| Posted: Mar. 30 2005,06:19 |
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
DONYA
Children Research Institute (DCRI) is an independent, specialized, and
non-governmental organization, which has been active in Iran since 1994
with the aim of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD ) in
Iran. This institute was established with the efforts of a group of
experts in education and training, academics, researchers, educators
and the administrative staffs of educational centers for Early
childhood development. Since 1994, DCRI has undertaken several projects
and programs throughout Iran with the participation of governmental and
non-governmental departments, and international organizations. Due to
the promotion of the holistic needs and support for young children from
birth till the age of 7, the institute was given a special promotional
award by the Organization for the Promotion of Science
Objectives:
- Promoting programs for ECCD in particular the underprivileged children in Iran
- Developing Living Values through training programs for children and their families
- Mobilizing the local community, specially women, to help and support young children
- Influencing national policies regarding support for and attention to young children
Basic Necessity
DCRI
has always followed the objective of institutionalizing the, that if
children of a country are raised well and benefit from humane and
fundamental trainings, a bright future will await that land.
To
achieve Peace Culture, living values, understanding, tolerance and even
democracy should be taught from childhood. If these concepts are
practiced from early childhood, children will grow up to be effective
and responsible citizens of that society.
Children Research
Institute has always borne in mind five working subjects as the main
policies of its programs: 1. Attention to child-centered and
society-based education 2. Attention to education of Peace Culture 3.
Attention to children with special needs 4. Attention to educational
programs with the aim of eliminating sexual discrimination 5. Attention
to policy making in national programs for the support of young
children.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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From
1980 to 1988 Iran was involved in a great and extensive war with Iraq.
This war (like any other war) inflicted several damages on human,
economic, environmental and other resources. Displacement, handicaps,
loss of family and other social damages were part of the problems that
attacked Iranian children. A third of the country was directly damaged
in this war, and other parts were seriously afflicted.
At the moment, Iran and Iraq are in cease-fire, and the two countries have officially signed certain peace treaties.
On
the other hand, Iran is located in the Middle East which is, and has
always been, exposed to all kinds of threats and wars and violent
conflicts.
Due to all these factors, Iranian teachers and
educators witness certain unusual behavior. Violence is found in simple
and complex forms in training centers, and is sometimes reinforced by
official and unofficial sources and even families.
Iran is a
country of great ethnic, religious and climatic diversity. Although the
official language of the country is Farsi, more than 8 other languages
and hundreds of dialects are spoken throughout the country. The
country's great ethnic diversity has led to the emergence and growth of
different cultures. Also, people of different religions, both official
and non-official, live in Iran. If seen creatively, this great
diversity can lead to cultural growth and development. Otherwise, all
these differences can prepare the ground for violence and war.
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ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
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Children
Research Institute, with the aim of teaching Peace Culture to children
(under 6 years of age), in 1999 started its official activities in Iran
for the expansion of peace trainings.
A great section of our programs are about ECCD and "Cultural of Peace" is one of DCRI activities.
B - Culture of peace
B - 1 - The Creation of the Peace Group
The
creation of the peace group within DCRI was aimed to organize all
programs within the framework of co-existence, tolerance, acceptance
and respect for all the differences, and the eradication of violence as
a solution to problems.
"Peace must be taught from childhood"
was the motto the group included in its agenda from the beginning,
because if children learn peace-mindedness and Peace Culture, they will
better play their part as peace promoters in the society as adults.
During its first year, the Peace Group devoted time to the
theoretical studies concerning peace and the identification of related
areas. At the same time, the following activities were undertaken:
- Collecting poems and songs with the theme of peace for the children
- Collecting stories and books with the theme of peace for children, and compiling a list for kindergartens
- Identifying the rituals, beliefs and ceremonies that promote the concepts of co-existence, tolerance and arbitration
- Introducing peace defending national and international figures
- Distributing the statement by Federico Mayor, UNESCO Secretary-General, on the International Year of Tolerance on a wide scale
Holding
28 meetings in 1999 and following the identification of various aspects
of peace, the Peace Group drafted the Declaration of Peace Culture.
B - 2 - Declaration of Culture of Peace
The
Declaration of Peace Culture, formulated in 15 sections, stresses the
need to respect the rights of refugees, senior citizens, children,
women and the disabled, and the need to protect the environment,
cultural heritages, individual rights, freedom, and to avoid all kinds
of violent behavior. The Declaration addresses parents, educators,
writers and experts in children's issues, and it urges and encourages
them to teach Peace Culture to children while complying with the
contents of the Declaration. DCRI sent the Declaration to more than
four thousand members of the institute, non-governmental organizations,
kindergartens, newspapers, and also child related government centers
all over the country.
The Declaration is one of the most lucid and
clearly spelled out documents related to the teaching of Peace Culture,
which understands peace through justice, freedom, equal rights of
citizens, development, and the negation of war.
It has so far
been printed in five prominent newspapers and in 23 general and special
publications in Tehran and other cities. To date, 8,000 copies have
been published and distributed.
The full text is given at the end of this section.
B - 3 - Living Values
Following
DCRI's focus on Peace Culture, UNESCO and UNICEF invited one of
the center's officers to take part in the Living Values Workshop in
England.
Living Values is a global program supported by UNESCO
through which 12 humanitarian values have been developed for the
improvement of the quality of life for children and adults. So far, all
12 values have been translated into Farsi, and each value has been
revised according to cultural and regional conditions in Iran.
The following activities have been carried out in the center:
- Workshop on Living Values for parents, consisting of eight twelve-hour sessions / for 93 participants
- Workshop on Living Values for instructors, consisting of 15 six-hour sessions / for 415 participants
-
Workshop on Living Values for the administrative staffs of factory and
municipality kindergartens, consisting of three four-hour sessions /
for 45 participants
- Preparation of 12 Living Values working pamphlets in Farsi for kindergartens
- Organization of a special workshop on Living Values for DCRI teachers with the participation of an expert from the US
B - 4 - Boycotting Violence Provoking Toys
In
January 2000 DCRI raised the question of toys that provoked violence
for the first time in Iran. A declaration with six clauses was prepared
by DCRI and distributed among educational centers for young children as
well as the media.
In this document, it is recommended that
families, instructors and care-takers of young children regard the
boycotting of violence provoking toys as an effective way of
controlling violent behavior.
The above-mentioned declaration was published in two official newspapers of the country as an important item.
On
May 15, 2001, the International Peace Day, volunteer kindergartens in
Tehran and other provinces collaborated to clear their premises of such
toys.
On this day the children who brought their war making toys received gift toys provided by UNICEF.
143 kindergartens in 18 cities of the country were cleared of war toys on this day.
The activities of this program were:
- Designing the badge of peace
- Preparing an introductory pamphlet on the preliminary steps to remove violent provoking toys.
B
- 5 - The International Decade for Culture of peace non -
violence for the children of the world ( 2001 - 2010 )
Following
the UN proclamation of 2001-2010 as the decade for Culture of
Peace non - violence for the children of the world (
and Rejection of Violence against Children), the DCRI, more than
any other institution in Iran, focused on this program.
On
March 4, 2000, in a coordinated plan, DCRI held simultaneous events
(same hour, same day) called "Proclaiming the Decade culture of peace
non - violence for the children of the world" in 11 provinces. In
this program, DCRI colleagues, in collaboration with the
representatives of the institute, traveled to different cities to
introduce strategies and objectives to the participants.
Reading
the Declaration culture of peace non - violence for the children of the
world and DCRI's Announcement on the Decade were amongst the common
programs in all the 11 cities. In each city, regional authorities also
presented their views on Peace Culture.
Among the addressees of
these sessions were parents, instructors and administrators, and others
interested in issues concerning children joined the authorities in
these events. More than 6,000 participants took part in these
coordinated and well-organized events from all over the country.
The objectives of these simultaneous events were:
1. Broadcasting the Decade of Peace Culture on a wide scale
2. Attracting the participation of all interested groups
3. Sensitizing government officials to Peace Culture
The program was well received in both national and local media.
B - 6 - Young People's Peace Group
With
the development of DCRI activities regarding Peace Culture, an
experimental course was organized in 1999 for about 40 young people
between the ages of 14 and 17 years old.
For one year the
group met once a week with specialists from DCRI and followed Living
Value curriculum geared towards their needs.
During this one year, the group received workshop trainings on:
- Living Values
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Declaration of Peace Culture
- Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women
- Convention on the Protection of Refugees
- Ethnic and religious groups in Iran
Participants also took part in the following activities:
- Visits to churches, synagogues and other worship places of Iran's religions
- Festivities of Iran's Armenians
- Ceremonies launching the Decade of Peace Culture
- The Day of Solidarity with Afghan Mothers
- And others
By the end of the year 2000, two more groups (of about 60) participated in these programs.
B - 7 - The Day of Solidarity with Afghan Mothers
In
August 2000 DCRI for the first time held a program called the Day of
Solidarity with Afghan mothers. On this day Afghan mothers exhibited
their handicraft, arts and also their national food.
The money collected from this program was given for the support of Afghan imigrants kindergartens.
B - 8 - Publications Related to Peace Culture
In
February 2000 DCRI produced a special publication on Peace Culture. The
articles focused more than anything on Peace Culture and the need for
education. The publication is considered to be one of the important
sources for studies on Peace Culture.
B - 9 - Council for the Development for Culture of Peace
In
May 2001 Children Research Institute sent the Declaration on the
Elimination of Violence Provoking Toys to all non-governmental
organizations active in small children issues. The Institute also
forwarded a letter asking the organizations to sign the statement and
form a group with the boycotting of violence provoking toys on its
agenda.
An overall of 30 non-governmental organizations signed
the declaration and officially started a new society called "Council
for the Development of Peace Culture."
The Council for the
Development of Peace Culture held a seminar in October 2001 on "Peace,
Children and Toys" for the first time in Iran. On this occasion,
representatives of all organizations presented their views on children
and peace. The council is at present active within the framework of the
following work groups:
- Research committee
- Family education committee
- Communication committee
So far, each committee has planned and carried out several programs.
B - 10 - Peace in the Afternoon
In
order to widely introduce the Decade of Peace Culture, DCRI arranged
five afternoon programs which provided cultural, educational and
recreational activities for children and their families.
Amongst
the objectives of this program were providing opportunities for family
members to be together, introducing joyful, healthy and educational
programs free from any kind of violence and introducing the fundamental
concepts of peace.
A total of 4,000 people took part in this program in 2001.
Due
to the success of these afternoon events, DCRI suggested that all
non-governmental organizations to undertake the programs. In the summer
of 2002, in 11 programs, more than 25 non-governmental organizations
each week held several events for children and their families within
the framework of peace, understanding and friendship. More than 10,000
people participated in these events. In other words, all participants
declared solidarity with the programs of Peace Culture and of rejection
of violence against children.
B - 11 - Peace Schools
The
Peace Culture programs were well received by the Young People's Peace
Group, therefore, the DCRI Peace Group planned an educational course
for students ranging from the first year of primary school to the last
year of high school.
These courses, known as Peace Schools,
started their activities in the summer of 2002 and more than 60
students enrolled in these classes.
B - 12 -Culture of Peace Workshops
So
far, DCRI has set up 38 workshops of Peace Culture in Tehran and in
other cities for 2,100 participants. Some of the addressees of these
workshops are:
- Kindergarten teachers
- Parents
- Administrative staffs of private and factory kindergartens
- Officials of governmental departments
- CRI members
- Members of the Council for the Development of Peace Culture
- Others
Other activities
- The publication of educational pamphlets on the necessity for Peace Culture
- Extensive celebration of the International Peace Day in different cities of Iran
- Formation of non-governmental groups interested in Peace Culture in different cities of Iran
- A workshop for Iranian artiest society about education of peace.
- Native games and plays festival for children.
Statement for the "Spread of the Culture of Peace "
(DONYA) Children's Research Institute 2000
Peace
is rooted in the minds of People. In a healthy environment, any human
being can become familiar with values of life, and live him and others,
respect all beings, and learn that he doesn't have the right to tale
the life of another being.
War is also rooted in human minds.
Therefore, it's best to eradicate it right there, and instead teach
peace, cooperation, patience and justice.
We know that peace is
not just the absence of war, but life in a civil society that is filled
with justice, cooperation, tolerance, freedom, democracy and absence of
violence, defines peace.
We the instructors, teachers, parents
and guardians of young children, with the knowledge that we need to
take the culture of peace seriously, from the early stages of life,
offer all those who deal with children, that by considering the points
of this statement regarding the culture of peace, they will be able to
spread peace in their own lands.
Chapter 1- Summary
Teach our children:
- To respect humans from all races, colors religions, beliefs, languages and cultures.
-
There is no difference between human beings. No human is superior
to another because of their social or economic status, race, color,
religion, etc ….
- All humans do not think alike or live alike.
Chapter 2- Religion
Teach our children:
- To respect all religions and their followers.
- That with tolerance and respect all followers of different faiths can coexist.
- To avoid all manners of thought which cause differences and separation between followers of different religions.
Chapter 3- People, races, languages
Teach our children:
-
To respect all people whom live in Iran. Turks, Kurds, Lors, Baluchis,
Armenians, Gilaks, Arabs, Farsi's, and … all are worthy of
respect.
- No one or no culture is superior to another.
- Learn about the indigenous people of their regions, and respect the wisdom of different tribes and people.
- Not to allow anyone to belittle another culture or people.
- There is no difference between people of different races or colores.
- Not to categorize or name people based on their appearance.
- Color or race is not merit for worth.
- To respect all languages which mean respect for the history of the people who speak that language.
- That paying attention to other languages can enrich our own language.
Chapter 4- Gender
Teach our children:
- That people are not superior based on whether they are male or female.
- To avoid any behavior that is prejudiced against boys and girls.
- Never to believe a story or poem that says girls are weaker or inferior to boys.
Chapter 5- The Handicapped
Teach our children:
- To respect all people who are mentally, emotionally or physically handicapped, and to pay attention to them.
- Try to connect to the handicapped, and involve them in social activities.
- It's the right of all children to live with others regardless of their physical appearance
Chapter 6- Refugees
Teach our children:
- To respect all people who have migrated to our country or are refugees here.
- Not to believe those who belittle refugees or cause trouble for them.
- Seek ways to communicate better with refugees.
Chapter 7- The Environment
Teach our children:
- To protect the earth and all of its resources.
- Not to use equipment that destroys the environment.
- Not to hurt animals.
- Not to destroy trees, and not to pollute water or the air.
- The culture of peace is meaningless without protecting the environment.
Chapter 8- Violence
Teach our children:
- To not have violence behavior towards other people or beings.
- To recognize the things that create violence and work to eradicate them.
- To use their hands, feet and thoughts for peace and friendship.
- Not to hurt any human being.
- To recognize that killing of human beings is evil.
- To avoid programs, toys and films that promote violence.
- And to learn that violence behavior is not the first or last solution for solving problems.
Chapter 9- Value of lives
Teach our children:
- To recognize life values and to use them in their own lives.
-
To realize that honesty, modesty, simplicity, unity, loving, patience,
accepting, responsibility, respect and cooperation and … are
values that they need to repeat daily in their lives.
- To show enthusiasm in understanding other points of views.
- To take the first steps in welcoming others.
Chapter 10- The Family
- Teach our children:
- To respect their own and other's families.
- That all humans who live in villages, cities, and our lands are part of our greater family that we also belong to.
- To respect the traditions and values of other families.
- To respect the character and wisdom of the elderly in families.
Chapter 11- Cooperation
Teach our children:
- To make effort in listening to other points of views and opinions.
- To think of the situation of group and to value group activities.
- To participate in other's activities and ask others to share in theirs.
- In performing various tasks, to consider other's opinions.
- Not to take decisions for the group, or impose their opinion on the group.
- To work towards common understanding between people and groups.
Chapter 12- Freedom
Teach our children:
- To respect all differences. All humans are not supposed to be alike or think alike.
- To respect other's opinions.
- To avoid prejudgments.
- To avoid anything that jeopardizes human values.
- To allow others to think freely, and not to force anyone to accept their views.
- To respect human freedom.
- Freedom finds its meaning with justice. With justice, freedom becomes complete.
Chapter 13- Individual Rights
Teach our children:
- To become familiar with their own rights.
- To familiarize other children and their friends with the international treaty regarding children's rights.
- To familiarize themselves with human rights, and respect human rights.
Chapter 14- Peace
Teach our children:
- To work towards world peace and consider peace above all conflicts.
- To practice love for all humans.
- To familiarize themselves with the cultures of other people, in order to find world peace.
- To realize that the path of salvation for humans is only through peace.
Chapter 15- Group Oath
Teach our children:
We
the teachers, guardians, parents and all those interested in the
culture of peace, with the acceptance of all the points in this
declaration, try our best in considering the above statements, and to
teach them to the children around us.
Iranian play festival by DCRI
Children in peace school
DCRI activity for Afghan refugees
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ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
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PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
Future plans
1.
Compilation of the curriculum of Peace Schools and seeking UNESCO's
support in getting the permit for establishing the above-mentioned
schools
2. Attention to theoretical issues and fundamentals of
Peace Culture for a clear understanding and for finding suitable
procedures
3. Development of educational programs on Peace Culture for kindergartens all over the country
4. Collection of all the mines which endanger women and children in different regions of Iran
5. Identification of peace provoking traditions in the daily lives of Iranian families
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Postal address of organization
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IRAN - TEHRAN
P.O.Box : 117665 - 367
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E-mail address of organization
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Website address of organization
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Education for a culture of peace
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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Iran
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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