What is a peaceful school?
A peaceful school is one in which students, staff and parents work together to ensure that everyone feels safe, valued, and respected. Based on responses from educators, students and parents, PSI sees six essential ingredients in creating a peaceful school:

• Schools use a collaborative approach to decision making and develop a climate of cooperation, support and understanding. For example, students, parents and teachers are all involved in developing a school’s discipline policy.
• Schools provide curricular and/or extracurricular peace education initiatives. For example, schools might host a peace festival where they share their experiences of peace with parents and the community.
• Teaching methods stress participation, cooperation, problem-solving and respect for differences. Students are encouraged to be open-minded and accepting of others who may look different, have different customs, or hold beliefs that do not correspond with their own.
• Student and community-centered conflict resolution strategies such as peer mediation are available.
• The school is involved in community service projects. For example, students may pick up litter in their neighbourhood, fundraise for a specific cause or group, or collect food and clothing to donate.
• Opportunities for professional development in creating a positive school climate are available to all staff. This may include training in areas such as crisis response, dealing with bullying, peer mediation, anti-racism or anti-sexism programs, or cooperative learning strategies.

What is peace education?
PSI defines peace education simply as “learning to live well together”. We also use the definition of peace education from UNICEF:

“the process of promoting the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to bring about the behavior changes that will enable children, youth and adults to prevent conflict and violence, both overt and structural; to resolve conflict peacefully; and to create conditions conducive to peace, whether at  a personal, interpersonal, inter-group, national, or international level.”

Why Peace Education Matters

Creating a global culture of peace may seem like an overwhelming task—but creating a culture of peace within our schools is something we can achieve. It begins with a simple yet powerful commitment: we must teach peace.

Peace isn’t something that happens by mandate, policy, or wishful thinking. It requires intention, effort, and a belief in the importance of equipping children and youth with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed to prevent and resolve conflict.

Every student has the right to feel safe at school. Just as we teach math or reading, we can—and should—teach cooperation, communication, emotional literacy, and peaceful conflict resolution.

Fortunately, a wide range of practical, creative, and age-appropriate peace education resources exist. No single book or program works for everyone, which is why schools benefit from offering a variety of materials that meet the unique and changing needs of their students.

Some schools integrate peace education into existing subjects like social studies, language arts, or health. Others promote peace through extracurricular initiatives such as Peace Festivals, assemblies, or guest speaker events. How peace is taught matters less than that it is taught.

At Peaceful Schools International, we believe peace begins in the classroom—and we’re here to help educators make that a reality.

An example: Kingslake Public School, Toronto, Ontario

A very multicultural Toronto school, Kingslake has been a member of Peaceful Schools International since 2004. Originally, the school’s focus was on building a culture of peace within the Kingslake community. Drawing on PSI resources, the school created peace books and poems and organized activities to promote positive interaction. One member of the staff reported that, “We knew our efforts were producing results when we overheard a student reminding a new Kingslake student that, ‘We don’t do that at Kingslake. We’re a peaceful school.'”

Having entrenched peaceful practices at Kingslake, the school has recently expanded its focus by twinning with Mayagba Primary School in Sierra Leone, through PSI. The schools share emails, photos and books and learn about each other’s cultures. At each step of the way, Kingslake staff has felt strongly supported by PSI. Representatives from the organization have visited staff, made presentations to students, and provided resource materials, leading to close and meaningful connections between the school and PSI.