30 January: Peace and Nonviolence Day

30 January marks the Day of Peace and Nonviolence. Education in and for tolerance, solidarity, harmony, respect for human rights, non-violence and peace are reasons to remember on this day.

Pope Francis, on the 54th World Day of Peace, stated that “practising and educating to care is the way to eradicate the culture of indifference, discarding and confrontation, which often prevails today”. The culture of care as a privileged means to build peace is, therefore, “a common, supportive and participatory commitment to protect and promote the dignity and good of all, as well as a readiness to care, attention, compassion, reconciliation and healing, mutual respect and mutual acceptance”.

To mark this day, schools commit themselves as advocates of peace and understanding between people of different backgrounds and ways of thinking. The aim is to create men and women who prefer to talk rather than hit, to reconcile rather than shout, and to unite rather than compete fiercely against each other. This is what is known as a culture of peace.

As an example, from the subject of Communicative and Creative Practices at Claret School in Las Palmas, the students of 1st ESO have made a mural about the good news ‘For Peace’ that happened in 2020 and so far in 2021. The mural is in the school so that students, teachers and the school team can read this positive news to remember that, among so much bad news that we encounter every day, we can still see a ray of light.

 

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