Youth Educating for Peace

Ironically, the contemporary world has been constructed differently, which to me is not the naturally constructed trail. In the present consciousness of the majority of people the greater emphasis is on divisions of human beings from other human beings, and from other beings (flora and fauna). The pity is that this social construct has become “universal” where there are prerequisites for connectivity as mostly we label some as “ours” and “others”. Ultimately, this has resulted in dominating the supremacy of only blood relatives, members of same caste, religion and ethnicity. Due to this very foundation of our society, on contrary, human beings look for differences within the same human family, such as on the basis of religion, skins color, geography, first & third world, north & south divide, gender etc. With this demarcation, we now see the visibility of ignorance, exclusion and discrimination etc. of many from same big family, because our connectivity has been thrown back in the go-down of our realization.

Predominantly, various factors have added up in developing a social environment, which is more receptive towards the creation and grooming of negative values; leading to segregation of most of the people on our planet. Nevertheless, this deprivation of major segments of our societies comes under the definition of structural violence, where there are conflicts at all levels between the people from different classes. Moreover, this conflict becomes more severe if the rights of the minority groups are not fulfilled and there are different policies for foreigners and natives, though logically they both have same rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

How to live peacefully in the presence of our individual and group identities?
I argue that peace is inevitable if notions of diversity and co-existence go hands in hands. Nonetheless, for that we have to learn to understand our differences in a different way; only to recognize, so to respect and live in harmony with each other. However, alterations in our social constructs demand creative and productive transformation in values systems. Such a vital transformation depends on continuous inputs from the existing social institutions, and in this regard it is significance to reform educational institutions. In this process, we shall analyze what values our generations are learning from the existing educational structures, as this analysis will support our wild imagination for the creation of new civilization. First step would be to look for the answer of how those educational contents are shaping their mindsets? Probably, only then we will be able to know how and when to intervene in the present system of education, to endorse positive values for living in synchronization with existent diversity.

There is a need to talk about worldly notion of “tolerance” before moving on the section dealing with possible ways of promoting peaceful values in multicultural settings. Nevertheless, to live in harmony with an existing state of diversity, it is important to value the need for greater level of understanding, which will come through the knowledge and information related to diversity around us. This knowledge and information may come from our social institutions (family, religion, education, culture etc.) we have or through in-depth personal analysis through keen observations. If we envisage this entire cosmos of transformation beginning from our minds and spreading outwards, then we can this leading to a development triggering respectful winds in our social settings. Therefore, the word tolerance is not a suitable addition in this beautiful futuristic picture of a peaceful world, as it does manifest behaviors pretending to be out of respect, though the above mentioned demands altruism and respect out of willingness from the bottom of our hearts and depths of our souls, and not what seems to be forced. Further, it is debatable, as it appears from tolerance that this acceptance is not out of understanding and respect, nor what we are supposed to do by considering it responsibility towards our human family.

However, challenges are not always negative, as in most of the cases they shake our creativity, so we may come up with solutions in advance. And we can challenge and deal with various challenges, if we have the audacity and compliance to strive for a progressive world. As it is mentioned already that change in education institutions is one way out of this puzzle of peacelessness on Earth.

The role of education is decisive towards sustainable positive changes. No doubt, in all contexts, with less or greater human diversity. However, there is a need to think more holistically and focus on diversity of lives, including but not limited to only human being, as there plants and animals. There are various educational frameworks addressing above mentioned challenges, but peace education provides a holistic approach for having serenity in multicultural societies because it strives for a value change, so to alter the values and behaviors of individuals first, and societies later. It begins with the process of modifications at a micro level and spreads outward, from the hearts and minds of all individuals because this discipline believes in sustainable and affirmative social settings for peace. Such educations frameworks can be used by any segment of society for any other, but the following discussion is limited only on youth creating peace education projects and this debate will be limited to the majority-minority conflict:

If youth is a victim of exclusion, discrimination and neglect on the basis of their ethnicity, while living in a country other than their origin, then they are the ones who shall dare to be a part of social transformation. Nonetheless, the role of native youth is significant and peace education projects can kick off a dialogue between the migrant and local youth on multicultural harmony and peace. However, one needs to be sensitive in this process with emphasis on “do no harm” approach, therefore one-to-one consultations are required before the actual dialogues, where educational framework guide sensitizing both groups on issues from the other side.

This initial phase should try and engage as many youngsters as possible, equal in number from both groups and by respecting the need for gender balance. The intent is to explore the roots causes of problems of youth from both groups (local and foreigners/migrants). In the second, phase there should be a youth action team from both groups of people working together and developing some peace education workshops, so to travel from place to place, so to critically empower masses by discussing similarities and differences, life and happiness, oneness and living in harmony with earth etc. This approach has been suggested to mobilize youth from both sides, because both are victims of already created social system, therefore both should be aware and provided with this opportunity to step forward in such conflicting situations. At the same time we can’t neglect the importance of appropriate laws so to give a equal status of migrants/foreigners in any country because this legal protection is necessary, but parallel to that there is a need to have a educative system transforming mindsets of people. Peace education will create a legal system inside each being where they all will work for the amendments in the existing judicial systems. State laws, merely, are of no meaning if they are not vastly accepted by its people; therefore regulations’ realization is sustainable if they come from the majority of people. In this way people become stakeholders in the social development processes and it was one such example where our future (youth) can work together to let the existing system adapt to their wishes and concerns.