Transcript School-based Peace Initiatives… The Notre Dame University

INTEGRATING PEACE
EDUCATION in the Curriculum..
The Notre Dame University
Experience…..
SHEILA G. ALGABRE
CEAP National Convention
September 21-23, 2011
Davao City
Outline of the Presentation
1. NDU, its VISION, MISSION AND CORE
VALUES
2. NDU PEACE PROGRAM
•History
•The NDU Peace Program
•Its Implementation
•Programs and Activities
•Gains
•Challenges
HISTORY
Notre Dame University was founded by
the Oblate Fathers in 1948 (then Notre
Dame College). It was the first college
founded in Cotabato City and the Empire
Province of Cotabato.
Our Vision: Our Identity
Guided by the charism of St. Eugene de
Mazenod, Notre Dame University is a
pioneer Catholic Oblates of Mary
Immaculate educational institution in
Central Mindanao committed to
excellence.
– Guided by St. Eugene de Mazenod
– Oblate in Character
– Catholic by Identity
– Driven by our Core Values
Vision: Our Hope
To become a leading institution in education,
for social transformation in Mindanao.
Our Mission
•
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To form graduates who are locally and
globally competitive.
To form persons with social conscience and
responsibility.
To foster a culture of peace and dialogue of
faiths and cultures.
To facilitate community empowerment for
total human development especially among
the poor.
To promote holistic institutional growth.
To nurture a community of stakeholders and
partners valuing and sharing this vision and
working towards its attainment
Our Core Values
• F aith
• I ntegrity
• R espect
• E xcellence
• S ervice
Inspired by FIRES, NDU transforms.
NDU PEACE PROGRAM
Its beginnings……
Started in 1987 when Dr. Toh Swee-Hin
came to Manila for the 1st International
Institute of Peace Education in the
Philippines sponsored by the Catholic
Educational Association of the Philippines
(CEAP).
NDU PEACE PROGRAM
Its beginnings……
Dr. Swee-Hin presented the tentative
framework of Peace Education for
consideration and reflection by a group of
educators at NDU.
The NDU Peace Program
•
1987- a core program was designed for MA in
Education and Doctor of Education, comprising
some twelve courses focusing on the overall
framework as well as the specific facets of a
holistic concept of Peace Education.
•
The courses first introduced were Disarmament
Education; Education for Human Rights; Global
Development and Justice; Environmental
Education; Active non-violence; values education;
Third World Education; Ethnicity and Cultural
Solidarity; and Religious Perspectives on Peace
and Development. NDU Peace Education
Program is anchored on this framework.
NDU Peace Education Framework
The Peace Education framework of Notre Dame
University covers the seven issues such as Personal
Peace, Promotion and Protection of Human Rights,
Living with Compassion and Social Justice,
Disarmament Education, Cultural Solidarity and
Ethnicity, and Environmental Education. These issues
are anchored on the holistic framework of the
United Nations Economic Scientific Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), plus two issues (Conflict
Transformation and Mindanao Peace Process) which
are relevant to the Mindanao situations.
Early 1990’s
• Peace Education was offered as a separate
3-unit course in three colleges in the
undergraduate level: College of Arts and
Sciences, College of Commerce, and the
Teacher’s College.
• Since it’s one of the courses identified to be
part of the core curriculum, College of
Nursing and College of Engineering offered
it later.
Peace Education 100
• a 3 -unit subject and a requirement in all
undergraduate programs at NDU.
• Pre-requisite: History 111 (which integrate
Mindanao Education/Mindanao History
• deals with the understanding of the basic
concept of peace, its themes and
highlighting the Mindanao issues; and the
approaches or ways of dealing with them.
General Objectives:
• To raise awareness on the root causes of
conflicts, violence and peacelessness at the
global , national, regional, community and
interpersonal level.
• To develop skills, values, and attitudes
which will encourage people to move to
action for building more peaceful
individuals, communities, societies, and
ultimately a more peaceful world.
1997-2001
• NDU was designated as the key institution
in a consortium of five Mindanao
Universities to expand graduate programs
in peace and development research.
• Mindanao Advanced Education Project
produced more than 20 PhDs who are
now in their respective institutions heading
their own peace centers.
Graduate School offers:
• Master of Arts in Peace and Development
• PhPD in Peace and Development
Student Values and Formation
Programs
• Inter-Religious Dialogue Program (IRD)–
conducted to all first year students
• Peace Orientation Workshops (POW)–
conducted to all second year students
Objective of POW
• Peace Center facilitates the annual conduct of the Peace
Orientation Workshop (POW) among the sophomore
students of Notre Dame University. This is in lieu of the
tremendous opportunity presented to us by the
growing phenomenon of religious and cultural
pluralism in our school and the world today.
•
The POW is a 1-day activity which aims to foster a
culture of peace and dialogue of faiths and cultures
among college students. It is towards this institutional
objective that we marshal our collective efforts to
effectively substantiate NDU Strategic Direction No. 3.
Objective of IRD
This program aims to build a community
of peace within the campus and better
understanding of other faiths and culture.
A one-day activity offered to all first year
students during the second semester of the
school year.
Peace Education Center
• established in 1988 , with Dr. Ofelia
Durante as the first director.
• Set-up to coordinate all the peace building
activities.
• Awarded the prestigious First Aurora
Aragon Peace Award in 1990 in
recognition of the efforts of the people
behind it.
The Peace Education Center
• the core group of peace educators at NDU
conducted trainings to other schools,
private and public.
• conducted workshops and trainings to
teachers and administrators in the
University as well as in the NDEA system.
Center for Peace, Justice and
Integrity of Creation (CPJIC)
• Notre Dame University became engaged in
the GRP-MNLF peace process.
• Secretariat to the Quick Response Team
during the GRP-MILF peace process.
• Secretariat to the Independent Fact
Finding Committee that monitors the
Ceasefire Agreement between the GRPMILF.
CPJIC in 2000
• Initiated the First Mindanao Peace
Educators Congress
• Peace Educators Conference in 2002, and
the Peace Resource Center was
inaugurated.
In 2002
• Review of the NDU Peace Framework to
ensure greater acceptance and
commitment.
• Peace Education modules titled : Teaching
Peace and Human Rights with UP-CIDS.
• PEACE EDUCATION
• PEACE ADVOCACY
• PEACE ACTION
Peace Education
• Preparation of instructional materials useful
for formal and non-formal education in peace
and development (Peace Education 100,
POW, IRD)
• Creation of Peace Education Core Group
• Integration of peace education into the
different curricula
• Training of teachers who served as resource
persons in peace education seminars in
elementary, high schools, and colleges in the
Region and other parts of Mindanao.
Peace Education
• Training of military enlisted personnel and
officials on the Culture of Peace
• Conduct of Inter-Religious Dialogue
workshops in the different schools in
Region 12 ( for students and teachers)
• Conduct of Inter-Religious Dialogue
workshops among the barangay leaders in
Cotabato City.
Peace Advocacy
• Involvement in mandated celebrations
International Earth Day
International Human Rights Day
Duyog Ramadhan and Duyog Pasko
Mindanao Week of Peace
• Broadcasting peace issues and concerns and
peace quotations aired over DXMS daily
from 6-7 in the morning.
Peace Advocacy
• Childrens’ Peace Festival (ETD)
• Conduct of symposia, fora, and round table
discussions on local and regional and national
issues.
• Brown bag lectures in the University.
• Module making
• Participation in the Culture of Peace Program
of GOP-UNDP
• Networking and Linkages
Peace Advocacy
• Participation in Konsult Mindanaw – area
is Central Mindanao
• Participation in Dialogue Mindanaw – area
is Central Mindanao
• Membership in the different peace
networks: Cotabato Peace Network,
Agong Peace Network, JOM, Consortium
of Universities on the Mindanao Question
• Linkages with NGOs and CSOs
Peace Action
• Post-conflict management in Aleosan and Pikit
• Relief and rehabilitation program of IDPs in
conflict affected areas;
• Stress debriefing of IDPs ( conflict, manmade
and natural made calamities)
• Organization of Youth Peace Advocates
(YPA)
• Involvement in NAMFREL
• Skills Training for demobilized combatants
(CES)
Peace Action
• Alternative Learning System to out-ofschool youth in conflict affected areas.
(CES)
• Peer Mediation Program
Programs and Activities
Fora and
Advocacy
Forum on Good Governance
with Gov. Grace Padaca
Forum on International
Humanitarian Law with
Atty. Christina H. Jovero
Voter’s Forum Series 1: with
Cielito F. Habito and Fr.
Eliseo R. Mercado
Voter’s Forum Series 2: with
Prof. Randy David
Updates on the
GPH-MILF Peace
Talks with GPH
Chair Atty. Marvic
Leonen
(in coordination
with Mindanao
Peace Weavers)
Launching of One
Million Voices for
Peace (in coordination
with IID and Mindanao
Peace Weavers)
Peace Orientation Workshop (POW)
Gains
• Improved awareness of conditions of
peacelessness in all levels of society. Our
faculty and students have become more
critical of policies and structures that
perpetuate injustice and violence.
• Sensitivity to diversity of cultures and
religion. On campus programs are designed in
a way that is fully respectful of the religious
beliefs of the members of the University
community.
Gains
• Promotion of culture of peace that helped
outside community establish peace
zones/spaces for peace.
• Establishment of other peace education
centers in Mindanao. CARAGA region,
Cotabato City and Maguindanao, North
Cotabato, Zamboanga del Sur, Sarangani
Province and Palawan
• The interaction of education and advocacy
has contributed to a blossoming of the body
of knowledge on peace and development.
Other Key Peace Education
Initiatives in Mindanao
Challenges
• Education for Peace , and peacebuilding as a
whole, is a slow process. Thus, one of the
greatest challenges in doing peace work in
Mindanao is to nurture patience and
perseverance.
• There is a need for peace workers to
consolidate all efforts through better
coordination, networking and collaboration.
Challenges
• There must be an active linking of
academic programs and learning with
community contexts and realities.
• There is also a need for facilitative
institutional leadership at the top level.
• Need for constant and sustainable updating
of teachers handling peace education
courses;
NDU.. Education for social
transformation in Mindanao..
Thank you!