World Peace Game – peace work and children’s participation
World Peace Game – a one-week simulation game for children that deepens practical socio-political knowledge and expands conflict resolution skills on both a local and global level. The insights gained are transferred directly to the children’s living environment in participation processes at community level. More information about the World Peace Game Foundation can be found at http://worldpeacegame.org
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Keywords:
peace competence, social competence, global learning, children’s participation, children’s rights, John Hunter, World-Peace-Game
Initial Situation
“Together with all UN member states, Austria has committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With 17 goals (Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs), the global community aims to make comprehensive changes at the economic, social and ecological levels. All countries must contribute to the development of a more sustainable, just and peaceful society.” (Federal Ministry of Education, HP)
Solution Approach
Peace competence, social competence and action competence are holistic educational goals that can only be realised through continuous positive experiences in children’s own living environment.
John Hunter developed the World Peace Game with 9- to 12-year-old children. The game enables them to train skills and thinking habits in terms of successful cooperation in diverse groups. To solve the tasks of the game, they have to use long-term strategic thinking: the children have to recognise complex problems, filter information, take responsibility, work in a team, make decisions quickly and revise them when they don’t yield the desired result or threaten to fail. In the game, they learn to make compassionate decisions that favour the coexistence of all people on our planet.
The Project
Financial support for the accompaniment of several World Peace Games by those responsible for “World of Children.” The implementation of the game is integrated into an overall process: the preparation ensures that children and adolescents at the community level are given an opportunity to work on developing solutions to conflict situations in the real world.
The Effects
- Direct results (output): students deal with current global challenges and learn that these problems can be solved by cooperation of all participants.
- Medium-term impact (outcome): students bring their ideas and interests to the community level, implement their own projects and learn by experience that their voice matters and their actions have real political and social impact.
- Long-term effects (impact): promotion of a culture of civil courage and political-social engagement.
