|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||
Home 
ProgramsEFP-World
- EFP-Intensive
- EFP-Leadership
- Youth Peace-builder Network
- Consulting Services
EFP-Intensive
EFP-Intensive is a two-year development program of Education for Peace in which every member of the school community is immersed in studying and applying the principles of peace to all aspects of the school’s life.
All teachers, staff and students of EFP-schools are assisted by EFP program faculty to learn about and integrate principles of peace into all curricular activities of every subject area (history, science, arts, social studies, etc.). This program is particularly suited for assisting schools faced with the challenges of aggression, violence and ethnic conflict and/or segregation, as well as schools with displaced and refugee populations, those situated in zones of intense conflict and in economically deprived regions, to overcome the barriers of ethnic hatred and the traumas of war.
The 2-year program focuses on the development of 1) a culture of peace and 2) a culture of healing in the participating school communities. Through a carefully monitored and sustained implementation process, EFP-Intensive facilitates the forging of the bonds of trust, open communication and sensitivity which take time to develop and which are essential for genuine and lasting socio-psychological recovery.
Training is provided for all school members in the principles, pre-requisites and practices underlying a culture of peace in the school, community and home. While addressing such themes as inter-ethnic harmony, human rights and democratic decision-making processes, the program gives particular attention to issues of worldview, human nature, individual and collective development and psycho-social healing from the traumatic effects of violence and war. This combined approach lays the critical foundation for the creation of both a culture of peace and a culture of healing, which are essential pre-requisites for the establishment of a truly democratic society. Following trainings, teachers, students and other members of the school community then actively engage in applying the principles of peace to every subject of study in every classroom, every school-day, as well as in activities outside of the classroom. The objective is to engage the whole school community in the study, reflection and practice of peace.
During the course of the school year, students from the EFP schools have several opportunities to take the core themes of the project to the wider community. At public events, both regional and country-wide, students demonstrate their understanding of the principles of peace while practicing the spirit of service that is vital in a democratic society. These events, which complement classroom instruction, enable young people from the participating schools to educate their society in the ways of peace.
Regional Peace Events
The “Regional Peace Events” are opportunities for each local community to learn about the EFP concepts. Through creative presentations, students share the results of their learning in a variety of venues — their own schools, other schools in their city and venues such as orphanages and homes for the elderly. The families of students, their peers from other schools, local government leaders and diverse groups of citizens are therefore exposed to the principles of peace.
National Peace Events
The “National Peace Events” are occasions for students, teachers and parents from all of the EFP schools in the different regions and ethnic groups to come together in a spirit of unity and share their experiences with each other. Distinctive student presentations selected from each school are combined with warm hospitality and informal interaction in an artistic celebration of peace.
Widespread media coverage amplifies the effect of these events, providing a powerful vehicle for the dissemination of the core themes of the EFP program throughout the country.
Through its unique curriculum and methodology, the EFP-Intensive program succeeds in strengthening the bonds of inter-ethnic and inter-group harmony, increasing inter-regional collaboration on issues of curriculum development, assisting the participants to resolve conflicts within themselves and preventing conflict and violence in their relationships and between their communities.
For the past three years, EFP-Intensive has been implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina, during which time it has gained the support of local, national and international authorities for expansion to schools across the country.
“You can feel the effect of this project on the whole town.”
- Aksel Zaimovic, Student, Mixed Secondary School, Travnik
“This kind of project should have been realized before, because our country needs it. The youth and children are the future of our country, and they will be the examples and the guides of this community.”
- Dervo Berilo, Support Staff, 3rd Primary School, Ilidža
