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International Education and UN SDGs Facilitate Partnerships for Sustainable Development
Credit: Subira Popenoe, IEM ’23
“[It’s a] beautiful intersection between this is what works [and] this is what you can bring home.”
This is how Professor Marie Butcher, Middlebury Institute of International Studies’ (MIIS) Program Head for English for Academic and Professional Purposes, described the benefits and outcomes of sustainable development partnerships for students. This J-term, Professor Butcher and Professor Morera, Associate Professor of Spanish and Latin American Policy Studies at MIIS, offered Peace and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Action, a language and intercultural competence course with the goal of providing a “curriculum where cultivating a culture of peace is at the center of discussion” using MIIS’ three pillars of peace and security; language skills and intercultural communication; and sustainability as well as the UN SDGs. During J-term students were exposed to a range of individuals, groups, and organizations actively working to foster peace and sustainability in various contexts like education, youth empowerment, and environmental sustainability.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are “an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership” to tackle the wicked problems impacting societies across the globe. Partnerships are essential in imagining how international education and education abroad programming can support achieving the UN SDGs. Education abroad programs rely on partnerships in achieving programmatic goals. For example, an education abroad program coordinator may collaborate with a local grassroots organization to offer students a presentation on advancing human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such partnerships target UN SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals, and specifically UN SDG 17.17, which seeks to “encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships”. This includes Butcher and Morera’s Peace and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Action course. Included below are two takeaways from an interview with Professor Butcher further exploring the intersection between international education, the UN SDGs, and partnerships in advancing sustainable development.
Question 1: Why focus on the UN SDGs and Costa Rica specifically?
Costa Rica as a Case Study and the UN SDGs as a Shared Framework and Language
The motivation behind Costa Rica as the location for the program is rooted in its unique position as a model for studying peace in action. Costa Rica demilitarized in 1948 and proceeded to center peace in both its national policy and identity by investing into education and social welfare as well as acknowledging peace as a human right. Combined with Middlebury’s interest in conflict transformation, or the process of finding creative solutions to conflict, Costa Rica served as a perfect fit in envisioning what a peaceful society and future can look like.
The choice for including the UN SDGs was rooted in both its goal to solve the wicked problems of the world through global partnerships, but also because the UN SDGs can be leveraged in easily facilitating such partnerships. According to Professor Butcher, “[Our] partners in Costa Rica were an easy conversation to have because they already have the UN SDG framework”. Acting as a bridge between both MIIS professors and program partners in Costa Rica, the UN SDGs provided each group with a shared language and framework that was used in the planning and designing of the program.
Question 2: The SDGs are a set of goals that primarily operate on the national-level. How do you reconcile this with the nature of international education programs, which, on-the-ground, operate at the individual and local levels?
Using the UN SDGs to Spur Bottom-Up Change
The nature of international education programs, which primarily serve individual students and local universities, organizations, and communities depending on the type of program, can initially seem at odds with the national-level focus of the UN SDGs. However, this isn’t necessarily the case, and Professor Butcher provided an example that illustrates this point. In 2019, MIIS hosted high school students from Carmel for The Lyceum of Monterey County’s Model UN event. This event engages students in “debates that mirror those of United Nations ambassadors, like background research, in-conference debate, and resolution forming”. The topic of the event was UN SDG 13, climate action. That year there was a small group of Russian students interested in learning more about recycling in the hopes of implementing a recycling program in Moscow. Through Monterey County’s Waste Management department, the students were provided more context on how recycling works, context that they could then bring to and implement in Moscow. These instances of “organic collaboration”, as Professor Butcher referred to them, allow for opportunities to explore international issues, perspectives, and solutions and apply those takeaways to our own individual, local, or national contexts.
An example like this reimagines how the UN SDGs can be applied. Rather than being solely implemented from the top-down, where national goals and actions are meant to lead to local and individual changes, the UN SDGs can also be applied locally, with the intent to create change from the bottom-up. International education program partnerships can be used in a similar manner. By sparking curiosity and a desire and vision for change in individual students, students that participate in international education programs can be inspired to take the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and experiences gained and developed abroad and apply them to their various contexts, from the individual level to the national level. In reflecting on my own recent experience abroad through the Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in the Balkans course, I deepened my interest and knowledge of peace education, conflict transformation, and LGBTQ+ human rights by through partnerships with local leaders and organizations that exposed me to international, non-U.S. perspectives and approaches on these topics. Additionally, I also returned with knowledge on navigating intercultural interactions and living abroad. These are interests and knowledge that I will be bringing with me in Kazakhstan this summer, both to my practicum site and to my program cohorts.
References
Butcher, M. (2023, March 13). SDGs and Peacebuilding in Costa Rica Interview (Q. Townsend, Interviewer) [Review of SDGs and Peacebuilding in Costa Rica Interview].
Coleman, P., & Donahue, J. (2018, September 7). Costa Rica: Choosing a Path to Build and Sustain Peace. IPI Global Observatory; IPI Global Observatory. https://theglobalobservatory.org/2018/09/costa-rica-choosing-path-to-build-sustain-peace/
Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation | Middlebury. (n.d.). Www.middlebury.edu; Middlebury College. Retrieved May 19, 2023, from https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation
Model UN. (n.d.). The Lyceum of Monterey County. Retrieved May 19, 2023, from https://www.lyceum.org/model-un
Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in the Balkans – A Spring Break Experiential Learning Program. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2023, from https://sites.miis.edu/balkans/
Remmel, A. (2019, October 23). Local students tackle global challenges at Model UN event. Monterey Herald; Monterey Herald. https://www.montereyherald.com/2019/10/23/local-students/
United Nations. (2015). The 17 Sustainable Development Goals. United Nations. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Para PREVENIR la violencia, dependemos de Miles de Manos: Creating Change Through Community Collaboration and Vocational Opportunity
By Julian Hernandez-Webster
(Violence runs rampant throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), especially among young people, and despite efforts from national governments and international powers the problem remains persistent. In 2019, 43 of the world’s 50 most violent cities were located in LAC, where young men are most likely to become victims or perpetrators of violent crimes and young women commonly face threats of sexual violence and domestic abuse while femicide rates are among the highest in the world (Seguridad, Justicia, y Paz México 2020; Esmail 2019, para. 1; ECLAC 2022). Among the many national youth development and violence prevention policies or strategies that have been adopted in response, the Central American Integration System (SICA), in collaboration with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), created the PREVENIR program to bring about change in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala (The Northern Triangle). While PREVENIR included interventions for a range of factors related to citizen security, it placed an emphasis on educational reform through its “Miles de Manos” (Thousands of Hands) model and expansion of technical and vocational education training (TVET) as a catalyst for the reduction of youth violence and improvement in outcomes for students.
(Sanchez et al., p. 7)
Miles de Manos aims to “help children and young people effectively face the challenges of daily life” and prevent violence through schooling and extracurricular learning by strengthening the educational and communication skills of parents, teachers, and students, facilitating their cooperation, and supporting a culture of unity in each community (Miles de Manos 2023). The program was implemented in Central America’s Northern Triangle from 2009-2019, employing an “ecosystemic approach” which maintained that “significant others” such as teachers, parents, and peers play a key role in the development of young people and their behaviors. At the same time, the PREVENIR program sought to establish a knowledge management system in participating schools and develop institutional capacity to broaden vocational opportunities for young people at local and national levels (Esmail 2019, para. 5). Through Miles de Manos, SICA has trained educators, parents, and students using the organization’s facilitation guides, contributing to the establishment of frameworks for coexistence and behavioral expectations, enhanced communication practices, and the implementation of a democratic, participatory approach that grants students more autonomy in defining disciplinary strategies and encourages the development of problem solving and social skills (Miles de Manos 2023).
RESULTS
After seeing promising preliminary results from pilot programs in Guatemala and El Salvador, USAID funded an expansion of the Miles de Manos methodology into Honduras in 2014. Acting as an implementing partner, ChildFund Honduras selected 72 schools in high-risk urban settings – 36 pilot and 36 control – to test the functionality of Miles de Manos within local contexts (Sanchez et al. 2017, p. 5). The pilot program lasted 18 months, provided training to 265 teachers and benefitted 2,269 families (ibid. p. 6). Some of the most striking findings are included below:
- 20% increase in students that reported feeling safe and protected in their classroom and home – from 70%-90%
- In target schools, the monthly average incidence (reported by teachers) of…
- Emotional and psychological violence among students declined from 199 to 81
- Sexual violence among students declined by 50% – from 14 to 7
- Physical violence among students declined from 82 events to 31
- Disciplinary action declined from 306 to 138 events
- In-school vandalism dropped by 50% – from 14 to 7 events per month on average
- 34/36 pilot schools established peace and safety plans to respond to students’ needs
- Slight increase in students who report use of positive discipline from their parents, and students that know the expectations of their teachers regarding behavior and consequences
(Sanchez et al. 2017, p. 10-11)
The German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), another implementing partner, reported the following:
“Visible physical violence between young people in these schools was reduced by 20 per cent over a period of six months. Communication between teachers and students improved, and learning and behavioural issues were increasingly solved in a spirit of partnership. Between 2014 and 2016, the education ministries in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador introduced Miles de Manos in another 600 schools and school networks. A total of 9,000 teachers took part in the training, and some 120,000 students are participating.”
(Esmail 2019, para. 10).
Additionally, the PREVENIR program developed a digital platform to promote youth employment at the end of 2015, providing young people with information about educational grants, entrepreneurship courses, job opportunities, manual training, and crucial life skills (Esmail 2019, para. 7). By the end of 2016, the program had constructed 25 computer centers, provided training to approximately 7100 youth, and created sustainable mechanisms that have enabled communities to continue the program independently (ibid.).
(Fumigalli 2018)
CONCLUSIONS
With its successful execution in several communities across three countries, the Miles de Manos model has caught the attention of massively influential international development institutions, such as USAID and NIH. As the combination of the Miles de Manos model and TVET has expanded to three Central American countries, with successes in each, the evidence suggests that the model can be replicated and has the potential for broader implementation. By providing the tools needed to establish collaborative peace plans and democratic disciplinary structures, Miles de Manos has made a positive impact on the wellbeing of students by significantly improving communication and mutual understanding of expectations, and ultimately reducing physical, psychological, and sexual violence in schools.
Despite its accomplishments, however, the program falls short in a few key areas. First, while the model was applied to schools in urban environments, rural children and youth make up a great deal of the population of students left out by current educational systems in the Northern Triangle. While providing quality education in rural areas presents a number of challenges, Miles de Manos should try to expand its outreach or alter the model to make education more relevant and accessible for these students. Additionally, while Miles de Manos embraces a framework that seeks to harness community engagement in order to cultivate cohesion and enhance the autonomy of students, similar in some ways to principles of the previously mentioned radical humanist paradigm, the methodology seems to address interpersonal relationships but largely overlooks individual reflection and development. A strategy that adds self-discovery initiatives to the model could deepen personal growth and also serve to make the Miles de Manos methodology more equitable, as parental involvement cannot be the same for every student. It is essential that all children and youth, in any community, feel that they have as much a place within it as those around them.
REFERENCES
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. (2022, November 24). Femicide or feminicide. Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://oig.cepal.org/en/indicators/femicide-or-feminicide
Esmail, R. (2019). SICA: Preventing youth violence in Central America. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/13494.html
Fumagalli, L. (2018, December 21). Training on teacher policies in Latin America. International Institute for Educational Planning. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.iiep.unesco.org/en/training-teacher-policies-latin-america-4790
Miles de Manos. (2023). Familias y escuela: ¡Juntas hacen la diferencia! Miles de Manos. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://milesdemanos.com/index.php/miles-de-manos/#1488898488093-49198718-5af3
Sanchez, R., Susman, K., Ramirez, D., Funez, K., Najera, D., Kocchiu, D., & Betancourt, P. (2017). (rep.). Executive Summary PUENTES PROJECT. USAID, ChildFund Honduras. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://www.childfund.org/uploadedFiles/NewCF/Impact/Knowledge_Center/ExecSummary-PuentesHonduras.pdf.
Seguridad, Justicia, y Paz. (2020, June 2). Boletín Ranking 2019 de las 50 ciudades más violentas del mundo. Seguridad, Justicia, y Paz. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20200804121557/http://www.seguridadjusticiaypaz.org.mx/sala-de-prensa/1590-boletin-ranking-2019-de-las-50-ciudades-mas-violentas-del-mundo
Tochigi Prefecture’s “Eco-Tabi Challenge”
Teaching Elementary School Students How to Become More Sustainable and Responsible Consumers
As mentioned in my previous blog post, East Asia is known as a region with high plastic consumption, yet high rankings on the management of their waste (Majidi, 2023). Recycling and waste management is one of several crucial aspects of responsible consumption, which is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Department of Economic and Social Affairs). Out of the nations within East Asia, Japan is one of the highest-ranking countries in recent years for its educational programs on sustainable consumption (Majidi, 2023). Due to my position at Moka City Hall in the Tochigi Prefecture of Japan, I am doing research on a daily basis through local databases and newsletters. Upon further research of Tochigi Prefecture’s specific educational programs for primary school students, I came across a recent program called the Eco-Tabi Challenge. The Eco-Tabi Challenge was a sustainability initiative managed by the Resource Recycling Promotion Section of the Tochigi prefectural government where schools were challenged to have a zero waste school field trip (Tochigi Prefecture, 2021). A total of 78 schools applied and 48 completed the required documents for the program (Tochigi Prefecture, 2022).
For the Eco-Tabi Challenge, the regional government of Tochigi recruited elementary schools both inside and outside of the prefecture to host a school trip in Tochigi sometime between June 15, 2021, to March 31, 2022. During this trip, schools would need to implement initiatives such as ensuring that all students bring reusable water bottles, toothbrushes & toothpaste, and bags. Schools also had to make sure that all food was eaten and that there were no leftovers. It was up to schools to choose how to incorporate these initiatives and create unique initiatives of their own that aligned with the goal of the initiative to teach students how to practice environmentally friendly efforts. Five schools were recognized by the local government for their exceptional educational activities and initiatives that they included as part of their programs. I will provide a quick translated summary of these schools’ accomplishments as recognized by the prefectural government. As I am not a professional translator, I will note that there could be possible errors when translating this information into English. You can find the original Japanese sources cited at the end of this post.
Sakuyama Elementary School had a school trip with 15 students which followed the initial guideline of the Eco-Challenge (Tochigi Prefecture, 2023). In addition to the challenge’s requirements, Sakuyama Elementary School utilized digital technology to create presentations of their school trip and highlight their sustainability efforts during the trip by bringing their own slippers. 24 students from Ishizuka Elementary School researched souvenirs and restaurants prior to their school trip, in order to reduce overconsumption, and shared their findings through Google Docs for their classmates and families to review (Tochigi Prefecture, 2023). Although Kokufu Minami Elementary School only had 9 students participate, they came up with interesting inclusion like creating a newsletter to share with their school and utilizing a challenge card during their school trip to encourage students to engage in sustainable behaviors like using a reusable bag (Tochigi Prefecture, 2023). Arakawa Elementary School had 54 students record their sustainability initiatives on challenge sheets and receive a score based on the number of items each student completed (Tochigi Prefecture, 2023). 20 students from Ouchi Central Elementary School also utilized making PowerPoint presentations reflecting on their school trip and also had everyone use a reusable bag while buying souvenirs and walking around (とちテレNEWS).
Researcher Madeline Hoensheid cites a study that showed how an elementary school recycling education program had a significant impact on students’ behavior, habits, and attitudes toward recycling outside of school (Hoensheid, 2021). Researchers such as Eleni Altikolatsi emphasize the importance of recycling and sustainability education as early as possible to increase the likelihood of creating more environmentally aware citizens (Altikolatsi et al., 2021). These findings are still relatively new and there are few studies that have been conducted to analyze the behavioral impact of sustainability education for elementary school students. However, initial findings prove to be promising and researchers, as well as policymakers, should work to include more standardized sustainability learning in education, with a focus on responsible consumption and production.
Sources:
Altikolatsi, E., Karasmanaki, E., Parissi, A., & Tsantopoulos, G. (2021). Exploring the Factors Affecting the Recycling Behavior of Primary School Students. World, 2(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/world2030021
Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Goal 12 | Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. United Nations. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12
Hoensheid, M. (2021). Long-Term Effects When Educating Elementary Students on Waste Reduction in Minnesota. School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/703
Majidi, H. (2023). Will Recycling Today’s Consumerism Lead to Tomorrow’s Solutions? Education & Development. https://sites.miis.edu/educationanddevelopment/2023/03/13/will-recycling-todays-consumerism-lead-to-tomorrows-solutions/
とちテレNEWS (Director). (2021, November 20). エコたび栃木 環境にやさしい修学旅行 エコバッグで買い物. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL6uyhp_6II
Tochigi Prefecture. (2021). エコたび栃木プロジェクトの開始について. 栃木県. https://www.pref.tochigi.lg.jp/d05/2021ecotabitochigi.html
Tochigi Prefecture. (2022). エコたび栃木プロジェクト参加校募集！. 栃木県. https://www.pref.tochigi.lg.jp/d05/ecotabi.html
Tochigi Prefecture. (2023). 令和４年度エコたび栃木プロジェクト「エコたびチャレンジ」優秀校の決定について. 栃木県. https://www.pref.tochigi.lg.jp/d05/houdou/ecotabi-yusyu2023.html真岡市立大内中央小学校. (2021). エコ旅とちぎ. http://www.moka-tcg.ed.jp/ouchjsc/blogs/blog_entries/view/34/6781b3febd5f3297b9a6aec7faf1144f?frame_id=74
Tostan: how a literacy program became the foremost actor upending FGM/C
In my last post I advocated for nonformal learning programs as a uniquely qualified tool to combat harmful cultural norms like female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and more broadly, gender equity. Today I bring you just such a program: Tostan, founded in Senegal and now also operating in The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Mali.
Established as an NGO in 1991, Tostan was not created to end FGM/C. Rather, founder, Molly Melching, under the mentorship of famed Senegalese scholar Dr. Cheik Anta Diop, envisioned it as a nonformal literacy program, operating in local languages. At a time when formal education in Senegal was offered only in French, this set Tostan apart. Melching recognized and embraced the importance of meeting people where they were, both linguistically and culturally. By 1995, a curriculum transformation was underway. The Tostan team, in working closely with participants, had discovered that learner-introduced questions on democracy and human rights were creating what Paolo Freire called, “generative themes”. A generative theme being one that unlocks for critical examination that which has previously been assumed to be “natural”, or “unchangeable”, to begin the work of separating that which is nature from that which is human construct.
Because the Tostan facilitators were receiving similar questions across multiple locations, they adapted their modules to include interactive explorations of democracy, human rights, and health early in the first year of learning. This adaptive, learner-led approach to creating curriculum is a central characteristic of nonformal learning programs, and why Tostan has proven so powerful.
In my interview with Diane Gillespie, Ph.D. in Cultural and Psychological Studies in Education and long-time qualitative analyst for Tostan, she described the critical component of nonformal learning programs like Tostan as their ability to awaken the capacity to aspire. She explained that Dr. Arjun Appadurai reasoned that development had failed in many ways because the resource poor were not given the opportunity to meaningfully aspire to the future, they lacked the navigational skills, not the intelligence. Which is why Tostan’s first step for learners is a visioning exercise. Learners draw and verbally describe their vision for their community, how they would like it to be.
This is followed by an exploration of their place in relation to others, as an individual, a community, within the nation, and finally the world. And within this conversation a very important moment arises: learners begin to identify the roles they each play. Gillespie describes how “the women come up and say ‘I sweep the room, or cook millet….and the man is a religious teacher’” and this is where “the light comes in, where ‘those were learned roles’” comes into focus” for the first time. And in this moment, the recognition of what is man-made versus what is natural starts to take hold, the process of loosening the grip of cultural norms begins.
Learners then revisit the visioning exercise, in which they pictured a vibrant healthy community. They are now able to recognize that in order to reach that goal, people will need to take on different roles, and because the roles are human constructs, the roles can indeed be changed. This is where transformation of consciousness emerges.
The next step is understanding how to analyze a problem and address it effectively. Because FGM/C is tied to marriage customs, it is not enough that one family or one village decides to stop cutting their girls. The intermarrying groups must accept brides who are not cut. And so the work of advocating and organizing for change becomes the next phase for the learners, action.
This is one of many areas where other organizations stumble. What enabled Tostan to move forward was the value system Melching had adopted at the outset, a philosophical standard for nonformal approaches. Tostan demonstrated respect for the people by teaching in their language and with sensitivity to and inclusiveness of their culture and customs. They did not arrive trying to teach people French, telling them what they needed. For this reason, many elders respected their approach, and trusted the intentions of the organization. One such elder was Imam Diawara, whose advocacy in 1998 on behalf of ending FGM/C resulted in his village and their intermarrying villages to publicly pledge their abandonment of FGM/C, 13 villages in all. The journey of creating their newly envisioned future was underway.
By 2008, a USAID evaluation of Tostan’s work found that “a striking change” could be seen in the villages. Tostan undoubtedly empowered communities to action. The villages had not only remained united in their abandonment of FGM/C, but even more powerfully, they now viewed this previously deeply imbedded practice as obsolete. A second evaluation performed by UNICEF in the same year found that, in villages which had been working with Tostan, a mere 30% of girls had been cut. In stark contrast, 69% of girls in similar villages which had not participated in the Tostan program had been cut. Further, as of 2021, 5,700,000 people from 9,517 communities had publicly declared an end to FGM/C. This does not mean that every individual has abandoned the practice, as the UNICEF report demonstrates, but it can be said that every participant has now been able to critically examine their beliefs and make informed decisions for their well being and that of their children.
It is important to remember that the original Tostan literacy program did not generate, nor seek to generate, these large, mobilized efforts. Rather, action arose out of communities who asked their facilitators to help them investigate democracy, human rights, and health. Through the synergy created by this examination and exploration, they self-mobilized. It was the adaptive nature of nonformal learning programs that enabled this shift in curriculum. And through the trust earned by grounding the program in local language and culture, another cornerstone of nonformal learning, Tostan created a space that felt safe for learners to interrogate their beliefs. It is through this nonformal framework that communities are emerging, one step closer to gender equity on a long and arduous path.
Empowering Rohingya Youth: A Development Program for Sustainable Change
Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is a country in South East Asia and is conservatively Bhuddist. In 2017, a Humanitarian crisis in Myanmar of the Rohingya people in the Rakhine state occurred with genocide committed by the Myanmar Military, influenced by the distasteful views of prominent Buddhist Monks and the Myanmar government’s unwillingness to recognize the group as citizens of the country, which rendered them stateless since 1982 (Letchamanan, 2013; Mahmood, S. S., Wroe, E., Fuller, A., & Leaning, J., 2017). The Rohingya people practice Islam, and violence was taken upon them for state repression and discrimination (Myanmar: No justice, no freedom for Rohingya 5 years on, 2022). Due to the atrocities committed, the learning environment was rendered unsafe, the infrastructure was disseminated, and the youth were at risk of continued violence. Youth of marginalized groups in the Rakhine state, such as the Rohingya people, suffer from loss of education and personal development (Letchamanan, 2013).
Peace Point Myanmar
Peace Point Myanmar was founded in 2016 by Hte Swe, a human rights advocate, to enhance democratic values, human rights, and civic engagement through civic education, inter-faith dialogue, human rights training, campaign incentives, and research advocacy. Peace Point Myanmar works with young people from diverse backgrounds and religious groups, such as Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians. Their outreach focuses on Rohingya people and citizens of the Rakhine State, where the organization works. There are also program operations in the capital city of Yangon (About Us, n.d.).
Youth Development Program
The Youth Development Program is one of five programs that Peace Point Myanmar employs. It is structured to educate young people in Myanmar in preparation for working in their community and for professional development. The program offers four programs as part of its Youth Development Program; Leadership for Change Program, Microsoft Applications Courses, General English Classes, and a Library Project. These programs share the mission of developing skills for the youth to become leaders in their community, social change makers, and better versions of themselves (Youth Development Program, n.d.).
Constructs of YDP
The Leadership for Change Program is a youth empowerment program that aims to support leaders by training them with the right tools to become active human rights advocates and creators of social change in their communities. This is extremely important for Myanmar learners with the ongoing genocide and human rights crises against the Rohingya people in the Rakhine State in western Myanmar. Initiatives are taken to raise the learner’s leadership capacity skills and participation in peace-building traits to better prepare them for an engagement at the community level and beyond. Through hands-on learning, building self-confidence, and the capability of youth to identify solutions to problems are taught to drive social change (Youth Development Program, n.d.).
Peace Point Myanmar uses Microsoft Application Courses to instruct the Myanmar youth on technology skills they can use in their lives and future employment. Education on technology will break down barriers and create opportunities for those that may not have previously had them. Giving Rohingya youth education and access to technology reinforces their ability to become human rights and social change advocates. The technology classes are one month long, two days a week, and Peace Point Myanmar instructed 950 participants from 2017 to 2020 (Youth Development Program, n.d.).
Since 2012, children of the Rakhine State have lost opportunities for development and education due to conflict. Peace Point Myanmar looks to support the educational and resource gap by providing activities and learning materials to all kids. The organization strives to provide context to the learners of conflict affecting their lives, anger and tension management, and the promotion of social cohesion. The goals of the Library Project are as follows (Youth Development Program, n.d.).
- “Create Sustainable education courses including social cohesion training for local communities, teaching English lessons, and other useful skills.”
- “Offer youth reading sessions called “The Books I Used to Read,” followed by a discussion of what they have learned from the reading.
- “Basic Computer Training in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, internet, and graphic design, which will help them get a job.” (Youth Development Program, n.d.)
General English classes are provided to teach Myanmar youth quality speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills at beginner, elementary, pre-intermediate, and intermediate levels. From 2016 to 2020, the General English classes had 1,950 youth participants from diverse backgrounds. This program is also implemented in the Library Project, goals 1 and 2.
Peace Point Myanmar was reached for an Interview but did return a response.
Hope for the Future
With the ongoing humanitarian crisis occurring in the Rakhine State of Myanmar, the youth of the Rohingya people are suffering the most due to a lack of access to youth development programs and education. Organizations such as Peace Point Myanmar must provide access to tools in their Youth Development Program, such as General English classes, the technology and Microsoft Applications course, and the Library Project. The four tools used in the Youth Development Program support each other in developing skills for Myanmar youth to become leaders and positive social change agents in their communities. With these skills, young Myanmar people can seek employment opportunities and highly skilled jobs that are starting to require a higher English literacy level and advocate for themselves and others through multiple platforms (Mar, M. T. C, 2020).
Sources
About Us. Peace Point Myanmar. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.peacepointmyanmar.org/who-we-are/about-us/
Letchamanan, H. (2013). Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees in Malaysia: Education and the way forward. Journal of International and Comparative Education (JICE), 86-97.
Mahmood, S. S., Wroe, E., Fuller, A., & Leaning, J. (2017). The Rohingya people of Myanmar: health, human rights, and identity. The Lancet, 389(10081), 1841-1850.
Mar, M. T. C. (2020, October). Myanmar Youth and Impact of English Language Proficiency Towards Job Grabbing. In International Conference on Community Development (ICCD 2020) (pp. 416-420). Atlantis Press.
Myanmar: No justice, no freedom for Rohingya 5 years on. Human Rights Watch. (2022, August 24). Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/08/24/myanmar-no-justice-no-freedom-rohingya-5-years#:~:text=The%20Rohingya%20who%20remain%20in,care%2C%20education%2C%20and%20livelihoods.
Youth Development Program. Peace Point Myanmar. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.peacepointmyanmar.org/programs/youth-development-program/
