The club for peace - Spain
Our club for peace:
Our school is situated in a wealthy neighbourhood which means that most of our students are from middle to upper class. Therefore, our school does not have to fact such problems as ethnic conflict, religious differences, refugees etc. However, for some time now our school has had a major problem with bullying. We took advantage of this project to initiate a new project called Aqui prou bullying, translated as “No more bullying here”. We used this project as our club for peace.
What is the club for peace?
Our club for peace is students from each grade, from 7th through to 12th. They meet twice each month with the teachers in charge of the project. They discuss issues that they have encountered and come up with ways to bring peace to the school by way of conflict management.
How are they chosen?
The members of this club are volunteers. They volunteer their time for the good of the school community as well as the wider community outside our school grounds. Each tutor receives the volunteers at an interview to see if they are suitable. After the interview, the members are chosen.
The members of this group “patrol” the playground, the classrooms and the school grounds and make sure that there is peace in each area. They look out for conflict and if they witness some, they will try to pacify the participants. Then they report the behaviour to the teachers involved in the programme who in turn will find a solution. Each member has been trained previously in conflict management.
In the photo we can see some students from the club preparing themselves to do a debate on the power each of us has to stop bullying.
What do they organize in the school?
Our club for peace organizes many activities in the school and the wider community to transmit the message of peace and harmony. During the school year our club from 11th grade does a series of talks to the younger years on a series of topics and themes. In the younger grades, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades they tell stories with puppets or make interactive presentations so that the younger children can learn which types of behavior is acceptable and which types go against the mission of peace. In the older grades they do workshops, learn about certain historical figures etc. In the week leading up to the 31st of January a series of activities are carried out in each grade with the theme of peace which culminate with an activity which involves all the school
In these pictures we can see a group of students making a presentation to a younger grade on peace.
Also, we can see the whole school celebrating International Peace Day together.
What do they organize outside school in the wider community?
Our school collaborates with several organizations in the wider community such as old people’s homes, children’s hospitals and day care centres for mentally handicapped people. Three times a year, each student from 9th and 10th grade volunteers at one of these places. In the old people’s home, they keep the residents company as they are lonely. Through this volunteer work they learn many things about how life was in past times. In the children’s hospital the volunteers play games with the sick children and help them with their school work. With the day centre for the mentally handicapped they help the carers carry out the daily activities with the residents such as art class, music class, movement class etc. As the residents are so severely handicapped, lots of volunteers are needed here.