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The Graines de Paix Foundation is an international, humanitarian, non-profit NGO, active in several countries, founded in Geneva Switzerland, first as an association (2005), then as a foundation (2020). It was born out of the desire of its founding President, Delia Mamon, to identify transformative education solutions for building sustainable peace (geopolitical, intercultural, societal).The organization has been developing since 2009 major programs and materials for Ministries of National Education for use by both teachers and students. It has been working with the Education authorities of Switzerland (2009), Côte d’Ivoire (2012) and Benin (2018) and also has agreements with those of Lebanon, Tunisia and Senegal that are to be implemented. In France, there have been local education activities since 2016. From the start, the Graines de Paix organization has been statutorily independent of any religious, sectarian, or political obedience, while at the same time actively open to dialogue and exchange.

2005

The association is founded in Geneva, Switzerland.
 

2006

  • Recognized as being of public utility and exempted from taxes.
  • Launch of the first resource website.


2007

Conceptual work
New definition of peace and of key concepts.

Building awareness, Near East, Europe

  • Training done in Ramallah, Palestine, on peace culture and appeasement through peace reflexes to a group of Muslim and Christian post-graduates.
  • Program to raise awareness of the human values of peace culture with the Student Debate Team at the University of Tel Aviv, in preparation for the international competitions in the presence of numerous Muslim and Arab participants. The coaching allowed several members of the team to win the first prize two years later, on the sensitive intercultural subject of the desecration of cemeteries. Video with an ovation from the Arab students.
  • Several conferences in Switzerland and Paris.


2008

Peace through education

  • Major decision by the Comity to focus on producing educational resources in response to the needs of teachers and students.
  • First activity workshops with primary and secondary school students in community centers in Geneva during public events (Book Exhibition, World Peace Day).
  • Beginning of peace culture awareness workshops for the public (definitions of peace, peace reflexes, active listening...).

Peace and human rights

  • Official proposal to introduce the principals of peace culture, non-violence, and the human right to peace in Geneva's constitution during the constitutional vote assembly.
  • Conference with 17 speakers, some of them political, on the introduction of peace culture and peace education in Geneva's constitution.
  • Publishing of texts on the human right to peace in the Peace Dictionary of the website.

Intercultural peace

  • Conference organized in Geneva on "Human values in religions". 3 speakers, 130 participants.


2009

Peace through education

  • Design of a peace education textbook on the psychosocial skills to overcome violence and live together peacefully thanks to peace culture.
  • Formulation of psychosocial skills for peace culture.
  • Production of a free cooperative games guide in partnership with the SCI, published on our respective websites (several thousand downloads to this day).
  • Training and events regarding the exhibition "Neither hedgehog, nor doormat" developed by the Center for non-violent action (CENAC). Enhancement of the Teachers Guide (integration of peace culture and peace reflexes).
  • First mandates in French-speaking Switzerland and neighboring France.


2010

Peace through education

  • Finalization of the project to create the "Manual of skills to overcome violence and discrimination", a guide to living together peacefully, with a team of instructors. Integration of the links to the future Romand Curriculum Design.
  • Acceptance of financing from the Education and Development Foundation (which became Education 21) (Financing of the Confederation).
  • Confirmation from the Department of Education of the state of Valais to do the pilot study.
  • Awareness raising day with 74 college students in Geneva, organized with the United Nations as part of World Peace Day.


2011

Peace through education

  • Drafting of 30 activity sheets for ages 8-12, along with teacher's guides, by a peace education specialist and the NV (School of peace in Grenoble), surrounded by young educators.
  • Drafting of 40 teacher's guides focused on cognitive conflict by an educator and former teacher from the DIP (Department of public education in Geneva, Switzerland).

Teacher training

  • First contact with the Ministry of National Education (MNE) of Côte d'Ivoire. Obtained financing from the Geneva Chancellery to invite a representative of this ministry along with some teachers.


2012

Internationalization

  • Obtained the ECOSOC consultative status from the UN.
  • Signing of an agreement with the Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Education on a national teacher training program on the subject of peace through education, launch and roll-out.
  • Signing of a framework agreement with the Guinea-Conakry Ministry of Education (which is still to be rolled out).

Peace through education

  • Development of the training and school activities for the expert trainers in Côte d'Ivoire.


2013

Internationalization

  • ​Authorization from the Senegalese Minister of Education to roll out our training programs in their country.
  • Trainings in 5 regions of Côte d'Ivoire.


2014

Nominations

  • Member of the African UNESCO Network of Foundations and Research Institutions for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace.
  • Laureate of the Ashoka Impact program for the large social impact of our activities on the ground.
     

2015

Internationalization

  • ​Creation of the association Gaines de Paix - France.
  • Acceptance into the association Coordination pour l'éducation à la non-violence et à la paix (Coordination for an education of non-violence and peace), France.
  • Written confirmation from the Ministry of Education of Côte d'Ivoire requesting that Grains of Peace enhance the curriculum of the initial teacher training program.
  • Nomination of Babacar Diouf, an expert in teacher training, as the Senegalese representative of Graines de Paix, and the expansion of the original project of initial and continuous training of the country's teachers (financing underway).

Peace through education

  • Development of the collection "Growing up in peace" (a teacher's guide and student workbook) for students aged 4 to 12.
  • Finalization of the first two volumes: 4-8 years old. Testing the activities in French-speaking Switzerland and in Ain, France.
     

2016

Peace through education

  • Signature of the contract to release the collection "Growing up in peace" in Switzerland, France, and around the world, with Loisirs et Pédagogie (Leisure time and Instruction), an academic publisher in Lausanne.
  • External evaluation of the activities of the collection "Growing up in peace" in a school in Bex by the Department of Youth, Culture, and Sports (PSPS unit) (Vaud administrative district), and in Geneva schools by an external evaluator.

Internationalization

  • Invitation to participate in the redesign of the curriculum in Lebanon.
  • Development of new ties to the Ministry of Education in France.
  • Enlargement of the Graines de Paix - France Board.

Worldwide reach

  • Launch of the new website (after more than 1,340,800 visits from 202 countries and territories to the first website since 2006).

Increasing the size of the team

  • The team continues to grow in size, reaching 16 people on April 1st, 2016.