CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Applications will be accepted until 1 December 2025.
BACKGROUND:
“No peace without peace education”
Peace-making and peacebuilding are not only political acts but social processes. They are equally tasks of politicians and experts as well as the responsibility of the whole society. To facilitate peace, a multitrack approach is needed in order to create a culture of conflict transformation and peace, addressing all levels and all parts of society.
In that regard, we see Peace Education as a transformative and participatory process that cultivates the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary to prevent violence, transform conflicts peacefully, and promote social justice. It integrates cognitive learning (understanding the roots and dynamics of conflict), affective learning (developing empathy, self-awareness, and emotional literacy), and behavioral learning (practicing non-violent communication, cooperation, and civic engagement).
In this sense, peace education nurtures a way of thinking (a habitus of peace), feeling, and acting that supports inclusive societies, respectful relationships, and sustainable coexistence at the personal, community, and institutional levels.
“Education is, quite simply, peacebuilding by another name. It is the most effective form of defence spending there is.” (Kofi Annan)
Thus, this shows the strategic and systemic role of peace education (PE) in any peace process. Peace education concerns any part of the society that needs to be prepared for the challenges ahead (wars, hunger, poverty, forced mass migration, climate change, unjust world order etc.). Peace education focusses on both, knowledge and skills as well as on attitudes and thus provides relevant life skills. Peace education addresses all levels of education, from formal education for pupils to non-formal, adult and higher education (incl. also museums, arts, literature etc.) as well as academic research.
Investing in peace education means investing in the prevention of violent conflict, as well as in conflict transformation and in peacebuilding. “Lasting peace”, involving all levels and all key aspects, can – if ever – only be achieved by also including peace education. That is the reason why UN, UNESCO, UNICEF, OSCE and other international organizations increasingly emphasize the key role of peace education in any peacebuilding strategy on all levels. Thus, any serious dialogue and/or activity on global and local peace issues would benefit from the inclusion of peace education as essential element for fostering peace.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Learn about Foundations of Peace Education
- Get an idea of history & background, attitude & habitus, key elements & terms, target groups, content & method, limits & chances of peace education
- Understand peace education as integral part of conflict transformation efforts
- Get acquainted with scientific fundamentals & methods, good practice & lessons learned of PE
- Experience Peace Education in Practice
- Learn about applying and sustaining Peace Education in various settings
- Understand the connection of Peace Education & politics, Peace Education & society, Peace Education & nature, Peace Education & art etc.
AIM:
This pilot Course on Peace Education is aiming at spreading knowledge about peace education through introducing scientific fundamentals, skills and methods of PE as well as elaborating on attitudes and the habitus of peace. By introducing case studies, participants will get ideas on how to transform the knowledge into their environment. The course will be like a journey in which participants accompanied by resource persons will visit different stages, moving from -> Understanding to -> Being or Living it to -> Teaching or transferring it to -> Sustaining it.
“Peace Education is the process of learning to live peacefully by developing the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that help prevent violence and strengthen human dignity, empathy, and cooperation.”
TARGET GROUP:
Since peace education concerns any part of society, this course is aiming at anyone interested in the concept of Peace education. Participants might be social workers, educators, politicians, artists, activists etc. or multiplier who want to contribute to peace at a local, regional or global level.
- Professionals working with multilateral organizations, I/NGOs, civil society, local grassroot organizations, academia, or government institutions.
- Peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian and development practitioners, who want to reflect and expand their knowledge and skills in an international and interdisciplinary group-setting.
- People who serve as multipliers in their countries and communities and can pass on the knowledge and skills acquired in the course.
COURSE LANGUGAGE: English - a good command of English is a prerequisite.
COURSE FEES: 1.245 EUR
The costs for full-board accommodation and the transportation to and from Vienna to the course location are already included in the course fees.
A limited number of scholarships are available for people from ODA-Receiving countries from the DAC list. A scholarship covers tuition fees, transportation to and from Vienna to the course location, as well as full-board accommodation. More information on countries receiving official development assistance (ODA) can be found here.
