Peace week

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The past century has seen more death, from war, famine, and other preventable causes than any other time span in history. Peace involves us all, whether as individuals or as members of groups.

The Ministry of Education is helping to implement the UN Decade of Peace and Non-violence for Children (which started in 2001) through Peace Week. Peace Week runs from 6 – 10 August 2001, and includes Hiroshima Day (6 August) and Nagasaki Day (9 August).

Peace Week is an opportunity for schools throughout New Zealand to organise fun and informative peace activities and events based around a broad range of peace-related topics.

The Peace Foundation encourages peace education in schools to help students develop:

• Skills
  • conflict resolution
  • cooperation and communication skills
  • critical thinking to see where there is bias in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television
  • the ability to take part responsibly in making decisions
• Attitudes
  • a sense of responsibility toward others
  • respect for human rights
  • concern for the well-being of all people in our society
  • understanding of the different ways people can help to make a better community
  • knowledge about, and respect for, different cultures and ways of living
  • a willingness to listen to each other and to try to solve problems together
  • awareness of the need for honesty, trust, and fairness in people's behaviour toward each other
  • a willingness to be active, well-informed citizens
• Knowledge
  • how conflicts are caused and the effects they have on people
  • how problems can be solved and conflict overcome
  • the work of the various people and agencies who have helped to solve problems and overcome conflict
  • how the political system works and how people can make their voices heard
  • how everyone in our society can have a fair share of resources
  • New Zealand's foreign policy, especially how it helps other countries, and what our country does in working for world peace

"There is no way to peace – peace is the way." Mahatma Ghandi.

"The objective of Peace Week is to promote increased awareness by young people of the need for peace in today's world." Trevor Mallard, Minister of Education.

Social Studies: Time, Continuity, and Change, Culture and Heritage, and Social Organisation

Social Studies in the New Zealand Curriculum (www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/index_e.php) is available on TKI.

International Day of Peace
TKI published a Hot Topic on the International Day of Peace in September 2000 (www.tki.org.nz/r/hot_topics/peace_e.php).

Disaster zones
The Disaster Zones Education Gazette Webguide (www.edgazette.govt.nz/webguide/79_5/) looked at the effects of war and civil strife on people, particularly children. It includes information on how people cope and what international bodies are doing to help ensure recovery and future prevention.

ANZAC discoveries
This online resource from Brainway, (www.brainways.co.nz/brainway/products/anzac/default.htm), is designed as a learning adventure for students to discover why it is important to remember on ANZAC Day. Its activities are based around Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, with topics including Anzac biscuits, ceremonies, Gallipoli, poppies, songs, and poems.

Gallipoli and ANZAC Day
This TKI Webguide provides a collection of websites about the ANZAC Gallipoli campaign. It includes descriptions of the battle, maps and historical information, quotes from those who were there, and opinions from the Turkish point of view. It also has a collection of websites with classroom resources for poetry and English (www.edgazette.govt.nz/webguide/79_7/).

Week of peace
The Education Gazette article published an article on Peace Week plans in June 2001, suggesting activities which classes can take part in for Peace Week (www.edgazette.govt.nz/articles/show_articles.cgi?id=5964).

The Hague
The Hague Appeal for Peace Youth section (http://youth.haguepeace.org) includes a peace youth education kit with ideas, guidelines to get started in Peace Education, and sample lessons.

Peace teaching resources
The Australian UNESCO Associated Schools project coordinated a Culture of Peace project to highlight and support the work of students and teachers in their involvement in the year for a "Culture of Peace" (the year 2000). Schools across the world contributed to a rich online resource including peace activities and starters for planning for peace themes in the classroom (www.cultureofpeace.org).

Peace education pack
UNESCO has published an online peace education pack for primary teachers (www.unesco.org/education/asp/peace_pack.shtml) which includes a teachers handbook, posters, activity cards, and appeals written to world leaders.

Peace Foundation
The Peace Foundation site has some inspirational words on the place of peace in our schools and homes, information about the Cool Schools mediation programme, and resources for students (www.peace.net.nz).

Peace activism
Check out how the peace movement in New Zealand protests to 'put the Peace back into Pacific' (www.peace.org.nz/).

International Peace Bureau
The International Peace Bureau was founded in 1892 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910. Its website (www.ipb.org) lists peace education resources.

Children in war zones
Save the Children has resources on children in crisis (www.savethechildren.org/crisis/).

The Peace Foundation have suggested the following starters for planning for Peace Week:

• Invite speakers to schools to introduce topics.
• Construct banners, murals, and artwork according to age levels.
• Write stories and poems or write and produce plays and mimes.
• Organise class and inter-class discussions, debates, and presentations.
• Invite local MPs, the local mayor, councillors, board of trustee members for any of the activities.
• Encourage joint activities with other nearby schools of the same or different levels.
• School delegations to present material to MPs, councils, overseas representatives, or any gatherings.
• Contact international youth organisations.