Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe with 53% being under 25. Kosovo’s future is the upcoming generations. If we want to change and improve our society we need to work in schools with teachers, students and pupils.
However, new generations grow up in a surrounding of mistrust among neighbors and one-sided narratives about the war in 1999. Unfortunately, the division of our society along ethnic lines can deepen in the future and already today our children don’t learn the language of both communities. Not knowing each other’s language, culture, and customs results understanding only our own community, and causes increased stereotypes, prejudices and fears of the “others”. Here are the causes of conflicts and violence in the future. How can we change our system into a respectful and tolerant society, when we build walls of mistrust and segregation?
How can Peace Education help to overcome the current situation?
ANP considers schools and education as a good platform to build a peaceful society on.
Schools and teachers can have a positive impact on their pupils by acting as role models regarding tolerance and respect. That is why ANP empowers teachers from diverse communities in Gjilan/Gnjilane and the region to become change makers by promoting a culture of nonviolence, by fighting prejudices and by engaging students in the domestic peacebuilding process.
Peace Education considers working in schools and in the educational system as a great support to achieving a sustainable peace. ANP is conducting work tackling the following topics :
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Understanding of Conflict
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Teaching Alternative Ways to Solve Conflicts
- Perception of Myself and the Others
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Nonviolent Communication
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Gender Roles
- Work on Prejudices/Stereotypes
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Teamwork and Joint-Decision-Making
- Explaining Peacebuilding
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Creative Methods
The values of peace and democracy are being promoted in this way within the Kosovar educational system. We’re working to make children and teacher capable of facing the challenge of living in a multi-ethnic and multicultural environment. In our projects we bring teachers from diverse communities together to develop non-violent skills in communication and behavior. These skills and approaches to solving conflicts in a nonviolent way will later be multiplied by the participants in their daily work in schools and in contact with the youngsters.
For more information, please check our current project “Schools – The Peace Promoters”