HEEDING THE CALL
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Youth
WORKSHOP 8: THE CALL FOR PEACE
2010
BY NICOLE BOWMER AND JODI THARAN
© Copyright 2010 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 9/29/2014 7:32:33 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Peace begins with yourself, with the way you treat your family, your friends, your communities, your country - but it does not stop there. Peace that begins in the hearts of children can cover the whole world. — Mayerly, 14, Colombian Children's Movement for Peace
This workshop asks youth to reflect on what it means to build peace in the world. Does peace building always begin with large-scale movements? Can young people help build peace, too? The activities introduce skills needed to build a world in which people feel heard and respected, and respect goes a long way to building peace.
GOALS
This workshop will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Opening | 5 |
Activity 1: Are You Listening? | 15 |
Activity 2: Story — The Colombian Children's Peace Movement | 15 |
Activity 3: Viewing the World through Bias | 20 |
Faith in Action: Building a Peace Display | 30 |
Faith in Action: Allies, Phase 4 | |
Closing | 5 |
Alternate Activity 1: Meditation | 15 |
Alternate Activity 2: Standing Up | 15 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
There are many ways to approach the topic of peace. There is personal peace and the peace that reigns when everyone in a community works to resolve differences without violence. The latter is the vision we have of world peace. Peace is complex. Before helping youth understand the complexities, reflect on them yourself. When have you felt at peace personally? Is personal peace easy to keep? What helps you return to inner peace when that peace has been disturbed?
Think of the most peaceful community you have known. What kept this community peaceful? Was the peace ever shaken by physical or emotional violence? How did the community deal with the disruption?
Do you agree that without justice, there is no peace? If so, what are the implications for our peace building efforts?
WORKSHOP PLAN
OPENING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather youth in a circle. Welcome first-time participants. Invite everyone to reflect on the word "peace." If there are new people present, ask youth to go around the circle and say their names. Ask if anyone would like to share anything noted in their Justicemakers Guide since the last meeting. Light the chalice, or invite a participant to do so, and recruit a volunteer to read the chalice lighting words:
We light our chalice today using the words of St. Francis of Assisi: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy."
Ask the group to be silent for a moment as they reflect on the words. End the silence with "So be it," or other appropriate words.
Tell the group that today's theme is peace. Ask for volunteers to share what they think peace has to do with justice. Ask if anyone has heard the phrase "No Justice! No Peace!" and what they think it means?
ACTIVITY 1: ARE YOU LISTENING? (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth explore the importance of active listening as a conflict resolution tool. If the group did Activity 4, Nonviolent Communication, in Workshop 3, remind them that the group explored non-violent ways to talk. In this activity, they explore ways to listen.
Introduce this activity with words like this:
Truly listening to each other is just as important to justice work as speaking in non-violent terms. You may have heard of techniques like active listening or deep listening. The goal of these techniques is to encourage the listener to focus solely on what the speaker is saying, not to think about their own response. When we listen to each other with open minds and open hearts, we are better able to understand and empathize. We become more aware of the other person's situation and, if we are at odds, we have a clearer understanding of what will be needed to cooperate if we have the courage to do so. Listening to and understanding people with different perspectives can enrich our lives when we learn from the experiences of others.
Divide participants into two groups. Instruct Group 1 to think of issues they believe are the most important and urgent challenges facing humanity. Ask these members to sit in chairs scattered around the room with one empty chair facing them.
Pass out one instruction to every member of Group 2. Explain that Group 2 will take turns sitting in the empty chairs and listen to the members of Group 1. One facilitator will be timekeeper and announce when members of Group 2 must move to a different chair (about every 30 seconds), until every member of Group 2 has had a turn in every empty chair.
Then switch roles and have Group 2 members pass their instruction card to someone in Group 1 and repeat the exercise with Group 2 members remaining in chairs talking about issues that are important to them.
When Group 1 has finished rotating, have everyone holding an instruction read it aloud. Lead a discussion with the following questions:
Tell the group that later in the workshop, they will explore other ways to encourage conflict resolution and help build peace.
ACTIVITY 2: STORY — THE COLOMBIAN CHILDREN'S PEACE MOVEMENT (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth hear and discuss a true story about children trying to bring peace to their war-torn country. Tell or read the story "The Colombian Children's Peace Movement." Follow the story with a discussion:
Including All Participants
Have enough copies of the story to share with visual learners.
ACTIVITY 3: VIEWING THE WORLD THROUGH BIAS (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth discuss some of the bias that influences the decisions they make.
Introduce the activity by saying that sometimes we find ourselves involved in conflicts because we did not make good decisions. We like to think that our decisions are mostly logical and rational, but we can hold certain biases that could lead us to make illogical decisions. Say that one definition for bias, according to Dictionary.com is "a particular tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice."
Either as one, large group or in smaller groups, ask participants to match the bias cards with the scenarios. Give each group a set of both cards and scenarios.
After matching, discuss the activity with the following questions:
CLOSING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite youth to stand in a circle and say one peace-building tool they are going to use in the next week. Thank first-time participants for their contributions to the group. End the workshop with these words:
May we leave here with a greater appreciation for listening and a greater understanding of what it means to build peace in the world.
FAITH IN ACTION: BUILDING A PEACE DISPLAY
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Design a display, perhaps on a bulletin board, in the congregation with illustrations of people working for peace and justice. Include drawing, photographs, poetry, song lyrics, articles, and other writings. Continually update this board throughout the year so that it becomes an educational resource for your congregation.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Were you able to model inner peace during the workshop? Did the workshop help youth grapple with the idea that peace is not an absence of conflict? How would you develop your own conflict resolution skills? Discussing this with your co-leader is a powerful way to grow as a Unitarian Universalist religious educator. What did you as learn from the youth?
TAKING IT HOME
Peace begins with yourself, with the way you treat your family, your friends, your communities, your country—but it does not stop there. Peace that begins in the hearts of children can cover the whole world. — Mayerly, 14, Colombian Children's Movement for Peace
In Today's Workshop...
We learned peace-building tools like active listening. We discussed a story about children in Colombia living through civil war. We also learned that peace it is not about an absence of conflict but rather a way to resolve conflict without hurting each other. One of the tools we learned about was "knowing your stuff." What is your stuff? Your stuff is everything about you: good, bad, ugly and beautiful. It is your past, your present, your perceived notions and aspirations for the future. It is all you have experienced, thought of, dreamt of, felt, seen, heard, smelled. It is your beliefs, values, stereotypes, judgments. Your "stuff" is what makes you distinct from all others. It's you!
Peace Building
Justicemakers Guide
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: MEDITATION (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth reflect on personal peace.
Invite participants to get comfortable and in the mood for a guided meditation. If you plan to use music, set the volume to low and start it as soon as everyone is comfortable.
Relax your body. Let go of all tension. Close your eyes, if you wish. Take in a deep breath and slowly release it. Do this again. Take another breath and, as you release it, feel the breath flowing through your body—through your arms, torso, legs, your head. Take another deep breath.
Let your memory take you to a time you felt at peace. Hold this peaceful memory for a while. (Pause) What help bring about this peace? What were your surroundings? Were you alone or with others? How long did the peaceful feeling last? When you bring up the memory, can you still feel the peace?
Was there ever a time you did not feel at peace but you were able to attain a peaceful state? What helped you find peace? If there was never a time like this, do you think returning to your peaceful memory would help you regain peace? What does your peaceful memory teach you about your personal peace?
Think of the most peaceful community you have known. What kept this community peaceful? Was the peace ever shaken by discord and conflict? How did the community deal with the disruption? Did it return to a peaceful state afterwards? What did this community teach you about communal peace?
Now let go of the memories, but see if you can keep the peaceful feeling. When you are ready, take a deep breath, open your eyes, and join us back in the room.
Stop the music and ask if anyone would like to share any thoughts they had during the meditation. Ask if anyone meditates on a regular basis. Meditation is a common spiritual practice, used by practitioners of many different faiths. Is there a connection between meditation and personal peace?
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 2: STANDING UP (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth examine how the sixth Principle aligns with a real-world experience of taking a stand for justice. This situation is based on real events and was adapted from an article by Mark Steel, a socialist author, comedian, and columnist for one of Britain's largest newspapers, The Independent.
The latest slogan that the far-right groups in Britain are marching under is 'Stop the Islamification of England.' But how many people have had their lives Islamified against their will? Is there a single tea shop owner in Dorset, England who has to tell her customers: 'Sorry dear, we're not allowed to serve a scone until after dark as it's Ramadan'? Do radio stations have to start the day: 'Good morning, this is BBC Radio Sussex calling you to prayer.'? So in September 2009, when the English Defense League, a far-right political group, announced a protest of this 'Islamification of England' outside of a mosque in Harrow, England, what was the community to do?
Invite participants to imagine there is a mosque in their town, and a political group has announced a protest outside that mosque. Brainstorm actions they could take to ally with the local Muslim community.
After a list has been created, read what actually happened:
So what actually happened in Harrow, England? We'll never know how many conversations occurred at dinner tables with children asking questions and parents figuring out their own "stuff"—their own biases and fears—as they discussed the issue. We'll never know how many people (who really just wanted to stay home and watch television) actually listened to their friends—really, really listened—to the reasons why it was important to take a stand. We'll never know how many carpools had to be arranged and how many people had to take time off from work, but what we do know is that about 2,000 people showed up at the mosque to stand in solidarity with the Muslim community. As the 2,000 supporters created a barrier around the mosque, the much smaller protest of the far-right group vanished. And, as Mark Steel reported, "the local population has apparently tingled with excitement ever since."
End the activity with a discussion about the outcome:
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 8:
STORY: THE COLOMBIAN CHILDREN'S PEACE MOVEMENT
Based on information from People Building Peace, Peace News, My Hero, and Sara Cameron's website.
Adults are usually regarded as the leaders in working for peace and—for good reason, as many have made a tremendous difference. Yet children can make a tremendous difference, too. Farliz Calle is one of those children. She is one of twenty-six children who organized an election in her home country of Colombia as it was being torn apart by violence. On October 25, 1996, 2.7 million children in Colombia cast their votes for 12 basic rights that included the right to love and family, the right to a clean environment, the right to justice, and the right to peace. With the aid of UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund) and adults from the community, the children of Colombia started a movement that created "peace zones" in schools and parks. One year later, 10 million adults also voted for peace in a national election.
On the day of the Children's Mandate there was peace in Colombia. If there can be one day of peace, why not a week, a month, a year, fifty years Why not fifty years of peace to make up for our fifty years of war? — Juan Elias, 16 years
Why was Columbia in need of peace? In 1948, civil war broke out in Colombia. A civil war is one where the opposing factions both live in the country. These wars can be particularly destructive and difficult to end.
Without equal education children who have nothing can never have the same opportunities as those who have everything. — Angelica, 13 years
Often civil wars have the appearance of being about two groups with different identities that cannot get along. However, scholars and researchers have determined that most civil wars are caused when one group tries to control resources, resulting in limited access to resources for other groups, who become frustrated and take up arms. This is one reason why war (and hence, peace) is a justice issue.
Another reason is because the toll of war generally falls heaviest on marginalized groups. This frequently means children. War hurts children by taking away their loved ones. It hurts children by filling their lives with fear and instability. It hurts children by forcing them to grow up too soon, often making them into soldiers even before reaching puberty.
Neither the children's vote nor the adult vote a year later ended the violence in Colombia. It continues to this day. Still, the children of Colombia did not give up. Supported again by UNICEF, they established the Retorno de la Alegria (Return to Happiness) initiative. This program trains youth to be peer counselors to youth and children suffering from the effects of war. Over 500 volunteers have been trained in counseling, therapy, peace-building and self-esteem building skills. They work with individuals and institutions, like schools, religious organizations, and government.
I work as a volunteer play therapist with children who have been forced to leave their homes because of the war. Some of the children have seen terrible things, like seeing their father be tortured and killed. They find it very difficult to understand what happened. We play together with the trucks, and boats and rag dolls and sometimes after that you can figure out what went on. Some of the children are very shy but I give them the parrot puppet and sometimes they tell him things. They often talk about the goats and chickens and cows they left behind when they left their homes. They worry about the animals. — Wilfrido, 16 years
Being a peace builder takes skills, and young people do not need to wait until they become adults to develop those skills.
Children are sweet and beautiful, but we want to show adults that the role of the child must be elevated; there are acute crises in countries when children have to make up part of the solution. You say children are the future. But we are the present, a present which we all have to build together. — Farliz Calle
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 8:
HANDOUT 1: ALLY ACTION 4
I want to be an ally to _____________________________________________.
Phase 5: Date
What action do you want to take?
What resources or materials do you need and how will you get them?
What hazards or risks are involved?
What obstacles might you encounter and how will you overcome them?
What supports do you have or could you obtain?
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 8:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: LISTENING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Make eye contact about once every 5 seconds and whistle the entire time.
2. Make eye contact about once every 5 seconds and then yawn.
3. Keep staring at the same corner of the room and don't take your eyes off of
that corner.
4. Slouch in your chair, stare down at the floor and look up about every 5 seconds to make eye contact. Roll your eyes (as though this were the most boring story you've ever heard) and then look back down at the floor.
5. After every couple of sentences say, 'No way! Are you serious?' And then wait for them to continue talking before saying the same thing again.
6. Maintain direct eye contact and a kind expression on your face. Listen for issues that you share in common with the person speaking. If you hear them, nod and smile.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 8:
LEADER RESOURCE 2: BIAS CARDS
Herd of Sheep Bias — When we do not think critically about our choices and our beliefs. We choose and believe based on the choices and beliefs of others around us. | |
It's Them, Not Me — When we make choices based on a bias that we do not even know we have. | |
Cherry Picking Bias — When we make choices based on actions or information that confirm our beliefs while ignoring or discarding actions or information that disprove our beliefs. | |
Set in Stone Bias — When we make choices that are based too heavily on one instance or trait or action from the past. | |
Bad Orchard Bias — When we see those who are similar to us as individuals who can make poor choices. We see them as one apple in an otherwise good orchard. Yet when someone who is different than us (different race, religion, etc.) makes a poor choice, we allow that to be a reflection against their entire race, religion, etc. We see the entire orchard as tainted. | |
Me Me Me Bias — When we make choices based on giving ourselves more credit for a group effort than someone who is neutral would give us. | |
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 8:
LEADER RESOURCE 3: SCENARIOS
Scenario 1:
My sister drives me crazy. She just goes along with whatever her friends say.
Scenario 2:
My history teacher told me that I need to listen more and talk less. That's the same thing my art teacher told me. I do listen. They just ramble on too long.
Scenario 3:
My dad always talks about how irresponsible drivers are these days. When they cut him off in traffic, he starts yelling. But he never talks about how responsible they are when they let him merge onto the freeway.
Scenario 4:
My mom saw someone crash their skateboard into a car once and now she won't let my older brother ride a skateboard.
Scenario 5:
My grandpa says you can't trust anyone who doesn't speak English. He says they're just trying to take advantage of you. But he loved his mom — my great-grandma — and she emigrated to the U.S. from Germany and never learned to speak English.
Scenario 6:
Michael is a disrespectful teammate. Whenever we win a game, he goes around telling everyone at school that "he" won the game. Yet we're a team. We need everyone on the team to play well for us to win.
FIND OUT MORE
Peace
Principles of Being a Peacebuilder can be found at You Can (at www.youcan.ca/).
Thich Nhat Hahn, a Buddhist priest, has written a bestselling book, Peace is Every Step (New York: Bantam, 1992).
Diamond, Louise. Peace Book: 108 Simple Ways to Make a More Peaceful World. (Newburyport, MA: Conari Press, 2001).
Shick, Stephen M. Be the Change: Poems, Prayers, and Meditations for Peacemakers and Justice Seekers. (Boston: Skinner House, 2009).
Dr. Seuss. The Butter Battle Book. New York: Random House, 1984.
Rosenberg, Marshall. Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Compassion. (Encinitas, CA: PuddleDancers Press, 1999).
Skog, Susan. Peace in Our Lifetime: Insights from the World's Peacemakers. (Encino, CA: Cliffrose Communications, 2004).
The United States Institute of Peace has a list of websites addressing religion and peacemaking (at www.usip.org/resources/religion-and-peacemaking-web-links).
The World Youth Peace Summit (at www.youthpeacesummit.org/summary.cfm) offers opportunities for youth to design peace projects.
Colombian Children's Peace Movement
Read more about their efforts at People Building Peace (at www.peoplebuildingpeace.org/thestories/article.php?typ=theme&id=85&pid=19). Other stories of peace building, several concerning youth, can be found on this website.
A UNICEF-sponsored art project — similar to the project mentioned in the story —resulted in the book I Dream of Peace: Images of War by Children of Former Yugoslavia (New York: HarperCollins, 1994).
Bias
EdChange (at www.edchange.org/multicultural/activityarch.html) has a list of activities to teach young people to counter bias and prejudices around issues of multiculturalism
Helping Youth Resist Bias and Hate, Second Edition (at www.partnersagainsthate.org/educators/pag_2_ed.pdf), by Partners Against Hate, can be read online or downloaded. This program activity guide is written for parents and educators of middle school students.