Schools Outreach Programme

The International Decade for a Culture of Peace

Schools Outreach Programme: Helping youth to learn tolerance, reject violence and solve conflicts peacefully

The United Nations has declared the years 2001 - 2010 as the International Decade for Peace and Non-Violence for Children, with a global programme organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation (UNESCO). The aim is to help develop values, attitudes and behaviours that respect freedom, democracy, human rights, tolerance, a rejection of violence and the resolution of conflicts through dialogue and negotiation.
The Peace Foundation offers schools the Culture of Peace Outreach Programme. The project was launched by the Minister of Education Mr Trevor Mallard from the Beehive, and operates mostly in the Wellington region.

Outreach educators are available to visit schools to:

• Lead classes in various aspects of peace education
• Assist teachers in developing peace education in their classroom
• Demonstrate, display, discuss and distribute peace education resources
• Discuss other Peace Foundation programmes suitable for schools
• Consult with the principal, teachers and other school officials on problems and needs they have in regards to violence/conflict.

Lesson elements include:

• Affirmation and self esteem
• Communication skills
• Approaches to solving conflicts in the home, school, wider community or internationally
• Co-operative games
• Non-violence
• International law and international organisations including the United Nations and International Court of Justice.

The classes and educational materials offered are designed to conform to Health, Social Studies, Science, English and Environmental Curricula, and are in accordance with the Peace Studies Guidelines developed by the Ministry of Education.

Lessons Offered

Visualising a peaceful world. Creative visualisation and art on creating a peaceful world. Ages 5-12

Affirmation and self esteem. Exercises to develop self-esteem and to learn to affirm others. Ages 5-12

Conflict resolution (a). Role plays and discussions on solving conflicts in students' lives. Ages 5-15

Conflict resolution (b). Simulated exercise on conflicts between groups. Introduces concepts of identity and conflict, negotiation strategies, what winning means, and equality v equity. Ages 14-18

Advanced conflict resolution. Tools for conflict analysis and resolution. Ages 15-18

Co-operative games. Games to build trust, communication, co-operation and confidence. Ages 5-18

Sadako and the thousand cranes. International children's response to nuclear weapons. Includes making an origami crane, the Japanese peace bird. Ages 9-13

Non-violence as a response to environmental violence: The example of Greenpeace. Ages 12-18

Nuclear weapons and the Pacific. Nuclear testing, nuclear weapons free zones, the World Court cases and the Abolition 2000 campaign. Ages 14-18

International approaches to peacemaking, peacebuilding and war prevention. The examples of the United Nations, International Court of Justice, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and others. Ages 15-18

Note: Programme is adaptable to individual needs.

Click here to see a letter of endorsment from the Wellington City Mission.

Costs for the programme
Schools can arrange for a visit for a one-hour consultation, display of resources and/or up to five days of lessons depending on need. Consultations are free. A koha is requested for lessons.

Teachers'Comments

• Hands-on and interactive.
• Novel ways of reinforcing positives - co-operation, respect, sharing, lift-ups.
• Game situation made effective learning.
• This is so important. The programme should be in every school in the country.

Pupils' Comments

• I learnt that you really can fight bad with good.
• I liked learning the group juggling - we all had to work together.
• I learnt the win-win, win-lose and lose-lose situation. The win-win is better because both sides win.

About the programme co-ordinator
Alyn Ware (B.Ed., Waikato) is a trained kindergarten teacher. In 1984 he founded the Mobile Peace Van Society Inc. and co-ordinated its peace education programme in schools for the next six years. For this work he was awarded the United Nations International Year of Peace (Aotearoa) Award. He has lectured overseas on peace education, was the New Zealand delegate to the 2001 UNESCO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, and is on the international board of the Global Campaign for Peace Education. He is co-author of "The Cool Schools Peer Mediation Programme" and "Our Planet in Every Classroom".