The Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators was shared with a group of teachers from across the U.S. during a lively program at USIP headquarters, intended to give educators a primer on peacebuilding with the hope that they will carry those lessons back to the classroom.

 

The program, titled “Bringing Peacebuilding into the Classroom,” was held at USIP’s headquarters building in Washington and introduced educators to the Toolkit as a resource, as well as to USIP’s Global Peacebuilding Center’s multimedia exhibits. 

 

The event was co-sponsored with the NEA Foundation and the Pearson Foundation and convened more than 50 public school educators from all over the U.S. They received an introduction to USIP’s lessons and activities for middle school and high school educators, and explored the meaning of conflict and peacebuilding in everyday life and in global terms. 

 

“What we do here at USIP is very transferrable,” USIP’s Alison Milofsky told the group. “We want students to understand that they can be peacebuilders on the playground, they can be peacebuilders when they build a lemonade stand, and they can learn about and be active in addressing today’s global challenges.” 

 

Peace is not an end-state, Milofsky said, and more of an ongoing process. “It’s something that is active. When you stop working toward addressing basic needs, when you stop doing that, you stop working toward peace.”

 

The program included a special preview of the two multimedia exhibits in the Global Peacebuilding Center, which show the challenges and importance of peacebuilding and underscore that there are many ways to be a peacebuilder in today’s world. The educators also received an introduction to www.buildingpeace.org, which features a wealth of educational resources for students and teachers.