Transnational Collaborations:
Advancing the Global Peace Education Movement
The transnational dimensions of TCPEC’s work brings together
multinational perspectives through collaborative endeavors in which educators
learn from and share with each other the latest advancements in teaching, research,
and curriculum development in peace education. These activities are also catalysts
for networking and community building, building upon the long-term goal of
TCPEC continuing to contribute leadership to the global peace education movement.
The International Institute on Peace Education
Founded in 1982 at Teachers College by Dr. Betty A. Reardon,
the International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE) has been held annually
in different parts of the world. It is a multicultural and cooperative learning
opportunity in which participants learn from each other about substantive issues
and interactive teaching approaches. The Institute is also an opportunity for
networking and community building among those who educate and work for a culture
of peace in the region and internationally. The program consists of plenaries,
workshops, reflection groups, and visits to community projects. For more information
please visit the IIPE website.
International Peace Education Centers Network (IPEC-net)
The International Peace Education Centers Network (IPEC-net)
is a consortium of university centers, now exceeding a dozen in various world
regions, with which the TCPEC develops and coordinates cooperative relationships. There
are, as well, other academic institutions with which the TCPEC communicates
regularly, exchanges information, and attends each other’s events. This
latter category includes universities in the United States and other countries. The
IPEC-net established by the TCPEC continues to serve as the main vehicle for
the Centers’ international research initiatives.
One of the primary goals of IPEC-net is to further develop the functions of
university centers and to strengthen their contributions toward the development
of the field of peace education. Exchanges amongst the centers in teaching,
research, curriculum development and publications have played an important
role in broadening the reach of peace education to both academic and public
communities. Research on IPEC-net will be approached in several ways. The
TCPEC is currently designing a survey to collect data on the scope of center
activities to expand communication and collaborative exchanges. In addition,
Dr. Werner Wintersteiner (Klagenfurt University, Austria) will be a TCPEC visiting
scholar in the fall of 2005, where he will conduct research on the TCPEC’s
structure and activities. Dr. Loreta Castro (Miriam College, Philippines),
Dr. Irma Ghosn (Lebanese American University) and TCPEC Acting Director Janet
Gerson, along with Dr. Wintersteiner, are planning a series of working meetings,
the first of which took place in October 2004. The group is planning
to present a public symposium on peace education centers’ effects within
educational settings and in their surrounding communities. Dr.
Kathy Matsui (Seisen University, Tokyo) will be participating in trainings
at the TC-Tokyo campus in collaboration with Gerson and joining the core working
group.
Hague Appeal for Peace – Global Campaign for Peace Education
Janet Gerson, Acting Director of the TCPEC, attended the working
meeting of the Global Campaign for Peace Education (GCPE) sponsored by the
NGO, The Hague Appeal for Peace, in Tirana, Albania in October 2004. The meeting,
entitled “Developing Democracy Through Peace Education: Educating Toward
a World Without Violence” brought together Ministers of Education from
Albania, Cambodia, Niger Palestine, Peru, and Sierra Leone with the UN Department
of Disarmament Affairs (DDA), Disarmament Project Managers from those countries,
and peace educators from 20 others. Strong representations from the Middle
East, Africa and Latin America enabled regional group collaborations. A particularly
important sub-meeting initiated by Gerson was the working group of the International
Peace Education Centers Network (for more on IPEC-net see above).
Gerson’s consultative role has three levels beyond her active participation.
She provided pre-conference consultation on the goals, form, and agenda for
the meeting. She is advising on institutional development for the GCPE, and
she is acting advisor on a sequel publication to Learning to Abolish War: Teaching
for a Culture of Peace, as one of its original contributors. The original three-part
educational manual was a joint publication of the GCPE and TCPEC. Book Four “Peace
Lessons from Around the World” (working title) is the next phase of that
collaboration. The main author and editor is Kathleen Tordini, Coordinator
of the GCPE and a graduate of the peace education specialization in International
Educational Development, as well as a former member of the Teachers College
Peace Education Team. The TCPEC continues active involvement in the GCPE as
an institution, as it has since first convening the GCPE’s International
Advisory Board (IAC) at Teachers College in May, 2001.
The All China Women's Federation
In November 2003, in collaboration with the Pittsburgh based
NGO Peace Links, the TCPEC hosted an intensive training session for members
of the All China Women’s Federation (ACWF). The ACWF works to represent
and safeguard women’s rights and interests, and to promote equality between
men and women in China and abroad. The training focused on two objectives:
the introduction of the field of peace education with emphasis given to understanding
its pedagogy and broader purposes, and introductions to the practices and activities
of the TCPEC.
The TCPEC also coordinated several briefing sessions with members of the UN/NGO
community with an emphasis on the education of women and girls. These sessions
included meetings with Michael Cassandra, UN Department of Disarmament Affairs;
Andres Guerrero, UNICEF; William Yotive, UNDPI Cyberschoolbus; Vicky Semlar,
the International Women’s Tribune; and Susie Snyder, Women’s International
League for Peace and Freedom.
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