Recognizing Young People’s Experiences Recognizing Young People’s Experiences Students participating in the Peacebuilding Citizenship Education research, in all participating schools in all countries, understood that aggressive responses to conflicts often cause harm and can cause the conflicts to escalate into bigger problems. One starting point they appreciated was when their teachers recognized, helped them to learn about, and discussed with them in class the interpersonal, local community, and large-scale conflict and violence problems (in and beyond their schools) that they were experiencing, witnessing, and worrying about. For instance, some elementary students in Canada explained, “Lots of kids get bullied and it can ruin their lives in many, many ways. ... Teachers could be more involved with the things happening ... handling problems proactively, then facilitating discussions.” Some intermediate students in Mexico described a lesson they valued, about how having been mistreated could influence somebody to be violent, and the direct and indirect negative impacts of violence. These young people expressed their need to study, more thoroughly, various examples of violent conflicts, the causes of violence, and what people like themselves could do to better handle conflicts, to stop or avoid violence. Several teachers participating in the Peacebuilding Citizenship Education research described lessons in which they had elicited students’ examples of conflict and violence experiences, and invited them to suggest solutions. This acknowledgement and listening shows concern for students and communities. However, students in their own focus groups said that they also needed further guidance about how conflicts work and how to handle them (alone and with others) in fair and effective ways. Here are some examples of teachers’ lessons that offered such foundations for peacebuilding education: recognizing the problem. As a literacy activity for understanding conflict, a Canadian teacher had each student write a letter to someone they had fought with, saying how they felt, how the conflict situation had affected them, and suggesting nonviolent ways they could have solved the problem. The “tree of caring” is another activity implemented by a teacher in Canada. Each child traced their five fingers, and on each finger wrote the name or role of somebody they could talk to about conflicts, and steps for calming down during conflict situations. Expressive art was extensively used by teachers in Mexico to generate discussion and reflection about conflict handling. Students in small groups dramatized escalated disputes that they had experienced in school. Each group then proposed how to change the relationships and attitudes in the situation they had presented. After each group’s presentation, the class reflected together on these problems and solution ideas. Writing exercises about conflict is another strategy used by teachers in Mexico in literacy and civics-ethics lesson. The teachers guided students to each write down a conflict situation they had experienced, anonymously and without naming names. These sheets of paper were passed to peers around the class circle. Each student read one peer’s narrative of experience aloud, and suggested their own solutions to that problem. Classmates in the circle then asked questions or made suggestions. Image