The Growing Up in Peace Collection
The Growing up in Peace collection is tailored for teachers and their students aged 4 to 12. It is made up of four sets of experiential and reflective activities.
Objectives :
1. To promote academic success.
2. To raise awareness to the various forms of violence at school and in society.
3. To establish a culture of peace at school and in society.
These three objectives are reached through the development of overall psychosocial and social-emotional skills. These include: knowledge of oneself and others, self-esteem, emotional intelligence, discernment and ease in communication, and cooperation. The foundation is built upon learning the human skills of consideration, goodwill, empathy and helping one another.
Introduction :
The collection consists of four volumes split into the following age groups :
- Volume 1 : Ages 4-6
- Volume 2 : Ages 6-8
- Volume 3 : Ages 8-10
- Volume 4 : Ages 10-12
Each volume consists of a teacher’s guide and a student booklet containing 40 activities.
Download a Growing in Peace pamphlet here (in French)!
4 volumes for ages 4 to 12
Each volume offers seven sequences set up to progressively gain skills related to peace, meaning know-how, knowing how to be, knowing what to do and knowing how to react towards living in peace (UNESCO, 1996).
Volume 1 (Ages 4 - 6)
The covered themes are kindness, empathy, self-esteem, emotional intelligence, non-violence, intercultural awareness, cooperation and collective and democratic decision-making.
Check out an activity from volume 1 (in French) by clicking here.
Volume 2 (Ages 6 - 8)
The second volume follows and reinforces the same educational objectives from Volume 1; diving into themes covering children’s rights, the tools needed for dialogue, respect of others and acceptance of mutually agreed upon rules.
Check out an activity from volume 2 (in French) by clicking here.
Volume 3 (Ages 8 - 10)
The themes covered here focus on self-esteem, kindness, emotional intelligence through organisation and expression of emotions, managing stress and personal needs, critical thinking and self-evaluation. These themes foster cooperation and collaboration, empathy, active listening, respect, conflict management and resolution, verbal and non-verbal communication, peaceful reactions, accepting others differences, sustainable development and respect for nature.
Check out an activity from volume 3 by clicking here.
Volume 4 (Ages 10 - 12)
Volume 4 reinforces the themes in volume 3. It deals with subjects that exist in the daily lives of pre-adolescents such as cyber-bullying, stereotyping, stress management, screen addiction, stage fright etc.
Check out an activity from volume 4 by clicking here.
Activities based upon experience and reflection
These activities offer interactive experiences and guide students to think and reflect from the age of 4. Thanks to this method, students gain and refine their personal and social skills including those of giving and receiving respect, consideration, kindness, empathy, and aid. They also develop cognitive skills of thoughtful reflection and discernment with each activity. These diverse skills allow for the reinforcement of self-esteem, violence prevention, foresight our action’s consequences, and development of healthy relationships. These effects often have a positive impact on the educational success of a student.
Each activity consists of a theory portion with educational and societal implications of the lesson, theoretical input from scientific literature, suggestions to take learning further, and a practical “ready to use” portion with an introduction, sequence, two or three steps and a shared reflection.
The collection adheres to the Sustainable Development Objectives of the UN (Objective 4) and the Plan d'étude romand (PER), the Swiss framework whose universal aim could easily be applied in other countries.
The PER references are clearly identified in each activity.
The feedback from institutions, teachers and students
Teachers and students convinced
The collection received excellent reception among teachers and students alike.
‘’This educational tool is the most thorough method surrounding the theme of living-together that I have seen throughout my 25 years teaching, everything is there!’’
Primary school teacher - Canton de Vaud
"I was struck by the accuracy of the texts, the relevance of the activities, along with the quality and goodwill that comes across. It’s a true objective to see these manuals in the hands of all our children one day”
Growing in Peace collection user testimony
Recognition from educational bodies
- The PSPS division of the State of Vaud gave a « B-recommended » rating, for the promotion of health and prevention in school environments.
The resource was evaluated over the last two years by a PSPS division delegation, who gave the “B-recommended” rating. The evaluation scorecard ratings range from “F-forbidden by the State” to “A-near compulsory”
- Following an external evaluation, the HEP du Valais recommends the systematic use of the collection in schools.
Throughout the academic year 2016-2017, an external evaluation carried out by the Higher Educational College (HEP – Haute école pédagogique) of Valais focused on volumes 1 and 2. The focus was to analyse the use of the collection for teachers and students, while measuring its impact on class climate.
The results were clear: the HEP states that this resource fosters the development of psychosocial skills in students and professional skills in teachers. Furthermore, the collection reinforces the positive change within the school environment and towards developing school culture.
Download here (in French) the complete HEP Valais report.
