Peacetraining

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[edit] Peace Training

A general term used to describe the integral process of preparing people to effectively engage in peacework and to transform conflicts by peaceful means.

Peacetraining concentrates on the development of the head, heart and the hands of peaceworkers. In this sense, ‘head’ signifies the interdisciplinary knowledge necessary for work in any given conflict zone. ‘Heart’ refers to a peaceworker’s vocation and ability to bring an authentic presence to their work. And ‘hands’ refers to the many skills required to meet the specific needs of the field. All combine most effectively when peaceworkers work in ways that are sensitive to a conflict environment, that minimize harm that might result from their actions, and that maximize potentials for creating peace.

Peacetraining concentrates on many levels, among them: (1) the individual level, regarding the personal development and mindfulness of peaceworkers—i.e. attitudinal and behavioral competencies that infuse life into conflict zones; (2) the social level, regarding the skills that peaceworkers use to influence their society towards more peaceful co-existence among conflicting actors; and (3) the professional level, concerning the development of working methods based in awareness of conflict contexts, lessons learned from past experiences, and the tools necessary for transforming complex and ever-changing conflict realities. It is a broad and ever-changing field; the common denominator, however, is the support of peaceworkers capable of ending violence and constructively influencing peace writ large.

Definition developed by the ARCA project as part of the European Peacetraining network