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Phase: Review

Educational program: Peace Studies

We will create a cross-cultural community of those who share a commitment to the lived pursuits of peace and social justice.

Photo of caritasinveritate
5 1

Written by

Our aim is to establish the "Peace studies" educational program as an interdisciplinary academic field that draws on political science, sociology, history, anthropology, theology, psychology, philosophy, and other fields to:

1) understand the causes of existing social conflicts;
2) develop ways to prevent and resolve war, terrorism, gross violations of human rights; and
3) build peaceful and just systems and democratic society.

Explain your idea

Today socio-economic and political situation of the Ukrainian society not only challenges a prospective much needed peaceful democratic dialogue, but also undermines constructive cooperation of public and political actors at all levels in the current upheaval. Seemingly the modern development process in Ukraine in a line with some historical differences and relative tensions between the Eastern and Western Ukraine facilitate the separation of the people within their neighbourhood or/and regions and the current division and communication apparent at all levels of society. Such circumstances force us to design an educational program with the main subject - Peace studies - oriented to professionals who make the real impact in social life of the state (national politicians and local govermnent, businessmen, political advisors and so on). During the intensive modules we will offer to the targeted the practical knowledge and skills for building peace and implement the princple of social justice into their professional activity. Through the innovative approaches to teaching and learning, including social action, community engagement, experiential pedagogy, case studies and problem-based learning we will stimulate our targeted to value-based decision making in their practical activities. With this program we will educate the professionals who will contribute to the peace buiding which is the development of constructive personal, group, and political relationships across ethnic, religious, class, national, and racial boundaries. The project aims to resolve injustice in nonviolent ways and to transform the structural conditions that generate deadly conflict. Peace Studies program will also include conflict prevention; conflict management; conflict resolution and transformation, and post-conflict reconciliation aspects. We consider peace in a strategic dimension when it works over the long run and at all levels of society to establish and sustain relationships among people locally and globally. Strategic peacebuilding connects people and groups “on the ground” (community and religious groups, grassroots organizations, etc.) with policymakers and powerbrokers. It aims not only to resolve conflicts, but to build societies, institutions, policies, and relationships that are better able to sustain peace and justice. Strategic peacebuilders address issues of human rights, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability as well as violence.

Who Benefits?

Peace studies education is oriented towards professionals from a wide variety of careers, especially researchers, educators, negotiators, mediators, government officials, businesspeople, activists, and professionals in organizations focused on human rights, dispute resolution, environmental protection, international law, and human and economic development.

How is your idea unique?

The Peace Studies programs are well popular academic programs in more than 400 universities and colledges around the world. However, there is no similar program in Ukrainian academic field. What we suggest is not merely academically based cources, but offering practical knowledges and elaboratingstrategic road map and solving the most painfull issues in Ukraine for the sake of just and peacefull society.

Idea Proposal Stage

  • Piloting: I have started to implement my solution as a whole with a first set of real users.

Tell us more about you

We are the non-profit officially registered organization - Ukrainian Social Academy - the non-governmental, non-profit foundation whose aims at providing high level formation for future leaders and social entrepreneurs from Ukraine. Responding to the widely perceived gap between higher education and the employment marketplace, Ukrainian Social Academy is preparing a new generation of ethical, self-aware leaders tackling the world’s toughest problems. Through the years, the Ukrainian Social Academy has grown to accommodate its mission of preparing all participants to be socially responsible citizens with a commitment to the values of human dignity, freedom, solidarity, and justice. The vast majority of Ukrainian universities are using the same approach in teaching students – professors are mostly lecturing, offer books and magazines for students for reading, or have prepared lists of books for each course. This leaves limited room for discussion, developing personal opinions, tools for communicating opinions. Curricula of Ukrainian Universities are outdated and needed to be upgrade. This is problematic as it leads to predominantly unsatisfactory quality of undergraduate education at Ukrainian universities. As alternative to this, we create programs with the intention to give the young generation an opportunity to transform Ukraine into an effective country that would provide integrated and interdisciplinary education combined with soft skills trainings and leadership development programs. We empower people for taking responsibility and working for the common good, and for taking part in decision-making processes involving the use of social resources and by initiating social change. Currently, Ukrainian Social Academy is piloting a number of new education projects, including a Business Leadership Program, Interdisciplinary Program Managing a socially responsible Business, National Program “Values in Professional Career” and an Orientation and Leadership Programs for students in Ukrainian universities. Ukrainian Social Academy has also established new modern teaching materials collections, resource, and student unions. At the present time, we piloting the program "Working Group: Justice, Peace and Democracy" the aim of which is to gather team of scientists, analysts, experts, representatives of public policy and CSOs, different Churches and religious organizations, civic initiatives and unions, which deals with the problems of conflict and post-conflict peacebuilding in Ukraine. During the intensive focus groups with national experts, international conferences and regional meetings we aim to analyse the most pressing issues that cause the different social conflicts and elaborate the practical reccommendations for political institutions and NGOs in their activities in building peace and social justice.

Expertise in sector

  • 3-5 years

Organization Filing Status

  • Yes, we are a registered non-profit.

5 comments

Join the conversation:

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Photo of Amber Angela
Team

Through the creative ways to deal with teaching and learning the hang of, including social activity. The project intends to determine bad form in peaceful courses and to change the basic situations that produce destructive clash. This is risky as it prompts transcendentally inadmissible nature of college student’s education on http://www.customassignment.com/write-my-essay.html

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Photo of Kate Rushton
Team

Hi Caritas!

Thank you for sharing your project. Have you seen the other peacebuilding projects posted to the platform? I think there might be some valuable connections there e.g. The Peace First Challenge and Battle for Humanity: The Mobile App that takes users on a hero-journey, becoming change-makers in real-life. that might give you a few ideas on curriculum content and novel ways of approaching peace building.

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Photo of eldy wullur
Team

Hi Caritainveritate,
Is this a cross-cultural community involves only students, college ?

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Photo of caritasinveritate
Team

Thank you for the comment and question. Not only students, but also professionals who already work in different areas described more in section "Who benefits"

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Photo of eldy wullur
Team

Wow ...

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