Role of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in Fostering Youth Peacebuilders

September 20, 2015 Regional and International

Global education initiative is a movement for assuring that  every child and young person is the citizen of the world by implementing standards for education, as part of the Global Citizen Initiative started by UN GS Ban Ki Moon.

Education can offer knowledge and skills to help develop values and attitudes that prevent conflict and build peace. Global Citizenship Education (GCED), one of the three priorities of the Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), has been cited in various international forums, for its critical role in violence prevention and forging peace by engaging learners to explore values such as human rights, social justice, equality, dignity and respect, and attitudes such as understanding cultural, religious, ethnic and other differences.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recognized the importance of including youth in peacebuilding processes; Youth organizations could play a powerful role in peacebuilding around the world but only if the international community helped to scale up their activities and invest in their ideas, and we have to encourage young people to take up the causes of peace, diversity, and mutual respect.

Focus of the UNESCO event held in UN Headquarters September 10-11 was preventing violence through working with youth, and Status M was presented through the work of Care International supported Young Men Initiative, program reaching more than 30000 young men in the prevention of violence and promotion of gender equality  since 2006 In Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and from recently also Albania.

The work done in Croatia was presented as positive practice example of institutionalisation of Program H methodology in Croatia and the region, methodology created by Promundo for implementation in more than 20 countries. Promundo US was invited to present their work as special guest in three separate sessions, and work through the YMI Be a man clubs was highlighted as the best practice in working with young men.

This was also a chance to present the IMAGES research, implemented by CESI in Croatia in 2012, as part of the multi-country study implemented so far in 20+ countries around the globe. Then International men and gender equality survey continues to be strong baseline for programming with men,  and advocacy tool for supporting engagement of men in GBV prevention.  Formulated informed by  IMAGES Croatia findings (CESI, 2012) , Status is now launching  MenCare Campaign in Medimurska county in Croatia, as part of the Care International  run regional campaign SUPERTATA, in cohesion with the  global MenCare movement under way in 35+ countries. SUPERTATA is  operated in Croatia with the support of National Foundation for Civil Society.

Status M continues to be a global example of high standard GBV prevention with  men in with the strong impact on community reconciliattion and building social capital.

Join the Global Education Initiative through following the work of Status M, SUPERTATA campaign and the YMI.

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