- Milica Golubovic (Northeastern University, Boston), “Judicial Professional Associations ― Fostering Judicial Reform through Civil Society Development”
- Elton Skendaj (Cornell University, Ithaca), “Peace Education as a Democratizing Process”
In most nations, people have started forgetting the post-war effects of the world wars. The younger generation does not have an altogether idea of war and how it creates chaos in the lives of people. The importance of peace education in such an environment is huge. Only this can help in preventing devastation in the future.
What is peace education?
Peace education helps in creating those values in mind which are essential for living in harmony with the environment, others, and self.
There are various organizations around the world that work for promoting peace among countries. These help in defining the curriculum for peace education. The education normally covers policies against nuclear weapons, nonviolence, human rights, gender equality, and communication skills.
Why it is needed?
Peace Education is all the more required in the world now. The younger generation will lead their respective nations in the future. They are ruled more by gadgets. Hence future wars would be indirect like trade wars, cyber wars where the after-effects of wars would cripple nations altogether. Also, in future, if a war happens, due to technological influence, it would severely affect even the nations which are not involved in the war. Truth is that the world will not survive another major war. Such is the dangerous potential of existing science and technology. Hence only when people are educated about the importance of peace, we can ensure war-free world.
Peace education starts with simple communication improvement and anger management. When we are able to control our emotions, we would promote harmony. Otherwise, we ourselves will be the makers of trouble. When there is peace inside one’s self, he will be able to spread peace. Peace education creates peacemakers. Only a peacemaker can claim ‘Find peace in my company’. He can help in avoiding clashes between other individuals also. Peacemakers can avert it in the very initial stage itself.
Not all nations are at par in economic strength, woman empowerment, and education. It is all the easier to create restlessness in the deprived nations. In a few nations, people are treated in such an inhuman manner. A change can be brought by making them realize their rights and voicing their opinion. Also, people should be aware of the advantages of fighting for rights without using weapons. Once humanity uses all the above methods, the world would be free from wars and weapons. Peace education can save thousands of lives and natural resources from being getting torn in the hands of war. Back to civil society.
- Francesco Strazzari (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa), “Trans-Albanian vs Pan-Albanian Spaces: the Urban Dimension of the ‘Albanian Question’”