CREATIVE PEACE ANDHUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

Organized annually since 2006

Organized as part the Utrecht University Summer School Program

Target group: - Professionals in the peace and human rights sector

- International students- Others interested

Course director: Marloes van Houten

The Course

“[S]ince wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.”

BackgroundCreative Peace & Human Rights Education: Based on the ideas: - Peace can be learned

- Peace is a human responsibility

Origens can be found in the Englightenment

Education as part of the problem of human aggression and as part of the

sollution .

Focusses on: - Content of the subject

- Teaching process/methods of teaching

- Context in which teaching takes place

Content First week:

Theories and backgrounds related to: Culture of Peace/Culture of War

Second week: Themes and Practices CPE/HRE

Red thread: Art/creative approaches (understand violence; develop responses to it; prevent it)

Themes

Culture of Peace/Culture of War Violence and Nonviolence Prejudices, discrimination and a Culture of

Diversity and Tolerance Human Rights: A Moral Agenda for Peace Children’s rights at stake Creativity/Art and PE/HRE Youth work towards a COP Gender, Peace, and Education

Objectives of Learing Gain Knowledge: - Contextual Develop Skills: - Implicitely (by the method of teaching)

- Explicitely (explanation)

Specific skills build (introduction):- Critical analysis of the violent potential of cultures and its justifications;- Dialogue as a method to overcome prejudices, tensions and escalation

of conflicts;- Nonviolent strategies for conflict resolution;- Conditions of learning and teaching peace;- Using creative/artistic means for awareness raising and social change- Civil peace action and society building.

“Giving people the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to act as a positive and effective agent of social change.”

Methodology The group itself as an important

learning experience Teaching and learning methods:

– Lectures, excursions and debates– Learning by sharing experiences– The student and teacher are

both facilitators of learning– Communication in different

‘languages’– Individual study, using library,

internet and other sources of information

“The HHH approach: Learning with your head, heart and hands”

Learning with your Head

Lectures from socially engaged academics and practitioners to provide students with ample background knowledge

Opportunities for students to share their experiences and knowledge

Case studies, examples of peace education to see how knowledge can be implemented

Learning with your Head

“Both student and teacher as learning facilitators.”

Learning with your Heart Learning from the stories of the others

in the group

Critical reflections during experimental learning exercises:

- blindfolding game - Musicians without Borders & expressive arts therapy

- Warchild, games & healing from the

past- ‘Human images’ & overcoming conflict - Fort Democracy: interactive installation - personal peace mantra

Student helping other students overcoming their obstacles to fully participate

Building trust and friendship

Learning with your Hands

Movement based learning Music as a form of dialogue

Visual arts (images, drawing, collages and comic making) to analyze conflict / violence

Social action: - BeachWalk4Peace - Picknick4Peace

Storytelling on discrimination and tolerance

Learning with your Hands

Student FeedbackTria Rani (Indonesia):

“I think the summer school experience has affirmed my passion […] for peace education. I[t] inspired me to re-focus on what I want to contribute to the field and how.”

“I was inspired to use Prof. Ido's Abram Arena Model and ‘the identity circle’ activity as an approach to create multicultural learning.”http://www.identiteitscirkels.nl/

To ConcludeResults: Students respond successfully to informal and formal teaching methods

Students feel encouraged to use the educational methods and techniques learned to their work

Through sharing experiences among each other, students and facilitators can relate more personally to the more theoretical aspects of the course.

Contact Information

Marloes van Houten – Course DirectorSums.cphre@gmail.com

Facebook: Peace and Human Rights Education –Utrecht Summer Schoolhttps://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/104098702981649/

Summer School Utrecht www.utrechtsummerschool.nl