Little Prince Seminar
Within the framework of
our project partnership we prepare a workshop in January 23 to 27, 2003.
It took place in Harrachov, in the
In this seminar we continued
our work on peace education and mutual understanding which we have been dealing
with since 1999.
The teacher seminar was based
on mutual learning and each of us contributed from his own experiences on peace
education and solving problems.
The aim of our meetings is
to learn from each other and to involve our students in further common
activities and projects.
This has being the second
meeting of our team in the course of this term. The first part took place in
First
stage – Little Prince observing through the holes of the box.
Second stage – Little
Prince speaks to the pilot
Third
stage – Little Prince between the worlds.
The participants were asked
to go into a process of getting closer to their partners and understand their
conflicts and dilemmas.
We believe that it is
absolutely necessary to meet each other personally in regular intervals
especially as we plan the next student's meeting.
Our experiences teach us
that there is an urgent need for dedicated educators who have a strong belief
that they can give hope for a better future for the next generation.
We are deeply convinced
that the cross-cultural activities and working together can achieve an
important contribution to a peaceful coexistence.
Dealing with Conflicts seminar
The best
way to get people to understand their own behavior is often to take them out of
their habitual context and put them onto safe, neutral territory. Once away
from their familiar props, they can start to think anew.
This
partnership of peace educators took this approach to work on the conflicted
situation and reality they have in their home-country, bringing themselves
together to learn in aim to understand each other and themselves.
The last October we organized the first stage on
the Dealing with conflicts seminar.
The seminar took place in
Educators from
The programmed was varied, interspersing intense
debate with light relief.
The serious business was conducted through
role-play exercises, presentations by each national group to the others, and
discussions in the whole group and among each national group separately.
The success of the seminar was not only down to the
beautiful setting and the imaginative and carefully balanced program, which
left enough free time for the participants to get to know each other
personally.
Philosophy of the seminar.
Dealing
with conflict seminar is based on the story little prince.
The seminar
is being based on the experiences of experts, who base their work on bridging,
especially in the educational field.
During the
seminar, each individual and group take the place of the conflicted side and
alternately the mediator.
The bridge,
which every participant crosses, is composed of three stages.
During the
three stages, we use many kinds of techniques for self-therapy. These
techniques give us the right instruments for dealing with anger, frustration,
helplessness, and luck of faith and other feelings that paralyze our creativity
and ability of bringing our students and ourselves to a constructive process of
growing.
First stage:
Little
Prince observing through the holes of the box:
In this phase the participant will be asked to
go into a process of inner contemplation, in aim of distinguishing between his
personal conflicts, which are the same conflicts we deal within everyday of our
lives.
Second stage:
Little
prince speaks to the pilot:
In
this phase the participant will be asked to go into a process of drawing nearer
to his partner and understand his conflicts and dilemmas.
Third stage:
Little prince role between the worlds:
In this
phase the participant will be asked to go into a process of understanding other
nation's, society's and religion's conflicts.
In the end
of the seminar, each participant will be able to lead a team of
students/educators in his own country, which will work on peace education
during the next scholar year.
Basic principles and goals:
(1) Listen, learn and share ourselves and
knowledge.
(2) Leave
behind the propaganda we are all taught and we all hear.
(3) Enrich one each other by sharing information and experiences.
(4)
Sensitivity shares the painful things.
(5) Share
skills and experiences in how to build respect and friendship.
(6) Talk to
people as individuals and see them as individuals.
(7) Admit
we can be wrong
It is very important to highlight that
our work is based on love, faith, mutual respect, seriousness but also lots of
fun.
Mr. P. Staffa
Mrs. Mara List
Israeli Leader
project & coordinator
