Eight students and one alumna, who is now a teacher, have today been awarded Young Peacemakers Awards at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod.
Since March this year, seven undergraduate students of Philosophy, Ethics and Religion and one PhD student of Philosophy and Religion, together with a former student of Philosophy and Religion, Emilia Johnson, now a teacher, have created brand new learning resources for Key Stage 3 teachers so that students can learn more about Peace.
Organised jointly by the Welsh Centre for International Affairs (WCIA), Academi Heddwch Cymru and Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, the annual Young Peacemakers Awards celebrates children and young people in Wales who have contributed to peace, sustainability and equality in their school, youth group, local community or in the wider world. The Bangor University students and alumna were nominated in the Young Peace Heritage category, adjudicated by the Women's Peace Petition Project.
The resources developed by the Bangor University based group were developed for the Bangor University housed charity, the National Centre of Religious Education for Wales, which supports teachers and students as they engage with Religious Education, Values and Ethics and Humanities across Key Stage 3, 4 and 5.
The resources include lessons about war and peace, bullying, religion and conflict, jihad, symbols of peace, the Women's Peace Petition and Henry Richard: Apostle of Peace, among other topics.
Rebecca Wilson from the WCIA said, "These resources will help students explore peace in depth and develop skills such as critical thinking, appreciative inquiry, and an ability to communicate on peace related topics. The group showed an overall understanding of the complexities and importance of peace. Their collaboration to achieve this aim demonstrates their commitment to this work and their ability to create ties for peace heritage across Wales is commendable. Congratulations!”
Lecturer Dr Gareth Evans-Jones, who worked with the group and nominated them for the Young Peacemakers Award said,
“I nominated the group because of how genuinely enthusiastic they were about the subject and about creating such special resources. Everyone had made a huge contribution and those who are considering becoming teachers, in particular, have benefitted greatly from working with Emilia. I congratulate them all on this well-deserved award. The aim is to have the entire education package available by the end of this year, but a taste of it will be shared on 21 September - the United Nations Day of Peace.”
