Education for Peace Workshops

WISCOMP in partnership with Standing Together to Enable Peace Trust (STEP); and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore Foundation (GRTF) organized a workshop on Critical Media Education for Building a Culture of Peace on March 25 & 26, and a Capacity Building workshop titled, Youth Leadership for Fostering a Culture of Peace on March 27, 2011 at the India International Centre, New Delhi. The first workshop was based on the premise that, media plays an important role in building and promoting values, beliefs and opinions in a society. The Workshop sought to build in the young participants - school students from grades VI to XII, a critical understanding of the media and its messages using multiple methodologies. It also sought to draw a group of students from among the participants, to initiate a Youth Media Literacy Program which promotes critical media education and an e-Magazine by the children, of the children and for the children.

In an effort to sensitize the young participants to the way media messages are constructed and subjectivity plays out, the workshop included the screening of a film on television news reports. Emphasis was laid on foregrounding the culture of violence fueled by the media and the role it can play in creating insensitivity and cynicism. The participants were encouraged to envision positive media stories. A skill building component on news report writing was included in the workshop.

Celebrating the United Nations’ proclamation of 2010 as International Year of Youth, the second workshop brought together young women and men grassroots’ workers to assist them to see inter-linkages between developmental and peacebuilding initiatives. The assumption was that since the participants are already engaged in issues of collective interest within their communities, they can play an important role in channelizing the energies of their peers in non-violent conflict resolution.

The workshop aimed at arming the young to overcome challenges they face from those acting as hindrances to enhancing peace and economic development. It aimed at providing them expertise to avail opportunities for effective participation in democratic processes and to articulate their views and actively participate in community building. The workshop drew participants from the suburbs of National Capital Region of Delhi who are keen to build communities which uphold justice and equity. The workshop was a training ground to help these youth groups realize their full potential and help them make a difference.