This week New York City hosts the United Nations General Assembly,
the Clinton Global Initiative and the Education Nation conference. These
massive events focus on international diplomacy and peace, societal
problem-solving and improving classroom instruction. However, just a
few blocks away from these grand assemblies, a smaller group met for the
first time to tackle all these issues with a single, bold strategy.
Monday, an international group of educators and convened for the
inaugural "Peacebuilding Through Education" summit sponsored by Fountain Magazine,
the Peace Islands Institute and co-sponsored by regional universities
as well as the Alliance for Shared Values, where I serve as president.
The goal of the summit was to show how lessons of tolerance,
understanding and intercultural respect can be woven into classroom
curriculum or extracurricular activities. Throughout the day, speakers
offered insights and strategies for building character in the classroom
and creating a safe learning environment to incubate future leaders of
more peaceful communities.
The first panel, featuring Ministers of Education from both the
Philippines and Tanzania, focused on government's involvement in
creating an environment for peace education. Later, I was fortunate to
join a panel with fellow academics from Ireland and South Africa to
discuss strategies for mobilizing civil society to achieve peace. Fellow
academics from Ireland and South Africa spoke of peace education in an
increasingly connected world. Another diverse panel including experts
from UNICEF, Arigatou International and Fatih University in Turkey
discussed the notion of peace as a shared ideal that can be reinforced
through education.
During my remarks, I spoke of how a "committed core" of individuals
taking bold steps can help spark action among stakeholders who may be
reluctant to take important steps for fear of violent reprisal. In
unstable regions, warlords and terror groups recruit from the most
vulnerable segments and build their ranks with those who have lost hope.
A committed core of teachers, parents and community leaders with the
courage to lay down their lives for these students has, in many cases,
meant the difference between building a stronger community or
surrendering to violent intimidators.
These committed heroes are making real impacts throughout the world.
At a school in Southeast Turkey, Kurdish children are receiving free
tutoring to prepare for schools of medicine, law and engineering, which
has created opportunity for those who might otherwise be drafted into
the PKK terrorist group. A specialized school in Zamboanga, the
Philippines, is bringing Christian and Muslim students together to live
and learn under the same roof, which has contributed to greater unity
and communication between groups in the village. Another school has
brought Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian students together, which has led
to friendships instead of the animosity that often festers between these
communities.
Throughout the day, organizations were honored with best practice
awards for their efforts to use instill the importance of peace in our
children. The Filipino-Turkish Tolerance School, Search for a Common
Ground, and Plural+, a youth video contest created by the United Nations
Alliance of Civilizations, were all recognized for their innovative
approaches to bridging cultural gaps between communities to prevent
conflict and encourage social change. The day concluded with a ceremony
announcing the contest winners of an international photo contest called
"Peace In a Frame,"
which challenged photographers around the world to capture and submit
photos representing peace. The inspired artists and winners of this
inaugural contest can be seen in the accompanying slideshow.
The events this week at the U.N. General Assembly, Clinton Global
Initiative and Education Nation will hopefully yield grand commitments
and outcomes that will help us achieve a more stable peace throughout
the world. In the meantime, it is essential at the grassroots level that
the committed core of courageous teachers, parents and community
leaders remain dedicated to teaching our children the importance of
character and respect so that they grow to lead more peaceful nations in
the future.
Dr. Aslandogan is the President of the Alliance for Shared Values, a
new non-profit organization that convenes interfaith and intercultural
dialogue organizations for the purpose of advancing human understanding
of living in peace and harmony.
