PEACE EDUCATION

One of Africa’s greatest men, Madiba said“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

As peacebuilders, we believe in the value of education as the most effective tool of changing our society. Our objective in peace education is to increase knowledge on the importance of peaceful coexistence and skills in addressing conflicts non-violently by the people of Plateau State. We believe in the importance of peace education to enable our stakeholders to analyse and resolve conflicts around them.

The strategic issues we focus on include

• • Civic education
• • Need for free and fair elections
• • Voter education
• • Electoral violence
• • Identity and diversity of residents
• • Unpopular government policies
• • Environmental degradation
• • Lawlessness
• • Hate and dangerous speeches
• • Ethno-religious tension
• • Segregated settlements
• • Erosion of moral values

We carry out peace education by

• • Training
• • Periodic publications
• • Dialogue and mediation
• • Advocacy on peace-building
• • Research and conflict analysis
• • Cross cultural peace intervention and activities
• • Formation of peace clubs (schools and community based)
• • Establishment of peace educator’s network
• • Value clarification speaks to value reorientation through activities that will add to the values of participants
• • Media engagement and Peace campaigns
• • Formation of peace desks officers at the LGAs

Through peace education, we aim to strengthen and establish at least 400 peace structures in primary, secondary and tertiary schools and communities across the seventeen Local Government Areas of Plateau State.

We also aim to build the capacity of at least 1,250 Agency staff peace club facilitators and selected key stakeholders in early warning detection, conflict prevention and peace building. Peace Education also aims at increasing the collaboration between farmers and herders on the use of land for farming and grazing. We collaborate with leaders at Ward, District and Local Government levels on educating the populace on the need for peaceful coexistence

We undertake periodic or quarterly peace awareness campaigns through media engagements (social, print and electronic) and community forums.We proactively engage with the media in promoting peace in Plateau State. Also, to enhance our synergy, we work on developing working relationships with the Plateau State Ministries of Education, Information and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) on peace education and awareness creation.