U.N. International Day of Peace

21 September

Children and Youth

A key ingredient in building culture of peace is education. The young of today deserve a radically different education – one that does not glorify war but educates for peace, non-violence and international cooperation.
– Ambassador A. K. Chowdhury, Former UN Under-Secretary-General & High Representative and former head of UNICEF

Students at hawthorne park

Peace Day provides a powerful and inspiring opportunity to engage children and youth in diverse activities related to peace, unity and making a positive difference in their world. Meaningful involvement can help set a tone of respect and unity early in the academic year.

PEACE DAY ACTIVITY IDEAS (PDFs) – WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO:

1 Page Flier for Teachers/Schools
Peace Day Activities for ELEMENTARY Students
Peace Day Activities for MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL Students

Peace Breathing Activity
Peace Pledge Template – Middle and High School 
Peace Pledge Template – Elementary School

1 Page Activities for Libraries
Multicultural Children’s Books about Peace

FOR MORE PEACE DAY IDEAS AND RESOURCES, GO TO OTHER PAGES IN THIS SECTION (Arts, Sports, Nonviolence, Social Justice, The Environment, etc.)

CHICAGO Public Schools have been involved in Peace Day since 2008! Read the 2014 LETTER OF SUPPORT from Chicago’s Peace Day initiative, Build the Peace, and CLICK HERE to look at CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL Peace Day activities.

Girls with signs

PEACE EDUCATION ACTIVITIES, CURRICULA AND RESOURCES

Advancement Project’s Restorative Justice Toolkit for Educators
This toolkit is intended for all educators who support the growth and health of students in schools. It is an introduction for those new to the concepts and will help support and enhance the work of teachers already implementing these practices in their classrooms.

Anti-Defamation League – Resources Related to Bullying and other topics
Includes anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying training, curriculum and resources for youth, educators, youth providers and adult family members.

Global Oneness Project Educational Resources A compilation of curriculum links and resources.

Hague Appeal for Peace: YOUTH AGENDA FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE  (Includes peace education resources and peace activity ideas)

Metta Center for Nonviolence: ROADMAP – a way of making the movement of movements visual.

National Education Association- Classroom Resources Re: Martin Luther King, Jr. Lessons for K-12 related to Martin Luther King, Jr., non-violence and civil rights, as well as MLK related videos.

National Liberty Museum (Philadelphia)- Resources for Educators and Students Offers Professional Learning Experiences that present real solutions to common educational challenges. The NLM also offers in partnership with educators in youth leadership and character education through the “Young Heroes” program.

National Peace Academy – Learn about the 5 Spheres of Peace

2012 Kids making peace signs

Oxfam – Global Citizen Resources for Educators

Peace Alliance – Teach Peace

The Peace Center – Resource Library

Peace First Curriculum – Peace First provides educators with the critical skills and knowledge to integrate social-emotional learning into the school’s curriculum and culture—beginning with the classroom and extending into the whole school. Also view the Peacemaker Youth Project Guide.

Peace One Day’s FREE Education Resources Grades 1-12, developed with Scholastic

Peace Praxis – RESOURCES Peace Praxis provides Philly area training in: Bullying Prevention, Behavior Management, Character Education, Conflict Resolution, Diversity Awareness, Peace Education, Peer Mediation, Social and Emotional Learning, and School Climate Improvement Planning, and more.

Peaceful Schools International – Educational Resources – Offers many different types of resources for schools, students, and parents, such as films, books, teaching guides and toolkits.
Also from PSI: Creating a Culture of Peace – A Practical Guide for Schools

Pulitzer Center – Education Resources – PC’s Lesson Builder is a quick, easy and flexible way to create curriculum, using Pulitzer Center reporting.

Rock Your World – A free, multidimensional, project-based curriculum for middle and high school students. Rock Your World centers around teaching students about human rights, and then giving them time to explore a variety of issues until they identify one that ‘sparks’ or inspires them to action.

Roots and Shoots Program (Dr. Jane Goodall)- Resources for Educators
Dr. Goodall, a UN Messenger of Peace, offers a program through Roots and Shoots to encourage youth “of all ages” to make positive change happen―for the animal community, the human community, and for the environment.

Dalai Lama with Princeton Students

Roots and Wings – Mindfulness Training

7 Floors to Balance® – an effective, simple, and universal program for reducing stress. One of the organization’s lead programs in its Culture of Peace Education Program (CPEP). In partnership with United Nations Peace Messenger Organization Pathways To Peace, 7 Floors to Balance® fulfills a mutual and deep global calling to empower children and adults with practical, instant and easy tools to achieve peace on demand. For more info, CLICK HERE.

Southern Poverty Law Center Project – Teaching Tolerance
Includes printer friendly educational resources, and training information. For FILM KIT, free to educators, CLICK HERE

“Teach for Peace” – List/links for Curricula and Resources – Also see Teaching for a Peaceful Future Think, Care Act BLOG

Teaching for Change
Teaching for Change provides teachers and parents with the tools to create schools where students learn to read, write and change the world. Encourages teachers and students to question and re-think the world inside and outside their classrooms, build a more equitable, multicultural society, and become active global citizens.

UNESCO – Culture of Peace Classroom

U.S. Institute of Peace, Global Peacebuilding Center
Educator Resources / Tools for Students

Violence Prevention Works – Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

PEACE IN THE SCHOOLS SPOTLIGHT: MINDFULNESS

Video: Mindfulness in Schools

– FREE Film (41 Mins)- “Healthy Habits of the Mind” – Integrating Mindfulness Into Education – Describes why mindfulness belongs in education, and covers neuroscience, educator training, and showing mindfulness implemented in the classroom.
– “ROOM TO BREATHE” Documentary – Mindfulness for Students – More Info
– Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids
– Mindfulness Exercises for Youth – Mindful Schools
– Why Children Need Mindfulness Just as much as Adults

Research: Mindfulness in Schools
– Greater Good – Research Round-Up
– Mindfulness, with Yoga, in schools makes good economic sense – Forbes, 2013

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES/ARTICLES FOR EDUCATORS

Bullying Awareness Guidebook – Accredited Schools On-Line

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – Violence Prevention Tools

Peaceful Warrior-Rethinking Schools

School Violence: Prevention – Center for Disease Control

Stomp Out Bullying: Why Do Kids Bully

US Department of Health and Human Services: Best Practices In Bullying Prevention