PRIF@School – Network Peace Research and Educational Practice

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Since 2020, PRIF coordinates the newly established PRIF@School network. Teachers from all types of schools are welcome to partici­pate in regular topic-related meetings and network projects. The network aims at promoting dialogical knowledge transfer between the field of peace and con­flict studies and peace education in school classes. This also includes the communication of current con­tents of peace and conflict research for civic education.

From its start, teachers from different types of schools in rural and urban settings, and who teach at schools that differ in their so­cial and cultural composition, have joined the network, in addition to scholars and actors in science communi­cation from PRIF and scholars in educational research. The consortium thus brings to­gether perspectives from different segments of educational practice and social science research, es­pecially political science and education. In addition, internationally en­gaged network members add global perspectives in civic education and expand existing contacts with international or­ganizations and school partners for the benefit of the network.

The network is committed to strengthening civic edu­cation at all types of schools through various projects.

Starting in fall 2021 the #PRIF@School_Award will be announced for peace and conflict studies in schools. In­dividual students and groups will be able to participate in the contest with for example academic essays or term papers on con­flict analysis, but also with a variety of creative projects.

Moreover, training programs for teachers in the field of peace and conflict studies are available.

The network also encourages (virtual) classroom visits by PRIF scholars to bring in­sights from their research in peace and conflict studies directly into schools.

E-Mail

If you are interested in participating in (virtual) exchange meetings or in (online) events of the network due to your work in educational practice or academia, please send an email to schule(at)prif.org.

Contact

Stefan Kroll

Dr. Stefan Kroll

Board Member // Head of Science Communication //

Past Events

The time has come: On July 4, the #PRIF@School_Award 2024 will be awarded!

Every two years, the #PRIF@Schule_Preis aims to recognize innovative and creative work and projects that deal with peace and conflict research topics in a local, national and international context. With this competition, PRIF aims to strengthen civic education on peace and conflict research topics in Hessian schools.

The winners will be announced by the jury at the award ceremony. The program includes the ceremonial awarding of the prize winners by the jury with musical accompaniment and a reception afterwards.

When: Thursday, July 4, 2024, 2:30 - 4:00 pm, admission: 2:15 pm

Where: PRIF – Leibniz Institute for Peace and Conflict Research, large conference room

As part of the Transformations of Political Violence (TraCe) research center, a four-hour interactive workshop with a simulation game element on NATO was developed and carried out in January at a Frankfurt school with 8th grade students. Using a simulation of the Tagesschau, the pupils worked on different positions and current challenges of NATO in view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The workshop was supported and scientifically supervised by Dr. Jonas Driedger, research assistant at TraCe/PRIF.

The simulation game will be presented as part of a virtual event of the “PRIF@Schule - Netzwerk Friedensforschung und Bildungspraxis” by:

  • Dr. Annika E. Poppe, Scientific Coordinator of the Research Center “Transformations of Political Violence” (TraCe)
  • Tina Cramer, Knowledge Transfer Officer at the Research Center “Transformations of Political Violence” (TraCe)

Following the project presentation, the two will discuss their experiences from the teaching workshop with all participants and there will be an opportunity to ask questions to the speakers.

When: Wednesday, 17.04.2024, 15:00 - 16:30
Where: Online

The event is aimed at interested teachers as well as those interested in educational practice and knowledge communication.

Just as the Hamas terror attack on Israel and its consequences are present in the de­bate in society as a whole, the escalation of violence in Israel, the Gaza Strip and neighboring areas of the region is also a topic in schools, the staff room and the classroom. Pupils at Gymnasium Nord in Frankfurt have therefore been studying the Middle East con­flict in class and collecting their questions about it.

As part of our “Frankfurt Ideas for Peace” format, they have the opportunity to dis­cuss these with experts from our institute in an interactive discussion format.

Topics

  • What is the current Middle East conflict about, what are the causes and is there a solution? – Dr. Claudia Baumgart-Ochse
  • How is Israel's ongoing war in the Gaza Strip being discussed in Germany? (And what is not being talked about?) – Dr. Irene Weipert-Fenner

When: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 12:15-13:30

Where: This is a closed event.

“Alternative facts”, con­spiracy narratives and targeted disinformation have become widespread on the internet in recent years and are parti­cularly prevalent in connection with the coronavirus pan­demic, but are also frequently encountered in everyday life. They are used by anti-democratic associations or individuals to unsettle people and fuel social pola­rization. Raising young people's awareness of this and promoting their ability to reflect and deal with con­flict therefore plays an essential role in civic education in schools and extracurricular activities.

The “#vrschwrng” project re­presents a possible educational approach to the topic. Dr. Nicole Rieber, Senior Project Manager in the Global Learning for Conflict Transformation department of the Berghof Foundation, will present the toolkit developed and give an insight into individual methods on the topics of “Dealing with conflicts and conspiracy theories” and “Democracy and peaceful coexistence”. Among other things, she will discuss specific scenarios in which conspiracy theories play a role and report on her experiences of implementing the project in schools.

The event will be attended by

  • Dr. Nicole Rieber, Berghof Foundation
  • Susanne Johansson, PRIF

Following the impulse, the discussion will be open to all participants and there will be an opportunity to ask questions to the speaker.

When: Wednesday, 15.03.2023, 15.00-16.30 hrs

Where: Online via Zoom
 

Ten months on, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the massive con­sequences for the Ukrainian population and the significance of the attack for European security policy are still daily topics in the news, on talk shows, in conversations with friends and in school lessons in Ger­many. The question of the impact of the destruction on nature and the environ­ment, for example through the destruction of water reservoirs or the re­lease of toxic substances with serious consequences for people and nature, often goes unnoticed. What op­tions are there to combat the environmental damage caused by war?

Wars also pose parti­cular challenges for women: Not only are they more often victims of sexualized war violence, they are also usually excluded from partici­pating in peace negotiations and decision-making processes. In its coalition agree­ment, the German government commits to the idea of a feminist foreign policy. What opportunities does a femi­nist foreign policy offer Germany to support fe­minist freedom movements, for example in Iran or Afghanistan?

Pupils from Frankfurt have dealt with these issues in class and collected questions. As part of the “Frankfurt Ideas for Peace” event, they will be answered and dis­cussed further with experts from PRIF. In­terested citizens will also have the opportunity to join in the discussions during the public part of the event from 3 pm.

Topics

  • War in Ukraine: Environmental consequences of military conflicts – Dr. Patrick Flamm
  • Feminist foreign policy: A look at the movements in Afghanistan and Iran – Victoria Scheyer

When: Monday, December 19, 2022

  • 13.30 – 15.00: Workshops with school courses
  • 15.00 – 16.00: Public discussion

Where: Central Library of the Frankfurt am Main Public Library | Hasengasse 4 | 60311 Frankfurt am Main

The time has come: The #PRIF@School_Award will be awarded! The winners will be announced by the jury at the award cere­mony! The program includes the ceremonial awarding of the prize winners by the jury with musical accompaniment and a rece­ption afterwards.

When: Friday, July 8, 2022, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Where: Building Normative Orders, Goethe University Frankfurt, Room EG 01+02

Social media from WhatsApp to Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and Telegram are in­fluencing media and news consumption in our society, especially among children and young people. What do we need to know about how social media works? How can we work with pu­pils on appropriate use of social media and how can we recog­nize misinformation and communicate this at school?

In­puts on theoretical and empirical backgrounds on the use of social media by young people as well as practical tips on a contemporary and critical approach to social media:

  • Dr. Melanie Verhovnik-Heinze, DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education
  • Aline Mörrath, spreu X weizen

Following the inputs, the discussion will be open to all participants and there will be an oppor­tunity to ask questions to the speakers.

When: Thursday, 10.02.2022, 15:00-16:30
Where: Online

After 20 years, US and NATO troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2021 and the direct and indirect con­sequences of the mission, but also the consequences of the withdrawal, are in the air. How did the Afghanistan mission fail? And what lessons can be learned for future multi­lateral missions? Afghanistan received enormous funds for re­construction and the promotion of democracy-develop­ment cooperation is increasingly taking place in countries affected by violent conflicts. What challenges does this pose for sus­tainable peacebuilding?

These and other questions not only occupy po­liticians and academics, but are also being discussed in Hessian schools. Pupils from the Max-Planck-Gymnasium in Groß-Umstadt and the Hohe Landes­schule Hanau have dealt with two main topics in class and collected their questions. As part of our “Frankfurt Ideas for Peace” format, they have the opportunity to discuss these with experts from the HSFK in an interactive online format.

Topics

  • The importance of development cooperation – Simone Schnabel
  • Afghanistan: German foreign policy and NATO – Dr. Matthias Dembinski

When: Tuesday, December 21, 2021, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

This is a closed event.

Political education in schools is historically rooted in the emergence of nation states and usually fo­cuses on the context of one's own country. However, today's closely net­worked world increasingly demands skills to recognize and deal with global problems. Dis­courses on values, which are closely linked to aspects of globalization, can no longer be conducted at a local level. In order to negotiate and overcome these problems, transnational perspectives in political education and global net­working are needed. “Global Citizenship Education” provides a framework for this.

Three organizations from different areas of global education will present their work on a panel:

  • Klaus Schilling, coordinator of the German UNESCO project schools
  • Louise Ohlig, Probono School Partnerships for One World e.V.
  • Vincent Delgado, Dr. Steve Esquith, & Welore Tamboura, Network of Global Civics Engagement (NGCE), Michigan State University

Following the panel presentations, all partici­pants will have the opportunity to ask questions to the panelists and engage in an exchange on various aspects of global citizen­ship education. Due to partici­pants from non-German-speaking countries, the event will be held in English. How­ever, questions and contributions to the discussion can be formulated in German.

When: Thursday, 28.10.2021, 3-5 p.m.
Where: Online via Zoom

Civic education in schools is historically rooted in the emergence of nation states. Democracy and co-determination are discussed in class. Es­pecially in an election year, there is a lot of talk about it. The school itself should also be a place of democracy and political discussion. Demo­cracy is strengthened above all when it is practiced. But what does this mean in concrete terms for schools? In this discussion of the PRIF@Schule network, we would like to talk about political and social strategies (activities and engagement) in schools: What issues do pupils and teachers get involved in? Is this supported and encouraged? What con­flicts arise and how are they resolved?

Spotlights are offered by pupils, teachers and academics from the fields of peace, con­flict and education research. Join the dis­cussion and find out more about how schools in Hesse are taking action!

The event will be moderated by Raphaela Schlicht-Schmälzle.

When: Thursday, July 01, 2021, 15:00-17:00
Where: This is an online event. 

Over the past four years, in­cumbent US President Donald Trump has undermined important pillars of democracy, demonstrating how dangerous and de­structive populism can be for democracy. Now that he has been voted out of office, it remains to be seen how much trust in the in­stitutions his successor Joe Biden can restore. How will transatlantic relations and multilateralism develop under his leadership? And what role will the United Nations play in this, whose 75th anniversary once again made it clear that we are in the midst of a deep crisis of multila­teralism?

These and other questions are not only of con­cern to politicians and academics, but are also being discussed in Frankfurt's schools. Pupils from Friedrich-Dessauer-Gymnasium Frankfurt and Gymna­­sium Philippinum in Weilburg have spent the last few weeks exami­ning four main topics in class and collecting their questions on them. As part of our “Frankfurt Ideas for Peace” format, they have the opportu­nity to discuss these with PRIF experts – this year in the form of an interactive online con­ference due to coronavirus.

Topics

  • Germany, the EU and the US elections – the future of transatlantic relations – Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff
  • How populism can destroy democracy – Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff
  • International terrorism – Prof. Dr. Hanna Pfeifer
  • 75 years of the United Nations: What is their role and how can they be strengthened? – Dr. Melanie Coni-Zimmer

When: Thursday, December 17, 2020, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This is a closed event. Do you have questions about the format? Then please contact our Press and Public Relations / Knowledge Transfer team.