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Resources to help mark the 5th anniversary of the war with Iraq


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Education for Peace - for teachers, youth workers and school chaplains

News

Gio de Weerd from Pax Christi Netherlands talks about a surprising project: 'Belgium Students Retrace Teen Shooter's Steps' -  listen...

Pax Christi Schools Contest - winning team return from Florence
read more...

Peace Education Network conference a great success - read the report here

New report on armed forces recruitment of young people - does the MOD glamourise war?  Do young people know what they're signing up to?
read more...

Events

2008 International summer camp - Florence, Italy - for young adults.
read more or download flyer

Opportunities for young people - summer camps, gap years, peace pilgrimages
read more

Join us in the PeaceZone at the Greenbelt festival
read more

Resources & links

New! Peace People Who Changed the World Resource for Key Stage 4, PSHE and Citizenship and for chaplaincy and retreat work. Download flyer here

New! Livesimply workshop - make the connections between peace, poverty and the environment.

Hot topics! Resource sheets with facts, prayers, poems, stories web links and action ideas - see the latest one on Iraq
read more...

Peace in Action - a guide to Pax Christi - for GCSE RE groups and Youth Groups.  Available free (postage and packing for orders over 10).

New! Article on Peace books for young people by Julia Jarman  - first appeared in Carousel magazine March 2008.

Where is the love? 10 minute film made by young people about the Arms Fair that happens next to their school.  Download from Film Makers Against War

Free film and music clips at Peacemakers TV

Educational resources for schools download of schools order form: PDF or Word format

10 April 2008

Peace team return from an inspiring trip to Florence

The winning teams of Pax Christi’s European Youth Contest have just returned home after an inspiring trip to Italy. The British team entry ‘ A little Piece of Peace’ highlights the links between peace and the environment and what we can all do to create peace by living more sustainably and sharing the world’s resources. Emma and Claire, two members of the team from St John Fisher Catholic High School in Wigan said:

“We feel inspired! Inspired by the other teams’ videos, inspired by the stories of Giovanni Scudiero, (exec member of Pax Christi International), the other teams and the people who live at Casa per la Pace. It shows that no matter where you are from you can communicate, understand one another, teach one another and most importantly break bread together…. We feel as though everybody has the potential to change the world!”

The teams from France, Portugal and the UK stayed at Pax Christi Italy’s Peace House (Casa per la Pace), in the hills just outside Florence. They explored together the theme of Peace and the Environment, shared the presentations they had made, and made new friends, despite differences in language and culture. The Peace House welcomes international volunteers every year, as well as local school groups. Commenting on their stay Emma and Claire said

“Casa per la Pace is a wonderful place! We do not think there are many places in the world like that. We feel now like members of a family.”

Highlights of the trip included a wonderful day spent in the beautiful city of Florence. Carmine, coordinator of the Casa per la Pace, led the group on an Art and Peace tour of the city, explaining how the city was somewhere people had learnt to live together peacefully, despite their differences. On the last night of the trip the group celebrated Mass together, with prayers and readings in different languages. After dinner the group were treated to a violin duet by two of the volunteers at the Casa per la Pace.

Pax Christi, the International Catholic Movement for Peace, believes strongly in the benefits of bringing young people together to share and learn from each other and breaking down the boundaries of nationality, language and culture. The contest draws on a long tradition of Pax Christi ‘Peace Walks’ all over Europe, which gave young people the chance to ‘walk the road’ together.

Pax Christi will be running the competition again next year. Young people can enter in groups of four with the support of an adult – look out for details on our website in the autumn at www.paxchristi.org.uk

For more information contact:
Hilary Topp - 020 8203 4884

Download the winning entry 'A little Piece of Peace' here


The teams beginning the Art and Peace tour of Florence


Games outside the Peace House


Exploring Peace and the Environment


5 March 2008

Sharing tools for Peace Education

Over 50 people gathered on Saturday 1st March for the 15th annual Peace Education Network conference. Delegates travelled from France, Ireland and around the UK to share ideas, resources and enthusiasm for Education for Peace. After an introductory session in which we shared good news stories, resources and ideas from the last year, various practical workshops were offered.

The workshops included one on how history can be used to challenge people’s perceptions of racism and identity, run by Aik Saath, a project based in Slough, which trains young people in conflict resolution skills. Aik Saath means together as one in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. In the workshop staff and volunteers shared some of the activities they use to explore racism and idetity.

Jaci Smith from the Quaker Peace and Social Witness Peace Education Advisory Programme, also ran a workshop on developing children’s skills for a peaceful classroom in which she shared some of the activities she uses with young people to encourage good listening skills and explore conflict. Charles Harlock, from Coventry University, spoke about the Peace Partners project and some of the training activities they have used with local teachers. Anna Liddle, Education Officer for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, shared activities from the CND education pack, to help explore nuclear issues with young people, including one that draws parallels between gun and knife crime and nuclear proliferation and Martha Beale, from the Fellowship of Reconciliation ran a workshop on exploring the ethics of war with young people, looking at how to get people to think about war from a range of perspectives.

In the afternoon we were joined by David Gee, who gave a fascinating and thought provoking talk based on his recently published report into armed forces recruitment practice. The report is available at www.informedchoice.org.uk and the sister website, which aims to provide information for young people considering an armed forces career, can be found at www.beforeyousignup.org.uk.

The Peace Education Network brings together education practitioners and others committed to promoting Education for Peace in schools and the wider community. The Peace Education Network website has links to the member organisations and an on online catalogue of peace education resources.

For more information contact:
Hilary Topp - 020 8203 4884



Participants in the Aik Saath Workshop on racism and history


An activity on listening skills


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5 March 2008

Florence, here we come!

Four young people, Emma Atherton, Reggie Doherty, Daniel Hayes and Claire Linford, from St John Fisher RC School in Wigan, will be making a trip to the Pax Christi Peace House in Florence next month as the award winners of the 2008 Pax Christi European Peace Contest. There they will meet with other young people who have participated in the contest from Portugal, France and Belgium. Their challenge was to create a film or powerpoint to increase awareness of the link between peace and the environment and of how we can help build peace by living more sustainably and sharing the world’s resources. Commenting on the winning entry, ‘A little piece of peace’, Hilary Topp, the Peace Education worker for Pax Christi said:

"A little Piece of Peace" shows how complex issues of poverty, peace, the environment, and global warming are all linked and suggests practical ways that all of us can build a more peaceful world.

The winning teams meet in Florence between 3-6 April 2008. The teams will be staying at the Pax Christi Peace House (Casa per la Pace). The programme for the weekend will include activities to explore the theme of Peace and the Environment, an ‘Art and Peace’ tour of Florence, time for reflection and opportunities for the young people from Italy, France, Portugal, Belgium and the UK to learn from each other.

Pax Christi hopes to strengthen this contest in 2009, encouraged by the quality of work presented this year and in the belief that young people have important messages to communicate to others as to their own views on what it takes to make peace in our world. As an international movement for peace, Pax Christi believes that encounter visits such as this are invaluable in breaking down barriers between people and building friendships that stretch across national and cultural differences.

For more information contact:
Hilary Topp - 020 8203 4884


The winning team from St John Fisher RC school, Wigan

Download 'A little Piece of Peace' here

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Opportunities for young people...

Summer work camp - Italy
Pax Christi summer work camp in Italy, 8-17 August 2008 - for 18-30 year olds. 
Join 25 other young people at the beautiful Peace House (Casa per la Pace) for 10 days of practical work, sharing, workshops and fun. Read more...

housegardeningflorencechapelgroup

Gap Year - Italy
Spend your gap year as a volunteer at Pax Christi Italy's Peace House, just outside Florence, Italy.  See their website or contact the office for more details.

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Peace Pilgrimage - Belgium
To mark the 90th Anniversary of the end of the First World War, Pax Christi are organising a Peace Pilgrimage for young people with Taize singing, workshops, celebration and remembrance.  10-11th November 2008, Ypres, Belgium.  Please contact the office for more details.

Join Pax Christi in the Peace zone at

greenbelt

22 - 25 August 2008 Cheltenham racecourse

Music, speakers, workshops and loads more

See the Greenbelt website to find out more

Discounted tickets are available for Youth and Church leaders

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Resource Material for Teachers and Youth Leaders


Informed Choice? Armed Forces Recruitment Practice in the United Kingdom' - January 2008
An independent report by David Gee. Research and publication funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
Every year, the armed forces recruit around 20,000 people to replace those who leave. An independent report to be published in December asks whether recruits know what they accept when they enlist. Enlistment involves legal obligations that are much more restrictive than anything in civilian employment and an armed forces career carries many risks. The report finds that recruitment literature, web sites and the applications process tend to glamorise warfare and fall short of ensuring that potential recruits are informed of the risks and obligations of forces careers. An independent web site is also being produced for potential recruits themselves, setting out the facts as fairly as possible.
Read the full report at http://www.informedchoice.org.uk
Thinking of joining the armed forces?  get the facts before you sign up http://www.beforeyousignup.info also with information for parents and teachers



Free film and music clips at Peacemakers TV aimed at improving understanding in the UK between Christians and Muslims.

Where is the love? 10 minute film about the DSEi Arms Fair made by pupils from the nearby Royal Docks Community School.  Download from Film Makers Against War website.

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Useful Links:

  • Christian Peace Education Fund
    Support the Christian Peace Education Fund and help fund small-scale education initiatives… or apply for funding for your own project!
  • Educational resources for schools
  • Prayers, liturgy and worship ideas
    We offer a range of liturgies and prayers that have been developed in our work for peace. Please feel free to download these and use and adapt for your own needs.
  • Peace People
    Be inspired by peace people from around the world!  PDFs of people who have responded in peace and nonviolence to situations of injustice and violence
  • Monthy Action for Peace
    Look at these events and see how they could be marked or celebrated in your school.
  • Young People as Peacemakers
    This space is for children and younger people to express and share with all of us their concerns, ideas, suggestions.
  • Young Christian Workers
    The YCW membership, by action and reflection, attempt to change and improve their lives and society. The YCW brings young people together into groups to help them answer their own needs and those of other young people
    .

Want to know more about work being done to support peace education here in the UK?

The Peace Education Network website
has a Curriculum for Peace document,
News on the annual Peace Education Conference
(PDF format - you need Acrobat Reader)
and Information on other UK groups working in the field of education.

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