conflicts in ways that respect the rights and dignity of all involved
- Integrate an understanding of peace, human rights, social justice and global issues throughout the curriculum whenever possible
- Provide a forum for the explicit discussion of values of peace and social justice
- Enable children to put peace-making into practice in the educational setting as well as in the wider community
- Generate opportunities for continuous reflection and professional development of all educators in relation to issues of peace, justice and rights
Who is working on furthering CRE/PE?
There is legislation, mandates and/or standards on CRE and PE in all of the worlds regions. Examples of the range of topics include curriculum integration of CRE into various subject areas, integration of mediation and conflict management skills training into teacher preparation, the use of restorative justice practices for youth in the community through the courts, or a national mandate to have bullying prevention mission statements and policies in place in all schools.
There are hundreds of government and non-government organizations (NGOs) working on CRE and PE worldwide. Below is a sampling of these organizations. Please visit our growing Directory to find out more!
- European Center for Conflict Prevention (ECCP) http://www.conflict-prevention.net/
- Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) http://www.gppac.net/index.html
- The Organization of American States (OAS) http://www.oas.org/
- Teaching Peace, Longmont Community Justice Partnership http://www.teachingpeace.org/
- The United Nations http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org
- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) http://www.unicef.org/index.php
- United States Institute of Peace (USIP) http://www.usip.org/
Resources:
- Burnett, Gary. (1999). Gangs in Schools. ERIC Digest [Online]. Retrieved September 21, 2007, from http://www.oecd-sbv.net/Templates/Article.aspx?id=340
- Education Commission of the States. (2007). Citizenship Education. Retrieved September 21, 2007, from http://www.ecs.org/html/issue.asp?issueid=19
- Garrard, Wendy M. (n.d.) Does Conflict Resolution Education Really Reduce Antisocial Behaviors in Schools? The Evidence Says YES!. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
- Hague Appeal for Peace. (2005). Home. Retrieved September 14, 2007, from http://www.haguepeace.org/
- International Network on School Bullying and Violence. (August, 2005). Development of good inter-personal relationships. Retrieved September 21, 2007, from http://www.oecd-sbv.net/Templates/Article.aspx?id=354
- International Network on School Bullying and Violence. (May 2005). PALS - a School-wide Program for Positive Behaviour, Support, Interaction and Safety. Retrieved September 21, 2007, from http://www.oecd-sbv.net/Templates/Article.aspx?id=340
- Jones, Tricia S. (2004). Conflict Resolution Education: The Field, The Findings, and the Future. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, Fall-Winter, 22 (1-2), 233-267.
- Jones, Tricia S. (2002). Proven benefits of conflict resolution education research. Retrieved September 21, 2007, from http://www.creducation.org/catalog/SPT--FullRecord.php?ResourceId=27
- Office of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and The World Health Organization (WHO). (2005). The United Nations Secretary General's Study on Violence Against Children. Retrieved September 21, 2007 from http://www.violencestudy.org/IMG/pdf/English-2-2.pdf
- United Nations Cyber School Bus. (n.d.). Peace Education, Global Educators. Retrieved September 21, 2007 from http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/peace/index.asp
- United Nations Cyber School Bus. (n.d.). UNICEF, Retrieved September 14, 2007 from http://www.cyberschoolbus/peace/index.asp
- Youth Advocate Program International (YAP). (2004) Children Affected by Armed Conflict/Child Soldiers. Retrieved September 21, 2007 from http://www.yapi.org/conflict/index.htm
Related Catalog Resources
Below you'll find a randomized listing of up to 20 related items (we may have more...) drawn from our Resource Catalog.
| Resource Title | Description | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Cultivating Peace - Taking Action | This 66-page pdf is a curriculum packet developed for use in Canadian classrooms. "This resource encourages students to examine their own beliefs regarding the need for change in our world and their personal responsibility in taking action. The preconditions necessary for a culture of peace are explored through the examination of global issues in...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Storytelling For Peace | In this 4-part series of web articles, Caren Neile outlines a case for the use of stories and storytelling in preventing conflict, reconciling differences and building peace. Included are 7 sample stories from different parts of the world, a select bibliography, and a directory of storytellers and story-educators for peace. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Intercultural education as a method of early conflict prevention in multicultural societies | Presentation of report on the state of conflict resolution efforts in Ukraine. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Community-Based Institutes on Peace Education (CIPE) organizer's manual: A peace education planning | 78-page pdf manual "designed to assist formal, non-formal and grass-roots educators and educational planners by providing ideas and tools for the development of community-based peace education learning projects that might contribute to the reduction of violence at all levels of the global social order. More specifically, it has been developed to...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Conflict resolution and peace education policy examples: Resource pack developed for the Balkan | 24-page pdf resource book developed for the Balkan Regional Conference on Peace Education and Conflict Resolution in Schools. Includes 7 page list of policy documents for peace education as well as evaluations of peace education programs, a review of literature and the status of research into peace education and a look at the different...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Proposed Guiding Principles for Israeli/Palestinian Academic Cooperation | Short version (29 page pdf) of a UNESCO study conducted by the Palestinian Center for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development (PANORAMA), with Walid Salem heading the Palestinian team, and by the Center for Research and Cooperation Jerusalem (CRC), with Edy Kaufman heading the Israeli team, within UNESCO’s Civil Societies in...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Values education, teacher professional learning and the United Nations | 8-page PDF article which, "focuses on values education in teacher professional learning and in particular the innovative use of Model United Nations Conferences as a way of enhancing values-based approaches." | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Partnership paradigm, A: A case study in research assistant and faculty interaction | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 2, Number 1, (Oct 2001), which "offer[s] a case study of our intentional effort to change the typical power relationship between most RAs [research assistants] and faculty members, we believe this approach, which we call the partnership paradigm, provides an opportunity for...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Practicing peace: A peace education module for youth and young adults in Solomon Islands: 4th draft | 99-page pdf document developed "to help people resolve interpersonal and inter-group conflict through productive and peaceful strategies, and to teach young people how they can participate in public life. The module is intended for use with youth and young adults in community and school settings in Solomon Islands." Skill areas include:...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Thailand: Successful strategies for policy creation & implementation of CRE in schools | 25-page Powerpoint presentation which addresses "the Ministry of education's efforts to develop a national policy to build the culture of peace in schools at the national level and explore positive ways to involve student participation in solving conflict and violence." | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Educational integration measures in Hungary | 19-slide Powerpoint presentation which examines measures taken by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities of the Republic of Hungary to improve the education of minorities, primarily Romani children. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Ideas for human rights education | 24-page PDF report of a project whose primary aim, "was to document good practices in human rights education across the school sectors in Victoria, and to disseminate interesting and innovative ideas from which schools and teachers can draw, according to their local needs and issues. This resource has three sections entitled Lesson Sparks, Whole...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Kit of Tools For Participatory Research and Evaluation with Children, Young People and Adults | Four countries in four regions where Save the Children Norway is working have participated in a Thematic Evaluation on Children’s Participation in armed conflict, post conflict and peace building - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Guatemala, Nepal and Uganda. The research tools developed and used in this project are contained in this 'kit' which has been...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| CRE/PE research project | 18-page Powerpoint Presentation given at the Second International Summit on Conflict Resolution which outlined, "A session for team members working on an international research collaboration exploring the state of Conflict Resolution Education and Peace Education around the world." | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| I Painted Peace: Handbook on Peace Building with and for Children and Young People | This 72-page illustrated handbook has been designed and developed together with children and young people for children and young people. It is, however, also meant to be of use and interest to adults. The children and young people involved in the production of this handbook would like to promote, build and sustain peace in their local communities,...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Restorative conferences resource kit | 60-page pdf resource kit for presenting restorative conferences which "(involves the gathering of those who have a stake in a particular troublesome situation, to talk together to find ways of making amends) ... the purpose of these conferences is to discuss what the problem might be and to pool ideas about what might be most helpful from here,...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Listing of International Materials Related to Civic Education and Conflict Resolution | This is a briefly annotated list of international education-related materials available via the web that have been shared with the staff at the Global Issues Resource Center at Cuyahoga Community College, hosts of the International CRE Summits held in Ohio. Compiled in the Spring of 2010. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Accessing free web-based conflict resolution education resources | 28-slide Powerpoint presentation given at the Sustaining Conflict Resolution Education: Building Bridges to the Future conference in Fairfax, VA which introduces "the Conflict Resolution Education Connection, a free online one-stop-shop for resources and information on conflict resolution education. We will review the history of this cooperative...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Grace to heal | Volume 1, number 1, of newsletter published by Grace to Heal a conflict resolution organization in Zimbabwe. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| The Elementary Child: Teaching to the Spirit, Teaching for Peace | This combined 2-part article (published in 2 separate issues of Montessori Leadership), provides an overview of how Cathleen Haskins implemented a peace education curriculum in a Montessori classroom. It provides information on Montessori's call for peace education, and specific details on the curriculum autonomously created (activities and...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
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