As part of its mission to educate key audiences about peacebuilding and conflict management, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in February activated a virtual Global Peacebuilding Center, providing younger audiences and educators with substantial peacebuilding resources and activities.

The website––www.buildingpeace.org––is the digital arm of USIP’s onsite Global Peacebuilding Center, a public education space which extends USIP’s educational work to new audiences through multimedia exhibits and educational programs.

The new website features educational materials, a Virtual Passport experience, and many ways for young people to learn about the work of USIP and the importance of peacebuilding.

Through the site’s interactive features, students can share their own stories about peacebuilding experiences, participate in discussions and ask questions of USIP experts. The Virtual Passport section provides an avenue for all users to connect with the wider world by earning “stamps” as they complete activities and learn more about conflict management and peacebuilding along the way.

The website also includes a section designed for educators, offering activities and resources to help teachers bring peacebuilding into the classroom. The centerpiece of these teacher resources and activities is the Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators, a new curriculum guide with lessons developed by and for middle school and high school teachers. The activities focus on practical skills in conflict management, which are applied in a range of contexts to encourage students to think about how they can contribute to peacebuilding in a global context. As part of the broader goals of the Institute, the Toolkit is intended to help engage and empower the next generation of peacebuilders. It is available for free download at http://www.buildingpeace.org.

This week, the Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators will be shared with a group of educators from across the U.S. who are visiting USIP for a co-sponsored program with the NEA Foundation and the Pearson Foundation. The afternoon program, entitled “Bringing Peacebuilding into the Classroom,” will introduce educators to the Toolkit as a resource, as well as to the GPC’s multimedia exhibits. It will enhance the educators’ awareness of core concepts in conflict management and peacebuilding, and help develop their capacities to engage their own students in activities and discussions around critical global issues.