Peace education helps children and young people develop the skills and understanding we all need to be peacemakers. Our work aims to help schools and young people engage with peace education.
Quakers challenge war and violence. We promote education rooted in positive peace and justice. We work with educators, young people and partners to develop and share creative peace education resources and practice.
About peace education
The UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child promises education for 'the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples'. Quakers are working to make that right a reality.
Peace education works at different levels:
- helping children and young people discover the wonder and beauty within themselves, nurturing inner peace.
- developing the values and skills needed to respond to conflict creatively, encouraging interpersonal peace.
- encouraging children to examine the root causes of violence and war and build peace in the wider world.
Quakers working in their Meeting can also contact our colleagues in the
Children and Young People's team.
Courses
Online course: Introduction to Peace Education
Resources
The Peace Education team and our partners produce a range materials for use in schools and beyond. They can help pupils tackle matters of conscience in the classroom such as armed drones and nonviolence.
Find downloadable
free resources.
Order print materials from the
Quaker Centre Bookshop.
Check us out on
TES Resources
Current projects
Challenging militarisation in education
Militarisation makes society more ready for war. Quakers in Britain continue to be alarmed at government promotion of the armed forces in the classroom and young people's lives. This 'unseen march' needs to be questioned.
Watch the feature length documentary,
War School: the battle for Britain's Children
Watch our short film
The Unseen March.
Read our blog:
Challenging armed forces visits to schools.
Training for peace
Quakers have been at the forefront of developing peace education in Britain, but there are still many schools and young people who do not benefit from this kind of learning.
Through training and support we are working to build Quakers' skills and confidence to be trainers and advocates of peace education. In particular we are arranging Train the Trainer support for Quakers to train peer mediators. We also work with educators more widely to highlight best practice in peace education. Contact Ellis Brooks ellisb@quaker.org.uk to get involved.
Join the peace education mailing list
Quakers interested and engaged in peace education may join our peace education cluster for updates, sharing projects and ideas that can be used with children and young people. The peace education cluster is part of the Quaker Life Network which brings together Friends with common interests. You can
subscribe to the peace education cluster here (offsite link).
Peace education partners
Excellent peace education is delivered by a range of organisations around Britain. Quakers seek to support and promote this by working in partnership with them.
The
Peace Education Network (offsite link) is a UK network that brings together people and organisations committed to education for peace.
Peer Mediation is conflict resolution for young people by young people. The
Peer Mediation Network (offsite link) brings together conflict resolution practitioners and educators committed to promoting peer mediation in schools and the wider community.
The Peaceful Schools Movement is committed to developing more peaceful schools. Peaceful School Awards recognise the success of schools around England which have taken strides in different aspects of peace education. Visit the
Peaceful Schools website (offsite link).