Approach and Expertise
By using a resolutely positive and constructive approach (not merely preventative), we want to show our appreciation for each and every child to reinforce their self-esteem and their psychosocial skills, even the most vulnerable among them. It is the key to successful education, a calm school environment, and preventing violence.
Our approach is also systemic: we bring together the latest developments in quality education, leading to good school performance, and those relative to peace culture education, which aim to prevent violence and bring about harmonious learning environments. We also identify the best education practices to contribute to this dual objective.
Approach
On the educational front, we favour several approaches:
- a holistic approach which includes teachers / students / schools / parents and communities.
- an inclusive approach: in order to include all the students, no matter their difficulties, their having fallen behind, their unruliness, or their status of being a recent migrant. The inclusion is done by way of dialog and exchange between the students, which favors learning and self-esteem, reduces violent desires, and reinforces peace culture. We encourage several pedagogical practices which favor this inclusion.
- an experiential approach: we develop experiential activities, because it is through the experience of human interactions that the students will be able to develop their emotional intelligence and their psychosocial skills which are indispensable for functioning in society.
- a reflexive approach: we guide the teachers in encouraging the students to reflect on these psychosocial skills, their daily usage, and their usefulness all throughout life.
On the institutional front, our approach is to respond to the new needs of Education Ministries in terms of school performance, reduction of violence, and improving the school environment.
On the geographic front, we need to adopt an approach on a country by country basis because preventing violence requires an elevated critical mass - across the country and between countries.
On the sustainable development front, and objectives for 2016-2030, we provide a concrete answer to Sustainable Development Objective #4, and more particularly to the following objectives:
- make sure that all the students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to promote sustainable development, especially through education in favor of sustainable lifestyles and development, human rights, sexual equality, promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, world citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and the contribution of culture to sustainable development.
- make sure that children know how to read, write, and count.
- considerably increase the number of qualified teachers, especially through international cooperation to train teachers in developing countries.
Expertise
The expertise of Grains of Peace covers the following domains:
Pedagogical expertise
- Developing quality education teacher training programs for a country.
- Creating activity guides designed to exercise the students' psychosocial skills and the teachers' reflections on educational and societal challenges.
See "Growing up in peace". - Elaborating precise definitions relating to educational methods and teaching attitudes, behaviors, and social and intercultural skills.
See "Peace/Education Dictionary"
Expertise in peace culture
- Continuous enrichment of this field.
- In 2014, in recognition of its expertise, Grains of Peace was added as a member of the Network of Foundations and Research Institutions for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace in Africa.
Programmatic expertise
- Evaluating the social impact at several levels of society: teachers / students / schools / parents and communities (systemic approach).
- Proven logistics allowing large numbers of students in a country to be reached and impacted, in a sustainable manner, with local implementers.
