Building peacebuilders through integrated formal and non-formal learning approaches Erasmus Project

Project Title

Building peacebuilders through integrated formal and non-formal learning approaches

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Open and distance learning; Post-conflict/post-disaster rehabilitation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Peacebuilding is now a multi-billion Euro industry with a global infrastructure, and the professionalisation that this has entailed has spurred growth in education and training, as practitioners need applied skills and knowledge. However, much of the current educational provision is offered piecemeal, disconnected from other relevant learning opportunities. There is no clear guidance for learners on the skills and competencies they should acquire and no easy way for them to combine courses strategically. Collaboration between learning providers is challenged by differences in pedagogical perspective, underpinning ethos and teaching methodology. There has also been little systematic reflection on the benefits and limitations of online and distance learning in peacebuilding, although learning providers use them a lot.

To address these challenges, the BUILDPEACE project brought together a mixed consortium of universities and NGOs from across Europe to improve the provision of peacebuilding education and support the learning outcomes of current and aspiring peacebuilders. Learning providers from the formal (university) and non-formal (NGO) sectors formed a community of practice, sharing their experiences of teaching and training in peacebuilding and related fields. In doing so, they were exposed to new approaches to peacebuilding education and were able to experiment and receive peer support and feedback as they expanded their skills sets as educators. They were also able to critically reflect on the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration, investigating current weaknesses considering ways to develop new forms of partnership. Learners were also directly supported through the project, coming together to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that facilitate peacebuilding work, share strategies for career development, and support one another.

The consortium consisted of a diverse range of partners. Among the formal education sector were three universities – one in the UK (Coventry University) and two in Turkey (Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversitesi and Kadir Has Üniversitesi). From the non-formal sector were 4 organisations involved in volunteer exchanges – one pan-European (Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service), one Scottish (Xchange Scotland), one Bosnian (Wings of Hope) and one Serbian (Young Researchers of Serbia). Together these organisations were able to bring a wealth of expertise on the educational needs of peacebuilders within their own context, and the strategies that they employed to meet these.

The project provided a series of opportunities for formal education (FE) and nonformal education (NFE) learning providers to collaborate and for them to develop the ‘BUILDPEACE approach to peacebuilding education together with learners. Two learning, teaching and training events (‘BUILDPEACE workshops’) took place – one in Coventry, UK and another in Mugla, Turkey. These were carefully designed to pilot and improve the BUILDPEACE approach, with participants from all partner organisations planning and delivering educational content using the methods, modes of delivery and tools that the project experiments with. The insights from the workshops fed into the intellectual outputs development through the project, including a toolkit for educators, a handbook for learners, four freely accessible online courses, a mapping report, and some policy recommendations.

The longer-term benefits of the project will be an improvement in the educational provisional available to people working on peace and conflict issues. Learners now have access to comprehensive, rigorously tested resources such as the online courses, and can access guidance on the competencies and skills they need to develop. Learning providers have access to resources so that teachers and trainers can improve their own skills, especially by using new methods and making use of technology. The partners have also formed a lasting network that involves different forms of learning providers, and their current and future projects will benefit from the BUILDPEACE approach. Finally, policymakers have additional insights into the current challenges in peacebuilding education, an expanded evidence base of what works and how, and reflections on how to encourage forms of education that bring together formal and non-formal approaches to learning.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 232592 Eur

Project Coordinator

COVENTRY UNIVERSITY & Country: UK

Project Partners

• XCHANGE SCOTLAND
• KADIR HAS UNIVERSITESI
• MLADI ISTRAZIVACI SRBIJE UDRUZENJE
• THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE
• MUGLA SITKI KOCMAN UNIVERSITY
• FONDACIJA ZA POMOC ZRTVAMA RATA KRILA NADE