BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

On January 30 we observe the death of the national and spiritual leader of India, Mahatma Gandhi, and shot to death by a hinduist fanatic. Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India in 1869 and, after graduating in law in England, he settled down in South Africa where he fought against the discrimination towards Hindis. When he returned to India he organized non violent resistance (his philosophy, based on religion, had as foundation the principle of non violence) against colonialism and non cooperation with the British administration. He tried to stop the clashes between Hindis and Muslims that took place after the independence in August 1947 (British colonialists imposed as a condition to withdraw their troops the division of India in two states, India and Pakistan, one hinduist and the other Muslim). He was imprisoned numerous times; in 1937 he was the leader of an independence movement capable of mobilizing millions of people. He was murdered on January 30.

On the other hand, we also celebrate on this date the School Day of Non Violence and Peace (SDNVP). This was initiated in 1964 by an Andalusian School Inspector, Lorenzo Vidal. It is defined as an educational day of peace, with the purpose of helping school children to reflect on the fundamental message that “love is better than hate, non violence better than violence and peace better than war” (Vidal, 1972, P. 14). The SDNVP was recognized by the Ministry of Education and Science through the Minister’s Order of November 29, 1976.

While peace, cooperation and solidarity, among other values that bring about peace should always be present in the education of our children and teachers should work the theme every day of the year, it is a good opportunity to celebrate on January 30 the Fiesta of Peace with the intervention of all the children of the school, their parents and local authorities. This is an opportunity to make the schools tools for peace and understanding among people of different education race, culture and religion.

CHILDREN AND PEACE

When we talk about peace, our adult minds will automatically recall the multiple war conflicts that are still alive in the 21st century. However, Peace is much more. The dictionary of the Royal Academy of Spanish Language lists seven versions of the term.

In the survey conducted by our Association around the world, teachers linked the world peace to:

• 38% harmony and inner well being
• 36% respect for your neighbor
• 16% a harmonious coexistence
• 11% love for the rest of the people
• 9% absence of military conflict
• 8% understanding towards others
• 8% settlement of a just society
• 5% dialogue between people
• 5% solidarity between countries and people

There is a link with the idea of Peace in nearly all of these concepts and in what we have always known as values such as respect, tolerance, understanding, help, etc.

The same survey was very significant and also curious when we applied it to children between three and six years of age. Obviously, at those ages, the thoughts are not as complex as those of the adults but to the question of “What is peace” 82% of the children answered that it meant “not hitting each other”:

From that point on dozens of “PEACE definitions” came up, with which we could write an entire course of curious things. So, among the multiple definitions, we found:
• WHEN ONE DOES NOT BLEED (Mexico)
• MY MUM (El Salvador)
• SPEAKING WITHOUT SHOUTING (Argentina)
• WRITING A LETTER TO THE POLICE SO THAT THEY ARREST THOSE WHO MUG OTHERS (Argentina)
• AVOID SAYING UNPLEASANT THINGS (Peru)
• THAT NOBODY DIES (Colombia)
• THAT PARENTS SHOULD NOT SMOKE OR THEIR LUNGS WILL TURN BLACK (Spain)

It is clear that young children live in their immediate surroundings and that, at this age it if very complex to talk to them about peace as the absence of armed conflicts because they do not have much information or experience. In any case, so that children, when they become adults, link peace to the absence of armed conflicts, as most of us do, we have to begin building the pillar that, according to the DELORS report is fundamental in their education: LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER.

In a society that is becoming more and more intercultural thanks to migration fluxes, it is important to sow in the minds of the children what section d) of article 29 of the Convention on Child Rights says, that education should aim at

d) preparing the child to lead a responsible life in a free society, with a spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes and friendship among all countries, ethnic, national and religious groups and people of Indian origin;

We are not better people because we dress in a given way nor are the women that cover their hair worse than others. We are not better or worse because we have a different skin shade. We really are all the same, but different in the way of understanding specific conceptions of life. For this, we have to learn to live together in peace and harmony, respecting our beliefs and customs.

ACTIVITIES FOR 365 DAY...

School Day of Non Violence and Peace (SDNVP) can be a great opportunity to bring into the minds of our children the need to “build the defense of peace. It is particularly important to keep the young minds away from violence and that we guide them towards the virtues of tolerance, mutual understanding and peace, not only of action, but also of thinking and expression” as Dr. Koichiro Matsuura, Director General of UNESCO, has said.

We can do much for a world in Peace where we can live together in harmony. For this, and coinciding with the SDNVP, from AMEI-WAECE we propose an activity that could serve as an excuse to deal in the classroom with the theme of the celebration: the 46th edition of the “School Day of Non Violence and Peace”.

There are many activities we could do in such a special day but at AMEI-WAECE, we propose a simple, symbolic and charming activity.

SUMMARY OF THE ACTIVITY After a guided conversation, the children will write on a piece of paper – see the attachment – their hopes for peace, friendship and respect towards other children. On January 30 they will send their wishes to the sky using helium balloons. The attachments includes the classical Peace Dove by Picasso but there are also hearts for the children to love with, children of different races to love and be friends with, food for children who go hungry and whom we have to help, etc. MATERIALS Color balloons, helium for the balloons, strings, paper (see attachment), scissors, color pencils. DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY: First, in the assembly, the teacher will explain to the children the reason for the celebration, why it is necessary to live together and in peace, that this goal can only be achieved by the efforts and hard team work and that they can become the messengers of peace in such a special day. The teacher will also remind the children that peace is something that should be present all year round and not only on one day. In the assembly, the children can share their ideas and opinions. After this, each child will write his/her “hopes for peace” on a paper (see the attachment, children can also make their own drawings). The younger children can color the illustration they have selected. After the art and writing sessions, the children will share their work and message with their classmates. NOTE: We can use this activity for reading comprehension practice, trying that each child explains his/her message correctly and that the rest of the children understand what is being read. The art or writing projects will decorate our classroom until January 30. On January 30, in the morning, with the help and supervision of the teacher, the children will cut out their work and punch a hole in the top end. After this, they will tie the project to a balloon. At the chosen time, with all the other children in the school, in the school yard, the children will set their balloons free, chanting together: LET OUR WISHES COME TRUE! You can download the piece of paper by clicking on the images:

Although we know that teachers do not need incentives to carry on with their educational duties, on this special occasion, we would like to honor your commitment and efforts.

We will raffle among all the photos of this activity received in our email: comunicacion@waecemail.org, the following prizes:

• Five complete sets of books published by the Editorial de la Infancia that will be forwarded by mail (IN SPANISH).
• one scholarship (accommodation and attendance fee) to participate in the AMEI-WAECE summer school that will take place in Madrid on July 6, 7 and 8, 2009 on “educational planning in the first cycle”.
• One scholarship (accommodation and attendance fee) for the International Conference “Strengthening competences: new strategies, new learning” organized by AMEI-WAECE in Madrid on November 27, 28 and 29, 2009.

The photos received will form part of a special exhibit in our website, www.waece.org, to demonstrate the commitment of boys and girls and their teachers from around the world to the need of a change in our society. We want a society that is fairer, in which we can live in peace and in which the smiles of children and the quality of the education they receive are true priorities.